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Micromachines
Volume 14
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Micromachines, Volume 14, Issue 1 (January 2023) – 231 articles

Cover Story (view full-size image): To overcome the limitations associated with conventional therapy of age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness in industrialised countries involving intravitreal drug injections, magnesium-based drug delivery devices represent a high-potential solution. Currently, the suitable manufacturing technology for this novel system prototyping needs to be investigated. In particular, the critical aspect in its realisation is closely linked to its small dimensions and the presence of cavities, which provide drug housings with a very high depth-to-diameter ratio. In this paper, the mechanism of deep-hole microdrilling of pure Mg, which plays an interesting role in the field of biomaterials, was experimentally investigated to find a suitable setup for this new intraocular drug delivery device and other prototyping of biomedical devices. View this paper
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15 pages, 17854 KiB  
Article
Design and Development of a MOEMS Accelerometer Using SOI Technology
by José Mireles, Jr., Ángel Sauceda, Abimael Jiménez, Manuel Ramos and Rafael Gonzalez-Landaeta
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010231 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3398
Abstract
The micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensors are suitable devices for vibrational analysis in complex systems. The Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) is used due to its high sensitivity and immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Here, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) [...] Read more.
The micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensors are suitable devices for vibrational analysis in complex systems. The Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) is used due to its high sensitivity and immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Here, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MEMS device, which is embedded in a metallic package and connected to an optical fiber. This integrated micro-opto-electro-mechanical system (MOEMS) sensor contains a mass structure and handle layers coupled with four designed springs built on the device layer. An optical reading system using an FPI is used for displacement interrogation with a demodulation technique implemented in LabVIEW®. The results indicate that our designed MOEMS sensor exhibits a main resonant frequency of 1274 Hz with damping ratio of 0.0173 under running conditions up to 7 g, in agreement with the analytical model. Our experimental findings show that our designed and fabricated MOEMS sensor has the potential for engineering application to monitor vibrations under high-electromagnetic environmental conditions. Full article
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8 pages, 2292 KiB  
Article
Activation Enhancement and Grain Size Improvement for Poly-Si Channel Vertical Transistor by Laser Thermal Annealing in 3D NAND Flash
by Tao Yang, Zhiliang Xia, Dongyu Fan, Dongxue Zhao, Wei Xie, Yuancheng Yang, Lei Liu, Wenxi Zhou and Zongliang Huo
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 230; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010230 - 16 Jan 2023
Viewed by 3086
Abstract
The bit density is generally increased by stacking more layers in 3D NAND Flash. Lowering dopant activation of select transistors results from complex integrated processes. To improve channel dopant activation, the test structure of vertical channel transistors was used to investigate the influence [...] Read more.
The bit density is generally increased by stacking more layers in 3D NAND Flash. Lowering dopant activation of select transistors results from complex integrated processes. To improve channel dopant activation, the test structure of vertical channel transistors was used to investigate the influence of laser thermal annealing on dopant activation. The activation of channel doping by different thermal annealing methods was compared. The laser thermal annealing enhanced the channel activation rate by at least 23% more than limited temperature rapid thermal annealing. We then comprehensively explore the laser thermal annealing energy density on the influence of Poly-Si grain size and device performance. A clear correlation between grain size mean and grain size sigma, large grain size mean and sigma with large laser thermal annealing energy density. Large laser thermal annealing energy density leads to tightening threshold voltage and subthreshold swing distribution since Poly-Si grain size regrows for better grain size distribution with local grains optimization. As an enabler for next-generation technologies, laser thermal annealing will be highly applied in 3D NAND Flash for better device performance with stacking more layers, and opening new opportunities of novel 3D architectures in the semiconductor industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Emerging Nonvolatile Memory, Volume II)
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13 pages, 3609 KiB  
Article
DC-Dielectrophoretic Manipulation and Isolation of Microplastic Particle-Treated Microalgae Cells in Asymmetric-Orifice-Based Microfluidic Chip
by Tianbo Gao, Kai Zhao, Jiaqi Zhang and Kaihuan Zhang
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010229 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2331
Abstract
A novel direct-current dielectrophoretic (DC–DEP) method is proposed for the manipulation and isolation of microplastic particle (MP)-treated microalgae cells according to their dielectric properties in a microfluidic chip. The lateral migration and trajectory of the microalgae cells were investigated. To induce stronger DC–DEP [...] Read more.
A novel direct-current dielectrophoretic (DC–DEP) method is proposed for the manipulation and isolation of microplastic particle (MP)-treated microalgae cells according to their dielectric properties in a microfluidic chip. The lateral migration and trajectory of the microalgae cells were investigated. To induce stronger DC–DEP effects, a non-homogeneous electric-field gradient was generated by applying the DC electric voltages through triple pairs of asymmetric orifices with three small orifices and one large orifice located on the opposite microchannel wall across the whole channel, leading to the enhanced magnitude of the non-uniform electric-field gradient and effective dielectrophoretic area. The effects of the applied voltage, the polystyrene (PS) adsorption coverage, and thickness on the DC–DEP behaviors and migration were numerically investigated, and it was found that the effect of the PS adsorption thickness of the Chlorella cells on the DC–DEP behaviors can be neglected, but the effect on their trajectory shifts cannot. In this way, the separation of 3 µm and 6 µm Chlorella coated with 100% PS particles and the isolation of the Chlorella cells from those coated with various coverages and thicknesses of PS particles was successfully achieved, providing a promising method for the isolation of microalgae cells and the removal of undesired cells from a target suspension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Colloidal and Micro Systems for Propulsion and Manipulation)
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23 pages, 9790 KiB  
Article
Lightweight Fan-Beam Microstrip Grid Antenna for Airborne Microwave Interferometric Radiometer Applications
by Chunwang Gu, Hao Liu and Min Yi
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010228 - 15 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1749
Abstract
The microwave interferometric radiometer (MIR) uses aperture synthesis technology to equate multiple small-aperture antennas into a large-aperture antenna to improve spatial resolution. At present, MIR antennas that operate at frequencies above the C-band mostly use horn antennas, waveguide slot antennas, etc., which have [...] Read more.
