Research project: Stiction-Free and Tuneable Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems Incorporating Liquid Crystals
Micro/Nano-electromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS) is a pervasive technology underpinning a range of modern applications including smart phones, medical devices & implants, high resolution displays, high sensitivity sensors and actuators. However, nanoscopic mechanical motion underpinning the functionality of such systems is often affected by a number of parasitic effects and the chief among them is stiction - unintentional adhesion of moving parts leading to a catastrophic failure of the devices. Correspondingly, the ability to engage and control reliably mechanical movements in NEMS is the main challenge of the technology.
