Microsystems become part of everyday life but their application is restricted by lack of strong and fast motors (actuators) converting energy into motion. For example, widespread internal combustion engines cannot be scaled down because combustion reactions are quenched in a small space. Here we present an actuator with the dimensions 100 x 100 x 5 micrometer^3 that is using internal combustion of hydrogen and oxygen as part of its working cycle. Water electrolysis driven by short voltage pulses creates an extra pressure of 0.5–4 bar for a time of 100–400 microseconds in a chamber closed by a flexible membrane. When the pulses are switched off this pressure is released even faster allowing production of mechanical work in short cycles. We provide arguments that this unexpectedly fast pressure decrease is due to spontaneous combustion of the gases in the chamber. This actuator is the first step to truly microscopic combustion engines.
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机译:微型系统已成为日常生活的一部分,但由于缺乏将能量转化为运动的快速电动机(致动器),其应用受到了限制。例如,由于燃烧反应在很小的空间内被猝灭,所以不能按比例缩小普遍的内燃机。在这里,我们介绍了一种尺寸为100 x 100 x 5微米^ 3的执行器,该执行器使用氢气和氧气的内燃作为其工作循环的一部分。由短电压脉冲驱动的水电解在由柔性膜封闭的腔室内产生0.5–4 bar的额外压力,持续100–400微秒的时间。断开脉冲后,压力释放得更快,从而可以在短周期内完成机械功。我们提供了这样的论据,即压力的这种意外的快速下降是由于室内气体的自燃所致。该执行器是真正实现微型内燃机的第一步。
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