The microwave interferometric radiometer (MIR) uses aperture synthesis technology to equate multiple small-aperture antennas into a large-aperture antenna to improve spatial resolution. At present, MIR antennas that operate at frequencies above the C-band mostly use horn antennas, waveguide slot antennas, etc., which have the disadvantages of a high profile and large mass. In this paper, a new type of miniaturized, low-profile, and lightweight K-band fan-beam microstrip grid antenna is designed for the airborne campaign of the K-band one-dimensional MIR of a Microwave Imager Combined Active and Passive (MICAP) onboard a Chinese Ocean Salinity Mission (COSM). With a limited size constraint (12.33 mm) on the antenna width, a fan-beam shape antenna pattern was achieved with a 5.34° 3-dB beamwidth in the narrow beam direction and up to a 55° 3-dB beamwidth in the fan-beam direction. A periodic structural unit is proposed in this paper to reduce the design complexity of Taylor weighting, achieving desirable performances on gain (19.1 dB) and sidelobe level (<−20 dB) in the H-plane. Four antenna elements were fabricated and arranged in a non-redundant sparse array. The performance of the four-element sparse array was evaluated with a simulation and real measurement in an anechoic chamber. The coupling between antenna elements was less than −25 dB, and the consistency of phase patterns was better than 3.4°. These results verify the feasibility of the proposed K-band microstrip grid antenna for airborne MIR applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microwave Antennas: From Fundamental Research to Applications)
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16 pages, 8487 KiB  
Article
Measurement and Control System for Atomic Force Microscope Based on Quartz Tuning Fork Self-Induction Probe
by Yongzhen Luo, Xidong Ding, Tianci Chen, Tao Su and Dihu Chen
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010227 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2455
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce a low-cost, expansible, and compatible measurement and control system for atomic force microscopes (AFM) based on a quartz tuning fork (QTF) self-sensing probe and frequency modulation, which is mainly composed of an embedded control system and a probe [...] Read more.
In this paper, we introduce a low-cost, expansible, and compatible measurement and control system for atomic force microscopes (AFM) based on a quartz tuning fork (QTF) self-sensing probe and frequency modulation, which is mainly composed of an embedded control system and a probe system. The embedded control system is based on a dual-core OMAPL138 microprocessor (DSP + ARM) equipped with 16 channels of a 16-bit high-precision general analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a 16-bit high-precision general digital-to-analog converter (DAC), six channels of an analog-to-digital converter with a second-order anti-aliasing filter, four channels of a direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDS), a digital input and output (DIO) interface, and other peripherals. The uniqueness of the system hardware lies in the design of a high-precision and low-noise digital—analog hybrid lock-in amplifier (LIA), which is used to detect and track the frequency and phase of the QTF probe response signal. In terms of the system software, a software difference frequency detection method based on a digital signal processor (DSP) is implemented to detect the frequency change caused by the force gradient between the tip and the sample, and the relative error of frequency measurement is less than 3%. For the probe system, a self-sensing probe controller, including an automatic gain control (AGC) self-excitation circuit, is designed for a homemade balanced QTF self-sensing probe with a high quality factor (Q value) in an atmospheric environment. We measured the quality factor (Q value) of the balanced QTF self-sensing probes with different lengths of tungsten tips and successfully realized AFM topography imaging with a tungsten-tip QTF probe 3 mm in length. The results show that the QTF-based self-sensing probe and the developed AFM measurement and control system can obtain high quality surface topography scanning images in an atmospheric environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Materials and Measurements)
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14 pages, 3591 KiB  
Article
A Biodegradable Bioactive Glass-Based Hydration Sensor for Biomedical Applications
by Amina Gharbi, Ahmed Yahia Kallel, Olfa Kanoun, Wissem Cheikhrouhou-Koubaa, Christopher H. Contag, Iulian Antoniac, Nabil Derbel and Nureddin Ashammakhi
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010226 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2729
Abstract
Monitoring changes in edema-associated intracranial pressure that complicates trauma or surgery would lead to improved outcomes. Implantable pressure sensors have been explored, but these sensors require post-surgical removal, leading to the risk of injury to brain tissue. The use of biodegradable implantable sensors [...] Read more.
Monitoring changes in edema-associated intracranial pressure that complicates trauma or surgery would lead to improved outcomes. Implantable pressure sensors have been explored, but these sensors require post-surgical removal, leading to the risk of injury to brain tissue. The use of biodegradable implantable sensors would help to eliminate this risk. Here, we demonstrate a bioactive glass (BaG)-based hydration sensor. Fluorine (CaF2) containing BaG (BaG-F) was produced by adding 5, 10 or 20 wt.% of CaF2 to a BaG matrix using a melting manufacturing technique. The structure, morphology and electrical properties of the resulting constructs were evaluated to understand the physical and electrical behaviors of this BaG-based sensor. Synthesis process for the production of the BaG-F-based sensor was validated by assessing the structural and electrical properties. The structure was observed to be amorphous and dense, the porosity decreased and grain size increased with increasing CaF2 content in the BaG matrix. We demonstrated that this BaG-F chemical composition is highly sensitive to hydration, and that the electrical sensitivity (resistive–capacitive) is induced by hydration and reversed by dehydration. These properties make BaG-F suitable for use as a humidity sensor to monitor brain edema and, consequently, provide an alert for increased intracranial pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Micromachines in Biology and Biomedicine 2022)
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10 pages, 4420 KiB  
Article
Wide-Viewing-Angle Integral Imaging System with Full-Effective-Pixels Elemental Image Array
by Zesheng Liu, Dahai Li and Huan Deng
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010225 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1721
Abstract
There exists a defect of the narrow viewing angle in the conventional integral imaging system. One reason for this is that only partial pixels of each elemental image contribute to the viewing angle and the others cause image flips. In this paper, a [...] Read more.
There exists a defect of the narrow viewing angle in the conventional integral imaging system. One reason for this is that only partial pixels of each elemental image contribute to the viewing angle and the others cause image flips. In this paper, a wide-viewing-angle integral imaging system with a full-effective-pixels elemental image array (FEP-EIA) was proposed. The correspondence between viewpoints and pixel coordinates within the elemental image array was built up, and effective pixel blocks and pixels leading to flipping images were deduced. Then, a pixel replacement method was proposed to generate the FEP-EIAs, which adapt to different viewing distances. As a result, the viewing angle of the proposed integral imaging system was effectively extended through the replacement of the pixels, which caused the image flips. Experiment results demonstrated that wide viewing angles are available for the proposed integral imaging system regardless of the viewing distances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Three-Dimensional Display Technologies)
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19 pages, 7271 KiB  
Article
Effect of Milling Processing Parameters on the Surface Roughness and Tool Cutting Forces of T2 Pure Copper
by Fuqiang Lai, Anqiong Hu, Kun Mao, Zhangbin Wu and Youxi Lin
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010224 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
In this paper, the responses of machined surface roughness and milling tool cutting forces under the different milling processing parameters (cutting speed v, feed rate f, and axial cutting depth ap) are experimentally investigated to meet the increasing requirements [...] Read more.
