Curved Electrostatic Nanobeams Incorporating Surface Energy

Abstract

In this work, a study on curved electrostatically-actuated nanobeams incorporating surface energy is presented. The beam is modeled according to Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the Gurtin–Murdoch theory of surface stress is used to incorporate surface energy effects in beam modeling. To verify the accuracy of the model, its predictions were compared to numerical results reported in previous literature on the static behavior of fixed-fixed and fixed-free nanobeams subjected to DC electrostatic potential. The results of this study demonstrate that the stiffness of both fixed–fixed and fixed-free nanobeams is influenced by surface stress. Furthermore, the findings highlight the significant impact of the electrostatic fringing field on the response of the nanobeams.