US Patent 7303815 - Thermal bimorph nanotape

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7303815.html

Thermal bimorph cantilevers play an important part in enabling many micromechanical sensors and switches by using two metallic materials with differing thermal expansion coefficients so that the cantilever bends upon thermal actuation. This patent from the University of California teaches an oxidized nanoribbon which can form the same function but at a smaller scale. Claim 1 reads:


1. A nanotape, comprising: a nanoribbon substrate; and an oxide epitaxially deposited on a flat surface of the nanoribbon substrate to form a two-layer nanotape having a generally rectangular cross-section.