In this paper, the responses of machined surface roughness and milling tool cutting forces under the different milling processing parameters (cutting speed v, feed rate f, and axial cutting depth ap) are experimentally investigated to meet the increasing requirements for the mechanical machining of T2 pure copper. The effects of different milling processing parameters on cutting force and tool displacement acceleration are studied based on orthogonal and single-factor milling experiments. The three-dimensional morphologies of the workpieces are observed, and a white-light topography instrument measures the surface roughness. The results show that the degree of influence on Sa (surface arithmetic mean deviation) and Sq (surface root mean square deviation) from high to low level is the v, the f, and the ap. When v = 600 m/min, ap = 0.5 mm, f = 0.1 mm/r, Sa and Sq are 1.80 μm and 2.25 μm, respectively. The cutting forces in the three directions negatively correlate with increased cutting speed; when v = 600 m/min, Fx reaches its lowest value. In contrast, an increase in the feed rate and the axial cutting depth significantly increases Fx. The tool displacement acceleration amplitudes demonstrate a positive relationship. Variation of the tool displacement acceleration states leads to the different microstructure of the machined surfaces. Therefore, selecting the appropriate milling processing parameters has a positive effect on reducing the tool displacement acceleration, improving the machined surface quality of T2 pure copper, and extending the tool’s life. The optimal milling processing parameters in this paper are the v = 600 m/min, ap = 0.5 mm, and f = 0.1 mm/r. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section D：Materials and Processing)
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11 pages, 4373 KiB  
Article
Monodisperse Micro-Droplet Generation in Microfluidic Channel with Asymmetric Cross-Sectional Shape
by Youngseo Cho, Jungwoo Kim, Jaewon Park, Hyun Soo Kim and Younghak Cho
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010223 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2739
Abstract
Micro-droplets are widely used in the fields of chemical and biological research, such as drug delivery, material synthesis, point-of-care diagnostics, and digital PCR. Droplet-based microfluidics has many advantages, such as small reagent consumption, fast reaction time, and independent control of each droplet. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Micro-droplets are widely used in the fields of chemical and biological research, such as drug delivery, material synthesis, point-of-care diagnostics, and digital PCR. Droplet-based microfluidics has many advantages, such as small reagent consumption, fast reaction time, and independent control of each droplet. Therefore, various micro-droplet generation methods have been proposed, including T-junction breakup, capillary flow-focusing, planar flow-focusing, step emulsification, and high aspect (height-to-width) ratio confinement. In this study, we propose a microfluidic device for generating monodisperse micro-droplets, the microfluidic channel of which has an asymmetric cross-sectional shape and high hypotenuse-to-width ratio (HTWR). It was fabricated using basic MEMS processes, such as photolithography, anisotropic wet etching of Si, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molding. Due to the geometric similarity of a Si channel and a PDMS mold, both of which were created through the anisotropic etching process of a single crystal Si, the microfluidic channel with the asymmetric cross-sectional shape and high HTWR was easily realized. The effects of HTWR of channels on the size and uniformity of generated micro-droplets were investigated. The monodisperse micro-droplets were generated as the HTWR of the asymmetric channel was over 3.5. In addition, it was found that the flow direction of the oil solution (continuous phase) affected the size of micro-droplets due to the asymmetric channel structures. Two kinds of monodisperse droplets with different sizes were successfully generated for a wider range of flow rates using the asymmetric channel structure in the developed microfluidic device. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Droplet Microfluidics: Fundamentals and Its Advanced Applications)
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17 pages, 10562 KiB  
Article
Structural Design of a Special Machine Tool for Internal Cylindrical Ultrasonic-Assisted Electrochemical Grinding
by Xiaosan Ma, Feng Jiao, Wenbo Bie, Ying Niu, Shuaizhen Chu, Zhanzhan Hu and Xiaohong Yang
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010222 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2860
Abstract
During the process of internal cylindrical ultrasonic-assisted electrochemical grinding (ICUAECG), both the workpiece and the conductive grinding wheel are rotating, the machining space is closed and narrow, the electrolyte is difficult to spray into the machining area, and the insulation between the workpiece [...] Read more.
During the process of internal cylindrical ultrasonic-assisted electrochemical grinding (ICUAECG), both the workpiece and the conductive grinding wheel are rotating, the machining space is closed and narrow, the electrolyte is difficult to spray into the machining area, and the insulation between the workpiece and the machine bed is challenging. According to the machining characteristics of ICUAECG, the structure of a special machine tool was designed to mitigate these problems. In particular, the rotation, electrolyte supply, electric connection, and insulation modes of the workpiece clamping parts were studied, yielding a novel workpiece clamping- and rotating-device design. This structure can fully use the internal space of the hollow spindle of the machine tool, effectively reduce the external moving parts, and achieve the appropriate liquid injection angle of the electrolyte. The ultrasonic vibration system and its installation mechanism, the dressing device of the conductive grinding wheel, and the electric grinding spindle-mounting and -fixing device were analyzed in detail. Then, a special machine tool for ICUAECG was designed, the operability and feasibility of which were verified by experiments involving conductive grinding wheel dressing and ICUAECG. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Manufacturing Methods or Processing Methods in Micromachines)
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12 pages, 6685 KiB  
Article
A Derating-Sensitive Tantalum Polymer Capacitor’s Failure Rate within a DC-DC eGaN-FET-Based PoL Converter Workbench Study
by Dan Butnicu
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010221 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1799
Abstract
Many recent studies have revealed that PoL (Point of Load) converters’ output capacitors are a paramount component from a reliability point of view. To receive the maximum degree of reliability in many applications, designers are often advised to derate this capacitor—as such, a [...] Read more.
