sbir phase I: Nanomaterials with High Strength for Fabrication of Microgears

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project proposes a highly innovative technique for using nanomaterials of high strength in fabrication of microgears with end applications in medical instrumentation. The demand for precision instruments required for medical diagnosis and microsurgical tools are increasing continuously over the past decade to provide better service. Endoscopes and microsurgical instruments have decreased in size from 25 mm to 10 mm over the past six years. The decrease in size of these instruments has become possible due to the reduction in size of the drive systems employed. Electric motor drives currently in use have evolved from a size of 10 mm to 2 mm. The tiny gears used in these motors for torque transmission fail due to friction and wear. Thus, there is a need for increased performance of the microgear components in the micromotors. The mechanical properties of strength and hardness are increased by fabrication of these microscale components using nanocrystalline particles. This Phase I Project proposes a novel approach for fabrication of the microgears with nanocrystalline copper. The feasibility of the technique will be evaluated by fabrication of microgears (100 microns diameter) and by the characterization of their physical and mechanical properties. The commercial applications of this project will primarily be in the area of biomedical devices and instrumentation. Other applications would include disk drives, toxic-gas monitors, camera-lens drives and pagers.