"Nano-electromechanical resonators are used in all sorts of modern technology. You may not see them, but they can be found in robotics, medical tools and environmental sensors," says Professor Hidezaku Tanaka.
According to the team, the nanowires depend on the spontaneous oscillations in the electrical signal caused by phase transitions in the VO2.
Because of the non-linear electro-mechanical properties of VO2 crystals and the freestanding design, the researchers claim the nanowires could generate disproportionally strong mechanical oscillations at MHz frequencies using nothing more than a simple DC power source.
The team showed the additional energy for the crystal oscillations comes in the form of heat caused by the electrical power.
"We found the source of energy for the mechanical response is dominated by thermal dissipations and not electrical power," said Prof Tanaka.
According to the researchers, designing an nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) that efficiently exploits heat generated by the phase transitions gives a new paradigm for energy-efficient technologies.
"Our system is simple and scalable. It opens the possibility of realising NEMS that have fast switching and powered by a DC power source."