Many recent studies have revealed that PoL (Point of Load) converters’ output capacitors are a paramount component from a reliability point of view. To receive the maximum degree of reliability in many applications, designers are often advised to derate this capacitor—as such, a careful comprehending of it is required to determine the converter’s overall parameters. PoL converters are commonly found in many electronic systems. Their most important requirements are a stable output voltage with load current variation, good temperature stability, low output ripple voltage, and high efficiency and reliability. If the electronic system in question must be portable, a small footprint and volume are also important considerations—both of which have recently been well accomplished in eGaN transistor technologies. This paper provides details on how derating an output capacitor—specifically, a conductive tantalum polymer surface-mount chip, as this type of capacitor represented a step forward in miniaturization and reliability over previously existing wet electrolytic capacitors—used within a discrete eGaN-FET-based PoL buck converter determines the best performance and the highest MTBF. A setup based on an EPC eGaN FET transistor enclosed in a 9059/30 V evaluation board with a 12 V input voltage/1.2 V output voltage was tested in order to achieve the study’s main scope. Typical electrical performance and reliability data are often provided for customers by manufacturers through technical papers; this kind of public data is often selected to show the capacitors in a favorable light—still, they provide much useful information. In this paper, the capacitor derating process was presented to give a basic overview of the reliability performance characteristics of tantalum polymer capacitor when used within a DC–DC buck converter’s output filter. Performing calculations of the capacitor’s failure rate based on taking a thermal scan of the capacitor’s capsule surface temperature, the behavior of the PoL converter was evaluated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Advancements in Next-Generation Semiconductors: Materials and Devices for Wide Bandgap and 2D Semiconductors)
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18 pages, 15611 KiB  
Article
A New CPW-Fed Semicircular Inverted Triangular Shaped Antenna Based on Mixed-Alternate Approach for 5G Millimeter-Wave Wireless Applications
by Permanand Soothar, Hao Wang, Zaheer Ahmed Dayo and Yu Quan
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010220 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2157
Abstract
This paper presents the design and development of a new semicircular inverted triangular shaped antenna for 5G millimeter-wave wireless applications. An alternate-mixed approach based on cavity, slots and loaded stubs is employed in the designed antenna lattice. The suggested antenna structure is formed [...] Read more.
This paper presents the design and development of a new semicircular inverted triangular shaped antenna for 5G millimeter-wave wireless applications. An alternate-mixed approach based on cavity, slots and loaded stubs is employed in the designed antenna lattice. The suggested antenna structure is formed by a radiator, partial defected metal ground plane and a 50 Ω coplanar waveguide. The proposed antenna resonated at multiple frequencies by the setting up of the proper dimensions and locations of the rectangles, elliptical cut slots and cavity stubs. Furthermore, a parametric analysis is carried out to examine the antenna’s effectiveness and impedance-matching controls. The proposed structure is realized on the low-cost RT/Duroid Rogers RO3010™ laminate with an overall small size of 1.381λ0 × 1.08λ0 × 0.098λ0, where λ0 represents the wavelength corresponding to the minimum edge frequency of the 23 GHz at 10 dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna. The antenna’s key characteristics in terms of bandwidth, gain, radiation patterns and current distribution have been investigated. The antenna exhibits high performance, including an impedance bandwidth of 19 GHz ranging from 23 GHz to 42 GHz, results in 58.46% wider relative bandwidth calculated at 10 dB scaled return loss, a peak realized gain of 6.75 dBi, optimal radiation efficiency of 89%, stable omnidirectional-shaped radiation patterns and robust current distribution across the antenna structure at multiple resonances. The designed antenna has been fabricated and simulation experiments evaluated its performance. The results demonstrate that the antenna is appropriate and can be well integrated into 5G millimeter-wave wireless communication systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Modern Artificial Intelligence and Antenna Technology: Design, Materials, Processing Techniques, Signal Processing and Sensing Methods)
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15 pages, 3248 KiB  
Article
Boosting Evaporative Cooling Performance with Microporous Aerogel
by Huajie Tang, Chenyue Guo, Qihao Xu and Dongliang Zhao
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010219 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3563
Abstract
Hydrogel-based evaporative cooling with a low carbon footprint is regarded as a promising technology for thermal regulation. Yet, the efficiency of hydrogel regeneration at night generally mismatches with vapor evaporation during the day, resulting in a limited cooling time span, especially in arid [...] Read more.
Hydrogel-based evaporative cooling with a low carbon footprint is regarded as a promising technology for thermal regulation. Yet, the efficiency of hydrogel regeneration at night generally mismatches with vapor evaporation during the day, resulting in a limited cooling time span, especially in arid regions. In this work, we propose an efficient approach to improve hydrogel cooling performance, especially the cooling time span, with a bilayer structure, which comprises a bottom hydrogel layer and an upper aerogel layer. The microporous aerogel layer can reduce the saturation vapor density at the hydrogel surface by employing daytime radiative cooling, together with increased convective heat transfer resistance by thermal insulation, thus boosting the duration of evaporative cooling. Specifically, the microstructure of porous aerogel for efficient radiative cooling and vapor transfer is synergistically optimized with a cooling performance model. Results reveal that the proposed structure with a 2-mm-thick SiO2 aerogel can reduce the temperature by 1.4 °C, meanwhile extending the evaporative cooling time span by 11 times compared to a single hydrogel layer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Light at the Nanoscale: Fundamentals and Applications)
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8 pages, 2907 KiB  
Article
Origami-Type Flexible Thermoelectric Generator Fabricated by Self-Folding
by Yusuke Sato, Shingo Terashima and Eiji Iwase
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010218 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3079
Abstract
The flexibility of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) is important for low-contact thermal resistance to curved heat sources. However, approaches that depend on soft materials, which are used in most existing studies, have the problem of low performance in terms of the substrate’s thermal conductivity [...] Read more.
