Nanoscale force sensor and actuator with carbon-nanotube network
  Actuators at the nanoscale are assuming great important in todays shrinking electronics industry where a system-on-chip approach is used to integrate multi-functional systems and devices. Integration of sensors, actuators, information processing, and storage have become extremely important, more so at the sub-micrometer scale. Here we utilized vertically aligned carbon nanotube forests bonded onto a piezoelectric substrate to provide sensing of nanoscale forces and actuation on the same platform. This is a demonstration of integration of two important functions using the functionality of nanomaterials. This has immediate utility in many areas including outer space exploration, portable consumer electronics, embedded systems, etc. 
Zhiping Zhang, Li Huang, Haifei Wang, Tracy Bay, Robinson L. Smith
cond-mat.mes-hall