Manufacture a muscle with carbon nanotubes

2009/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Nanoteknologia
• Robotika

The Dallas University of Texas has created a material that contracts and relaxes like a muscle by receiving electricity discharges. It is very light, with only 1.5 milligrams per cubic centimeter, it is also flexible, although proportionally more resistant than steel. In addition, it can act in a wide temperature range without losing properties, between -193 °C and 1,627 °C.

The material is composed of a network of carbon nanotubes and an aerogel. With the aerogel they have made a sheet in which the nanotubes have been inserted. When discharging in the width of the plate, that is, regardless of the side, the width of the plate is tripled. The researchers explained that the process is that the discharge is filtered by carbon nanotubes, so the nanotubes are negatively loaded and the loads repel each other. Expansion occurs 4,000 times faster than the human muscle.

As for the longitudinal application of the plate, scientists have found that it contracts. This causes an increase in the density of the material that makes it much harder. At that time it is proportionally harder than steel.