The flexibility of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) is important for low-contact thermal resistance to curved heat sources. However, approaches that depend on soft materials, which are used in most existing studies, have the problem of low performance in terms of the substrate’s thermal conductivity and the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric (TE) elements. In this study, we propose a method to fabricate “Origami-TEG”, a TEG with an origami structure that enables both flexibility and the usage of high-performance rigid materials by self-folding. By applying the principle of the linkage mechanism to self-folding, we realized a fabrication process in which the TE element-mounting process and the active-material-addition process were separated in time. The fabricated origami-TEG showed similar internal resistance and maximum output power when attached to heat sources with flat and curved surfaces. Furthermore, it exhibited high-performance stability against both stretching and bending deformations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 13th Symposium on Micro-Nano Science and Technology on Micromachines)
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16 pages, 6554 KiB  
Article
Hardness-and-Type Recognition of Different Objects Based on a Novel Porous Graphene Flexible Tactile Sensor Array
by Yang Song, Shanna Lv, Feilu Wang and Mingkun Li
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010217 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2162
Abstract
Accurately recognizing the hardness and type of different objects by tactile sensors is of great significance in human–machine interaction. In this paper, a novel porous graphene flexible tactile sensor array with great performance is designed and fabricated, and it is mounted on a [...] Read more.
Accurately recognizing the hardness and type of different objects by tactile sensors is of great significance in human–machine interaction. In this paper, a novel porous graphene flexible tactile sensor array with great performance is designed and fabricated, and it is mounted on a two-finger mechanical actuator. This is used to detect various tactile sequence features from different objects by slightly squeezing them by 2 mm. A Residual Network (ResNet) model, with excellent adaptivity and feature extraction ability, is constructed to realize the recognition of 4 hardness categories and 12 object types, based on the tactile time sequence signals collected by the novel sensor array; the average accuracies of hardness and type recognition are 100% and 99.7%, respectively. To further verify the classification ability of the ResNet model for the tactile feature information detected by the sensor array, the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), LeNet, Multi-Channel Deep Convolutional Neural Network (MCDCNN), and ENCODER models are built based on the same dataset used for the ResNet model. The average recognition accuracies of the 4hardness categories, based on those four models, are 93.6%, 98.3%, 93.3%, and 98.1%. Meanwhile, the average recognition accuracies of the 12 object types, based on the four models, are 94.7%, 98.9%, 85.0%, and 96.4%. All of the results demonstrate that the novel porous graphene tactile sensor array has excellent perceptual performance and the ResNet model can very effectively and precisely complete the hardness and type recognition of objects for the flexible tactile sensor array. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section E：Engineering and Technology)
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10 pages, 2849 KiB  
Article
Thermal Analysis of Terfenol-D Rods with Different Structures
by Qiang Liu and Xiping He
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010216 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1686
Abstract
To reduce the heating of the Terfenol-D rod and evaluate its working efficiency, six kinds of Terfenol-D rods were designed, and the temperature field of the rods was simulated and calculated using the finite element method to obtain the temperature distribution. The results [...] Read more.
To reduce the heating of the Terfenol-D rod and evaluate its working efficiency, six kinds of Terfenol-D rods were designed, and the temperature field of the rods was simulated and calculated using the finite element method to obtain the temperature distribution. The results showed that the untreated rod had the highest temperature; the temperature was higher in the middle and lower at both ends; higher on the outer diameter surface; and lower on the inside. When compared to the untreated rod, the temperatures of sliced rods and slit rods decreased, and the temperature of sliced rods was lower than that of slit rods; the temperature of slit rods was higher in the middle and lower at both ends; the temperature distribution of sliced rods was more uniform relatively; the slice treatment rod had the lowest temperature and the best heat suppression effect. Three structural rods were chosen and manufactured from a total of six that were tested. It shows that the temperature of all rods was higher in the middle and lower at both ends after 30 min of operation. The actual temperature of untreated rod was 34 °C, the actual temperature of radially slit rod was 32 °C, and the actual temperature of sliced rod at both ends was 28 °C. The tested temperature distributions of three rods agreed with the calculated ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrasonic Transducers and Sensors: Design, Fabrication and Applications)
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13 pages, 5853 KiB  
Article
Extraction of Graphene’s RF Impedance through Thru-Reflect-Line Calibration
by Ivo Colmiais, Vitor Silva, Jérôme Borme, Pedro Alpuim and Paulo M. Mendes
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010215 - 14 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1669
Abstract
Graphene has unique properties that can be exploited for radiofrequency applications. Its characterization is key for the development of new graphene devices, circuits, and systems. Due to the two-dimensional nature of graphene, there are challenges in the methodology to extract relevant characteristics that [...] Read more.
Graphene has unique properties that can be exploited for radiofrequency applications. Its characterization is key for the development of new graphene devices, circuits, and systems. Due to the two-dimensional nature of graphene, there are challenges in the methodology to extract relevant characteristics that are necessary for device design. In this work, the Thru-Reflect-Line (TRL) calibration was evaluated as a solution to extract graphene’s electrical characteristics from 1 GHz to 65 GHz, where the calibration structures’ requirements were analyzed. It was demonstrated that thick metallic contacts, a low-loss substrate, and a short and thin contact are necessary to characterize graphene. Furthermore, since graphene’s properties are dependent on the polarization voltage applied, a backgate has to be included so that graphene can be characterized for different chemical potentials. Such characterization is mandatory for the design of graphene RF electronics and can be used to extract characteristics such as graphene’s resistance, quantum capacitance, and kinetic inductance. Finally, the proposed structure was characterized, and graphene’s resistance and quantum capacitance were extracted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electronic Devices and Circuits Based on 2D Materials)
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18 pages, 18619 KiB  
Article
Less Is More: Oligomer Extraction and Hydrothermal Annealing Increase PDMS Adhesion Forces for Materials Studies and for Biology-Focused Microfluidic Applications
by Larry J. Millet, Anika Jain and Martha U. Gillette
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010214 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1629
Abstract
Cues in the micro-environment are key determinants in the emergence of complex cellular morphologies and functions. Primary among these is the presence of neighboring cells that form networks. For high-resolution analysis, it is crucial to develop micro-environments that permit exquisite control of network [...] Read more.
