We demonstrate a large aspect ratio self-aligned silicon nanopillar electromechanical switch achieved with a single lithography step. This compact vertical device can be aggressively scaled by virtue of self-limiting oxidation. We describe a scaling relation that outlines the design space for this class of low voltage nanorelays. Summary of Research: We summarize: (a) the implications of electr...

The paper investigates the actuation mechanism in floating electrode MEMS capacitive switches. It demonstrated that in the pull-in state the device operation turns from voltage to current controlled actuation. The current arises from Poole-Frenkel mechanism in the dielectric film and FowlerNordheim in the bridge-floating electrode air gap. The pull-out voltage seems to arise from the abrupt dec...

A hydrodynamic scaling model of droplet actuation in an electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWD) actuator is presented that takes into account the effects of contact angle hysteresis, drag from the filler fluid, drag from the solid walls, and change in the actuation force while a droplet traverses a neighboring electrode. Based on this model, the threshold voltage, VT, for droplet actuation is estima...

Ionic actuators have attracted attention due to their remarkably large strain under low-voltage stimulation. Because actuation performance is mainly dominated by the electrochemical and electromechanical processes of the electrode layer, the electrode material and structure are crucial. Here, we report a graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet electrode-based ionic actuator that displays high electr...

The development of actuation-enabled materials is important for smart devices and systems. Among them, graphene with outstanding electric, thermal, and mechanical properties holds great promise as a new type of stimuli-responsive material. In this study, we developed a re-shaping strategy to construct structure-controlled graphene hydrogels for highly enhanced actuation responses. Actuators bas...

The aerodynamic plasma actuators have shown to be efficient flow control devices in various applications. In this study the results of flow control experiments utilizing single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators to control flow separation and unsteady vortex shedding from a circular cylinder in cross-flow are reported. This work is motivated by the need to reduce landing gear noise f...

Digital microfluidic has recently been under intensive study, as an effective method to carry out liquid manipulation in Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC) systems. Among droplet actuation forces, ElectroWetting on Dielectric (EWOD) and Liquid DiElectroPhoresis (LDEP) are powerful tools, used in many LOC platforms. Such digital microfluidic transductions do not require integration of complex mechanical compon...

In this paper, a general methodology for the dynamic study of electrostatically actuated droplets is presented. A simplified 1D transient model is developed to investigate the transient response of a droplet to an actuation voltage and to study the effect of geometrical and fluid-thermal properties and electrical parameters on this behavior. First, the general approach for the dynamic droplet m...

This paper presents a new actuation mechanism to drive comb-drive actuators. An asymmetric configuration of the finger overlap was used to generate capacitive coupling for the actuation mechanism. When the driving voltages were applied on the stators, a voltage would be induced at the rotor due to the capacitive coupling. Then, an electrostatic force would be exerted onto the rotor due to the v...

Effects of uncertainties in gas damping models, geometry and mechanical properties on the dynamics of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) capacitive switch are studied. A sample of typical capacitive switches has been fabricated and characterized at Purdue University. High-fidelity simulations of gas damping on planar microbeams are developed and verified under relevant conditions. This and...