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Carbon Nanotubes for Nanorobotics

Navamani Prakash
Manish Kumar
Contents

1. Introduction
Nanorobotics
Carbon Nanotubes
2. Nanorobotic structural System
3. Nanoassembly of CNTs
4. Shell engineering of CNTs
5. NEMS
6. Application and Futures of Nanorobotics
7. Summary

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 Nanorobotics: Introduction
Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the
microscopic scale of a nanometer (10-9).

Nanorobots would typically be devices ranging in size from 0.1-10 micrometers.

Nanomachines are largely in the research and development phase, but some
primitive molecular machines and nanomotors have been tested have been tested

Nano robots are the result of combination of two technologies: robotics and
nanotechnology. It is a tiny machine which is designed to perform specific task
or tasks repeatedly and with precision at nanoscale dimensions.

Nano robot is any active structure which is capable of either one or a

combination of two or more of the following: actuation, sensing, manipulation,
propulsion, signalling and information processing at the Nano scale.

Nano robots can function at the atomic or molecular level to build devices,
machines or circuits , a process known as molecular manufacturing. Moreover
they can produce copies of themselves to replace worn out units, a process
called self replication.
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 Carbon Nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a
cylindrical nanostructure.

They have length-to-diameter ratio of up to

132,000,000:1.

Nanotubes are members of the fullerene structural

family. Their name is derived from their long, hollow
structure with the walls formed by one-atom-thick
sheets of carbon, called graphene.

Properties
Highest strength to weight ratio: Helps in creating light weight spacecrafts.

Easily penetrate membranes such as cell walls: Helps in cancer treatment.

Electrical resistance changes significantly when other molecules attach themselves

to the carbon atoms: Helps in developing sensors that can detect chemical vapors
 CNT-based building blocks for nanorobotic
systems

The well-defined geometry, exceptional mechanical properties, and extraordinary electric

characteristics, among other outstanding physical properties of CNTs qualify them for
potential applications in Nanoelectronics circuits, Nanoelectromechanical(NEMS).

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Nanorobotic systems as structural
CNTs can serve in nanorobotic systems as structural elements, tools, sensors, and
actuators. As shown in Fig. 1, starting from as-grown CNTs, nanotubes can be assembled
into more complex structures using bottom-up approaches or engineered to achieve
secondary building blocks using top-down approaches.

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Nanoassembly of CNTs
As-grown CNTs can serve directly as functional elements of nanodevices. The
first example of such a device a nanotube probe for an atomic force
microscope(AFM).

Random spreading, direct growth, fluidic self-assembly, transfer printing, and

dielectrophoretic (DEP) assembly have been used for positioning as-grown
nanotubes or other nanostructures on electrodes for the construction of
electronic devices, or NEMS generally, in some type of regular array.

We have achieved controlled deposition of different nanoscale forms of

carbon on Si chips using DEP-driven, bottom-up assembly techniques. This
type of assembly is compatible with conventional top-down Si micro- and
nanomachining techniques, and hence offers a powerful tool for batch
manufacturing of next-generation NEMS.

Specifically, we have demonstrated the suitability of this technique for

assembling MWNTs, double-walled CNTs (DWNTs), Cu-filled CNTs75, and CNT
coils.
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Nanoassembly of CNTs (Bottom-up Process)

The nanorobotic assembly of CNT junctions by emphasizing the

connection methods

a. CNT junctions have been created

using van der Waals forces ,
b. Electron-beam-induced deposition
(EBID),
c. Bonding through
mechanochemistry,
d. spot welding via Cu encapsulated
inside CNTs.
 Shell engineering of CNTs (Top-down Process)
Open-ended CNTs have been created by removing the usually capped ends of
MWNTs with acid etching, saturated current, electronic pulse, or mechanical
strain, thus providing access to the inner core of the nanotube cylinders.
Acid etching is effective for opening nanotube caps but does not expose the
inner layers in a controlled way.
Controlled fabrication with saturated current is potentially a large-scale
manufacturing method, whereas electric pulse and mechanical strain are
convenient in situ processes.
Mechanical pulling can be used to fabricate telescoping CNTs using nanorobotic
manipulation techniques.

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 Shell engineering of CNTs

Typical examples ) telescoping

MWNTs are:
a) bridged,
b) cantilevered, and
c) center-supported (with one
open end).

The primary requirement for simultaneously engineering an array of CNTs with

control over length, location, and number of shells, while applying a common
electrical bias, is that the MWNT-based nanostructures are created with nearly
identical electrical circuit resistance and heat-transport conditions.
This causes uniform Joule heating across the array and etches all the nanotubes in
parallel to fabricate bearings. In addition, the nanostructure lends itself to shell-
selective alteration of the MWNT geometry.

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 Shell engineering of CNTs

The CNT is sandwiched between two layers of metal at each end to improve
electrical contact. With this architecture, the metallic contacts serve as heat
sinks, and shell removal as a result of thermal stress occurs in the suspended
segment.
the thermal contact resistance and removal of Joule heat generated in the CNTs
through these metallic contacts is dependent on the contact area, we find that
heat dissipation is higher at the two-layer heat sink than the single-layer heat
sink.
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NEMS

The next step along the road to fabricating nanorobots is to fabricate simpler
NEMS. NEMS make it possible to manipulate Nano sized objects with Nano
sized tools, measure mass in femtogram ranges, sense force at piconewton
scales, and induce gigahertz motion.

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Application and Future of Nanorobotics

Application In medical Field

1. Tumors
2. Kidney stones
3. Blood clots
4. Diabetes
5. Arteriosclerosis

Future of Nanorobotics
1. In industry and manufacturing
2. In supercomputer
3. In brains growth
4. To improve healthcare

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 Summary
We have reviewed technological progress on CNTs related to nanorobotics. The
assembly of large arrays of carbon nanomaterials, such as MWNTs, DWNTs, Cu-
filled CNTs, and CNT coils, onto nanoelectrodes using DEP of individual
nanotubes has been described.
Nanorobotic assembly has been shown to be effective for interconnecting CNTs.
Mechanical strain and electric breakdown have been demonstrated in shell
engineering of CNTs.
Site-selective shell engineering has been realized using electric breakdown with
heat dissipation modulation using nanomachined heat sinks. Controlled mass
delivery of Cu inside nanotube shells has been realized by applying a low bias
voltage.
As an emerging field, nanorobotics faces many challenges because of the
extreme scaling effects that must be considered.
Problems we now see, such as how to build more complex systems with smaller
building blocks, calibrate ultrasensitive sensors, and control actuators with
dynamics far faster than the rate of control feedback, are just the beginning.
While the future remains unclear, we can be certain that nanorobotics is steadily
progressing toward the construction of structures, tools, sensors, actuators,
and systems that will extend our ability to explore the nanoworld from
perception, cognition, and manipulation perspectives.
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 THANK YOU

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