Cues in the micro-environment are key determinants in the emergence of complex cellular morphologies and functions. Primary among these is the presence of neighboring cells that form networks. For high-resolution analysis, it is crucial to develop micro-environments that permit exquisite control of network formation. This is especially true in cell science, tissue engineering, and clinical biology. We introduce a new approach for assembling polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic environments that enhances cell network formation and analyses. We report that the combined processes of PDMS solvent-extraction and hydrothermal annealing create unique conditions that produce high-strength bonds between solvent-extracted PDMS (E-PDMS) and glass—properties not associated with conventional PDMS. Extraction followed by hydrothermal annealing removes unbound oligomers, promotes polymer cross-linking, facilitates covalent bond formation with glass, and retains the highest biocompatibility. Herein, our extraction protocol accelerates oligomer removal from 5 to 2 days. Resulting microfluidic platforms are uniquely suited for cell-network studies owing to high adhesion forces, effectively corralling cellular extensions and eliminating harmful oligomers. We demonstrate the simple, simultaneous actuation of multiple microfluidic domains for invoking ATP- and glutamate-induced Ca2+ signaling in glial-cell networks. These E-PDMS modifications and flow manipulations further enable microfluidic technologies for cell-signaling and network studies as well as novel applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano- and Microfluidic Materials and Systems)
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9 pages, 4198 KiB  
Article
Ultrahigh Frequency Ultrasonic Transducers (150MHz) Based on Silicon Lenses
by Jun Chen, Chunlong Fei, Jianxin Zhao, Yi Quan, Yecheng Wang, Zhishui Jiang and Li Wen
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010213 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2370
Abstract
Acoustic microscopes and acoustic tweezers have great value in the application of microparticle manipulation, biomedical research and non-destructive testing. Ultrahigh frequency (UHF) ultrasonic transducers act as the key component in acoustic microscopes, and acoustic tweezers and acoustic lenses are essential parts of UHF [...] Read more.
Acoustic microscopes and acoustic tweezers have great value in the application of microparticle manipulation, biomedical research and non-destructive testing. Ultrahigh frequency (UHF) ultrasonic transducers act as the key component in acoustic microscopes, and acoustic tweezers and acoustic lenses are essential parts of UHF ultrasonic transducers. Therefore, the preparation of acoustic lenses is crucial. Silicon is a suitable material for preparing acoustic lenses because of its high acoustic velocity, low acoustic attenuation and excellent machinability. In previous research, silicon lenses were mainly prepared by etching. However, etching has some drawbacks. The etching of large sizes is complex, time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, vertical etching is preferred to spherical etching. Thus, a new method of ultra-precision machining was introduced to prepare silicon lenses. In this paper, silicon lenses with an aperture of 892 μm and a depth of 252 μm were prepared. Then, UHF ultrasonic transducers with a center frequency of 157 MHz and a −6-dB bandwidth of 52% were successfully prepared based on silicon lenses. The focal distance of the transducers was 736 μm and the F-number was about 0.82. The transducers had a lateral resolution of 11 μm and could distinguish the 13 μm slots on silicon wafers clearly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Piezoelectric Sensors, Transducers and Harvesters, 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 2803 KiB  
Article
A Calibration Method for the Resolution of 2D TPP Laser Direct Writing
by Yu Xie, Yixiong Chen, Hang Xu and Jianxiong Chen
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010212 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1920
Abstract
To improve the fabrication efficiency of the two-photon polymerization (TPP) laser direct writing, the TPP exposure process was set to complete by a single-line scan, which was named 2D TPP. The voxel of the 2D TPP should be large enough to cross the [...] Read more.
To improve the fabrication efficiency of the two-photon polymerization (TPP) laser direct writing, the TPP exposure process was set to complete by a single-line scan, which was named 2D TPP. The voxel of the 2D TPP should be large enough to cross the photoresist and the underlayer. To explore the resolution limit of the 2D TPP considering the thickness of the photoresist, a new method named the 45° scanning method was proposed. Meanwhile, a two-photon micro-nano fabrication platform was developed. A group of experiments based on the orthogonal decomposition method was carried out to analyze the width and length of the voxel on the S1805 photoresist under different laser power and processing speed. To confirm whether the resolution of the micro-nano structures fabricated by 2D TPP is consistent with the width of the voxel, aluminum wire grids were fabricated through the 2D TPP and the metal lift-off process. A second-order regression equation of the machining resolution and input parameters of the 2D TPP is deduced. The correlation coefficient between the width of the voxel and the aluminum wire grids is 0.961, which means a significant positive correlation between them. Finally, the second-order regression model derived from the fabrication resolution of the 2D TPP was validated by experiments. Full 2D grids were fabricated using 2D TPP and mental lift-off process. This paper provides a convenient, low-cost, and high-efficiency method for calibrating the fabrication resolution of 2D TPP on various photoresists. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Power Lasers for Materials Processing)
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28 pages, 8900 KiB  
Article
Influence of Electrostatic Force Nonlinearity on the Sensitivity Performance of a Tapered Beam Micro-Gyroscope Based on Frequency Modulation
by Kunpeng Zhang, Jianwei Xie, Shuying Hao, Qichang Zhang and Jingjing Feng
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010211 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1591
Abstract
Electrostatic force nonlinearity is widely present in MEMS systems, which could impact the system sensitivity performance. The Frequency modulation (FM) method is proposed as an ideal solution to solve the problem of environmental fluctuation stability. The effect of electrostatic force nonlinearity on the [...] Read more.
Electrostatic force nonlinearity is widely present in MEMS systems, which could impact the system sensitivity performance. The Frequency modulation (FM) method is proposed as an ideal solution to solve the problem of environmental fluctuation stability. The effect of electrostatic force nonlinearity on the sensitivity performance of a class of FM micro-gyroscope is investigated. The micro-gyroscope consists of a tapered cantilever beam with a tip mass attached to the end. Considering the case of unequal width and thickness, the motion equations of the system are derived by applying Hamilton’s principle. The differential quadrature method (DQM) was used to analyze the micro-gyroscope’s static deflection, pull-in voltage, and natural frequency characteristics. We observed that from the onset of rotation, the natural frequencies of the drive and sense modes gradually split into a pair of natural frequencies that were far from each other. The FM method directly measures the angular velocity by tracking the frequency of the drive and sense modes. Then, based on the linear system, the reduced-order model was used to analyze the influence of the shape factor and DC voltage on the sensitivity performance. Most importantly, the nonlinear frequency of system was obtained using the invariant manifold method (IMM). The influence of electrostatic force nonlinearity on the performance of the FM micro-gyroscope was investigated. The results show that the different shape factors of width and thickness, as well as the different DC voltages along the drive and sense directions, break the symmetry of the micro-gyroscope and reduce the sensitivity of the system. The sensitivity has a non-linear trend with the rotation speed. The DC voltage is proportional to the electrostatic force nonlinearity coefficient. As the DC voltage gradually increases, the nonlinearity is enhanced, resulting in a significant decrease in the sensitivity of the micro-gyroscope. It is found that the negative shape factor (width and thickness gradually increase along the beam) can effectively restrain the influence of electrostatic force nonlinearity, and a larger dynamic detection range can be obtained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS Gyroscopes)
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8 pages, 2297 KiB  
Article
Fabrication and DC-Bias Manipulation Frequency Characteristics of AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer
by Tao Li, Le Zhang, Wenping Geng, Jian He, Yongkang Rao, Jiabing Huo, Kunxian Yan and Xiujian Chou
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 210; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010210 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2035
Abstract
Due to their excellent capabilities to generate and sense ultrasound signals in an efficient and well-controlled way at the microscale, piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) are being widely used in specific systems, such as medical imaging, biometric identification, and acoustic wireless communication systems. [...] Read more.
