A team of scientists from Rice University has used a strong force field emitted by a Tesla coil to initiate the self-assembly of carbon nanotubes into long wires, a process that they refer to as "Teslaphoresis." The new finding opens doors to achieving scalable nanotube assembly from the bottom up.
Teslaphoresis works by utilizing remotely oscillating positive and negative charges in each nanotube, which causes them to chain together into long wires. Furthermore, the team's specially crafted Tesla coil creates a tractor beam-like effect that manifests as the nanotube wires are drawn toward the coil over long distances.
The study marks the first time that this unique force-field effect on matter has been observed on such a large scale, and the team claims that even Nikola Tesla, who invented the coil in 1891, was unaware of the phenomenon.
"Electric fields have been used to move small objects, but only over ultrashort distances," said Paul Cherukuri, a chemist from Rice University and senior author of the study. "With Teslaphoresis, we have the ability to massively scale up force fields to move matter remotely."
The unique phenomenon can assemble and power circuits that harvest energy from the field at the same time. For example, in one experiment, the team observed nanotubes assemble themselves into wires, form a circuit connecting two LEDs and absorb energy from the Tesla coil's field in order to light the LEDs.
The team realized that their unique Tesla coil could create a strong force field at great distances, even observing the alignment and movement of carbon nanotubes several feet away from it.
"It is such a stunning thing to watch these nanotubes come alive and stitch themselves into wires on the other side of the room," Cherukuri said.
The team hopes that their research is integrated into numerous potential technologies, such as regenerative medicine.
"There are so many applications where one could utilize strong force fields to control the behavior of matter in both biological and artificial systems," Cherukuri said. "And even more exciting is how much fundamental physics and chemistry we are discovering as we move along. This really is just the first act in an amazing story."
The findings were published in the April 13 issue of the journal ACS Nano.
