This paper reports a laterally suspended microcantilever made entirely of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forest. The CNTs in a 1-mm-long cantilever, patterned using a post-growth microplasma technique, are preserved in their original alignment and structure, and are self-suspended only due to their entwined arrangement and internal interactions. This pure CNT forest cantilever is electrostatically actuated to characterize its resonance using a laser Doppler vibrometer, revealing a resonant frequency and quality factor of 7.95 kHz and 51.3, respectively, at room temperature. The measurement result fitted to a free vibrating microcantilever model indicates that the CNT forest, an anisotropic bulk material, has an in-plane Young's modulus of 3.8 MPa, which matches well with previously reported levels of the modulus. A preliminary test of the cantilever as a resonant-mode sensing device shows real-time temperature tracking, suggesting the device's potential for not only temperature sensing but also other sensing applications.
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6 July 2020
Research Article|
July 06 2020
A microcantilever of self-suspended carbon nanotube forest for material characterization and sensing applications
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Mohab O. Hassan
;
Mohab O. Hassan
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
2
Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Alireza Nojeh
;
Alireza Nojeh
a)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
2
Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Kenichi Takahata
Kenichi Takahata
a)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Mohab O. Hassan
1,2
Alireza Nojeh
1,2,a)
Kenichi Takahata
1,a)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
2
Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia
, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
Appl. Phys. Lett. 117, 013101 (2020)
Article history
Received:
May 02 2020
Accepted:
June 14 2020
Citation
Mohab O. Hassan, Alireza Nojeh, Kenichi Takahata; A microcantilever of self-suspended carbon nanotube forest for material characterization and sensing applications. Appl. Phys. Lett. 6 July 2020; 117 (1): 013101. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0012533
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