Due to their excellent capabilities to generate and sense ultrasound signals in an efficient and well-controlled way at the microscale, piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) are being widely used in specific systems, such as medical imaging, biometric identification, and acoustic wireless communication systems. The ongoing demand for high-performance and adjustable PMUTs has inspired the idea of manipulating PMUTs by voltage. Here, PMUTs based on AlN thin films protected by a SiO2 layer of 200 nm were fabricated using a standard MEMS process with a resonant frequency of 505.94 kHz, a −6 dB bandwidth (BW) of 6.59 kHz, and an electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.97%. A modification of 4.08 kHz for the resonant frequency and a bandwidth enlargement of 60.2% could be obtained when a DC bias voltage of −30 to 30 V was applied, corresponding to a maximum resonant frequency sensitivity of 83 Hz/V, which was attributed to the stress on the surface of the piezoelectric film induced by the external DC bias. These findings provide the possibility of receiving ultrasonic signals within a wider frequency range, which will play an important role in underwater three-dimensional imaging and nondestructive testing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section E：Engineering and Technology)
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18 pages, 13457 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Anticandidal Activities of Greenly Synthesized ZnO Nanomaterials with Commercial Antifungal Agents against Candidal Infections
by Mohamed Taha Yassin, Abdallah M. Elgorban, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Essam Nageh Sholkamy, Fuad Ameen and Khalid Maniah
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010209 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2485
Abstract
The high occurrence of mycological resistance to conventional antifungal agents results in significant illness and death rates among immunodeficient patients. In addition, the underprivileged therapeutic results of conventional antifungal agents, besides the potential toxicity resulting from long term therapy necessitate the fabrication of [...] Read more.
The high occurrence of mycological resistance to conventional antifungal agents results in significant illness and death rates among immunodeficient patients. In addition, the underprivileged therapeutic results of conventional antifungal agents, besides the potential toxicity resulting from long term therapy necessitate the fabrication of efficient antimicrobial combinations. Hence, the objective of the present investigation is to synthesize, characterize and investigate the anticandidal action of green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) formulated using Camellia sinensis leaf extract against three candidal pathogens. The eco-friendly synthesized ZnO-NPs were characterized utilizing different physicochemical methods and their anticandidal potency was tested utilizing a disk diffusion assay. In this setting, the size of the biofabricated ZnO-NPs was detected using transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs, recording an average particle size of 19.380 ± 2.14 nm. In addition, zeta potential analysis revealed that the ZnO-NPs surface charge was −4.72 mV. The biogenic ZnO-NPs reveal the highest anticandidal activity against the C. tropicalis strain, demonstrating relative suppressive zones measured at 35.16 ± 0.13 and 37.87 ± 0.24 mm in diameter for ZnO-NPs concentrations of 50 and 100 μg/disk, respectively. Excitingly, Candida glabrata showed a high susceptibility to the biofabricated ZnO nanomaterials at both ZnO-NPs’ concentrations (50 and 100 μg/disk) compared to the control. Moreover, the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs revealed potential synergistic effectiveness with nystatin and terbinafine antifungal agents against the concerned strains. The maximum synergistic efficiency was noticed against the C. glabrata strain, demonstrating relative synergistic percentages of 23.02 and 45.9%, respectively. The biogenic ZnO-NPs revealed no hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes revealing their biosafety and hemocompatibility. Finally, the high anticandidal effectiveness of biogenic ZnO-NPs against the concerned candidal pathogens, as well as potential synergistic patterns with conventional antifungal agents such as nystatin and terbinafine, emphasize the prospective application of these combinations for the fabrication of biocompatible and highly efficient antifungal agents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in Biomedical Sciences)
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20 pages, 2540 KiB  
Review
Hybrid Systems of Nanofibers and Polymeric Nanoparticles for Biological Application and Delivery Systems
by Hever Yuritzy Vargas-Molinero, Aracely Serrano-Medina, Kenia Palomino-Vizcaino, Eduardo Alberto López-Maldonado, Luis Jesús Villarreal-Gómez, Graciela Lizeth Pérez-González and José Manuel Cornejo-Bravo
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010208 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2869
Abstract
Nanomedicine is a new discipline resulting from the combination of nanotechnology and biomedicine. Nanomedicine has contributed to the development of new and improved treatments, diagnoses, and therapies. In this field, nanoparticles have notable importance due to their unique properties and characteristics, which are [...] Read more.
Nanomedicine is a new discipline resulting from the combination of nanotechnology and biomedicine. Nanomedicine has contributed to the development of new and improved treatments, diagnoses, and therapies. In this field, nanoparticles have notable importance due to their unique properties and characteristics, which are useful in different applications, including tissue engineering, biomarkers, and drug delivery systems. Electrospinning is a versatile technique used to produce fibrous mats. The high surface area of the electrospun mats makes them suitable for applications in fields using nanoparticles. Electrospun mats are used for tissue engineering, wound dressing, water-treatment filters, biosensors, nanocomposites, medical implants, protective clothing materials, cosmetics, and drug delivery systems. The combination of nanoparticles with nanofibers creates hybrid systems that acquire properties that differ from their components’ characteristics. By utilizing nanoparticles and nanofibers composed of dissimilar polymers, the two synergize to improve the overall performance of electrospinning mats and nanoparticles. This review summarizes the hybrid systems of polymeric nanoparticles and polymeric nanofibers, critically analyzing how the combination improves the properties of the materials and contributes to the reduction of some disadvantages found in nanometric devices and systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section B5: Drug Delivery System)
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9 pages, 6042 KiB  
Article
A Stand-Alone Microfluidic Chip for Long-Term Cell Culture
by Yibo Feng, Yang Zeng, Jiahao Fu, Bingchen Che, Guangyin Jing, Yonggang Liu, Dan Sun and Ce Zhang
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010207 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2567
Abstract
Live-cell microscopy is crucial for biomedical studies and clinical tests. The technique is, however, limited to few laboratories due to its high cost and bulky size of the necessary culture equipment. In this study, we propose a portable microfluidic-cell-culture system, which is merely [...] Read more.
