Carbon Nanotube Based Bearing for Rotational Motions

Bertrand Bourlon (1) , Christian D.C. Glattli (1, 2) , L. Forro (3) , Adrian Bachtold (1)

1 LPA - Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain
2 SPEC - UMR3680 - Service de physique de l'état condensé
3 EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

We report the fabrication of a nanoelectromechanical system consisting of a plate rotating around a multiwalled nanotube bearing. The motion is possible thanks to the low intershell friction. Indeed, the nanotube has been engineered so that the sliding happens between different shells. The plate rotation is activated electrostatically with stator electrodes. The static friction force is estimated at $\\approx 2\\cdot10^{-15}$ N/\Å$^2$.

Domaines: Autre [cond-mat.other]

Bertrand Bourlon, Christian D.C. Glattli, L. Forro, Adrian Bachtold. Carbon Nanotube Based Bearing for Rotational Motions. Nano Letters, 2004, 4, pp.709. ⟨10.1021/nl035217g⟩. ⟨hal-00017857⟩