Nanomaterials on Earth and Beyond Series
nanotechnology-MEMS-Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems
MEMS-Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems Example
Sensors based on nanotechnology also offer great potential for developing smart materials and structures, which have ‘self-sensing’ and ‘self-actuating’ capability. These can be implanted in concrete and can serve in quality control and help monitor durability. Cheap nano-sensors based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices and carbon nanotube sensors could be embedded into buildings to give early warning of defects that make them more vulnerable to earthquakes. While the MEMS device monitors internal temperature and moisture, the nanotube sensors detect cracks forming inside the concrete. The data is then wirelessly transmitted to a laptop (29). In the future, sensors like smart aggregates (a low cost piezoceramic (ceramic materials that produce a voltage under mechanical deformation and vice versa)-based multi-functional device sensor) (30) will help measure the density and viscosity of the concrete along with parameters that influence durability (e.g. temperature, moisture, relative humidity, pH, vibrations) (9).