SGER: NanoGate - A New Micromechanical Mechanism for Valves and Relays

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This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) project will explore design concepts and manufacturing strategies for the NanoGate considering mechanics, tribology, and actuation, and will build prototype NanoGates used to act as relays and as fluid valves. The attempt is to create a new micro mechanical element that will have application in devices from fluid valves to electric power relays. The fundamental premise of the NanoGate is that a contilevered beam with a force applied to its tip and bent against an anvil located between the tip and the base can create a desired shape in the beam, independent of the beam thickness. This enables the beam to act as a transmission: when the tip is deflected 10 microns between the anvil and the base, the beam may deflect 10 angstroms. Similarly, a gap (open) or high force (closed) can be created between the beam and the anvil. Applications of this principle in fluid systems would enable researchers to create nanometer gaps and study the behavior of fluids at fundamental new scales. The research should enable complete indentification of the issues associated with this new device. There may be many system applications for the NanoGate element. For example, the NanoGate could be used to size nano particles. As a fluid valve, the NanoGate could use the polished top surface of a resilient plate to open and close off chambers to gate flow.