Live-cell microscopy is crucial for biomedical studies and clinical tests. The technique is, however, limited to few laboratories due to its high cost and bulky size of the necessary culture equipment. In this study, we propose a portable microfluidic-cell-culture system, which is merely 15 cm×11 cm×9 cm in dimension, powered by a conventional alkali battery and costs less than USD 20. For long-term cell culture, a fresh culture medium exposed to 5% CO2 is programmed to be delivered to the culture chamber at defined time intervals. The 37 °C culture temperature is maintained by timely electrifying the ITO glass slide underneath the culture chamber. Our results demonstrate that 3T3 fibroblasts, HepG2 cells, MB-231 cells and tumor spheroids can be well-maintained for more than 48 h on top of the microscope stage and show physical characters (e.g., morphology and mobility) and growth rate on par with the commercial stage-top incubator and the widely adopted CO2 incubator. The proposed portable cell culture device is, therefore, suitable for simple live-cell studies in the lab and cell experiments in the field when samples cannot be shipped. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Device Fabrication and Cell Manipulation)
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13 pages, 9742 KiB  
Article
On-Chip Free-Flow Measurement Revealed Possible Depletion of Macrophages by Indigestible PM2.5 within a Few Hours by the Fastest Intervals of Serial Phagocytosis
by Dan Horonushi, Yuya Furumoto, Yoshiki Nakata, Toshiki Azuma, Amane Yoshida and Kenji Yasuda
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010206 - 13 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1966
Abstract
To understand the influence of indigestible particles like particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) on macrophages, we examined the time course of the series phagocytosis of indigestible 2 μm polystyrene spheres (PS). Five kinds of antigens were used as samples for phagocytosis; Zymosan, non-coated 2 [...] Read more.
To understand the influence of indigestible particles like particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) on macrophages, we examined the time course of the series phagocytosis of indigestible 2 μm polystyrene spheres (PS). Five kinds of antigens were used as samples for phagocytosis; Zymosan, non-coated 2 μm PS, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated PS (BSA-PS), IgG-coated PS (IgG-PS), and IgG-BSA-coated PS (IgG/BSA-PS). To keep the surrounding concentration of antigens against single macrophages constant, antigens flowed at a continuous rate of 0.55 μm/s within a culture dish as a free-flow measurement assay (on-chip free-flow method). The interval of series phagocytosis for IgG/BSA-PS was the shortest among five samples; it was six times faster than Zymosan in terms of engulfment frequency, and up to 50 particles were engulfed within two hours, maintaining constant intervals until reaching the maximum number. The rate of increase in the total number of phagocytozed IgG/BSA-PS over time was constant, at 1.5 particles/min, in series phagocytosis with a 33-cell population, indicating that the phagocytosis rate constant remained constant independent of the number of phagocytoses. Reaction model fitting of the results showed that IgG/BSA-PS had the highest efficiency in terms of the phagocytosis rate constant, 2.3 × 10−2 particles/min, whereas those of IgG-PS, BSA-PS, PS, and Zymosan were 1.4 × 10−2, 1.1 × 10−2, 4.2 × 10−3, and 3.6 × 10−3 particles/min, respectively. One-by-one feeding of IgG/BSA-PS with optical tweezers was examined to confirm the phagocytosis intervals, and we found that the intervals remained constant until several times before the maximum number of antigens for engulfment, also indicating no change in the phagocytosis rate constant regardless of the history of former phagocytosis and phagocytosis number. Simultaneous phagocytosis of two IgG-BSA-decorated microneedle engulfments also showed that the initiation and progress of two simultaneous engulfments on the two different places on a cell were independent and had the same elongation velocity. Therefore, each phagocytosis of indigestible antigens does not affect both in series or in simultaneous subsequent phagocytosis until reaching the maximum capacity of the phagocytosis number. The results suggest (1) no change in the phagocytosis rate constant regardless of the history of phagocytosis numbers and attachment timing and positions, and (2) IgG-BSA decoration of indigestible microparticles in blood accelerates their engulfment faster, resulting in a severe shortage of macrophages within the shortest time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Device Fabrication and Cell Manipulation)
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14 pages, 4189 KiB  
Article
Improvement of YX42° Cut LiTaO3 SAW Filters with Optical Proximity Effect Correction Method
by Ping Luo, Yali Zou, Xinyu Yang, Juntao Li, Xuan Huang, Jian Zhou, Xing Han, Yushuai Liu, Yuhao Liu and Tao Wu
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010205 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2544
Abstract
Due to the influence of the optical proximity effect (OPE), it is easy for a pattern of photoresistance to be inconsistent with a design pattern, thus damaging the performance of a SAW resonator. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an optimization method [...] Read more.
Due to the influence of the optical proximity effect (OPE), it is easy for a pattern of photoresistance to be inconsistent with a design pattern, thus damaging the performance of a SAW resonator. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an optimization method for SAW filters based on optical proximity correction (OPC). This method can avoid the tip discharge problem of SAW filters by suppressing the problem of rounding and shrinking of dummy electrode and electrode tail caused by OPE. This method increases the quality factor (Q) of the SAW resonator and thus decreases the insertion loss of the SAW filter. The filter increases the bandwidth by 1.8 MHz at −1.5 dB after applying the OPC method. Additionally, it improves the stability of the filter under high power conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Fabrication, Testing of MEMS/NEMS)
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17 pages, 5244 KiB  
Article
One-Dimensional Phononic Crystals: A Simplified Platform for Effective Detection of Heavy Metals in Water with High Sensitivity
by Abdulkarem H. M. Almawgani, Hamza Makhlouf Fathy, Ghassan Ahmed Ali, Hussein A. Elsayed and Ahmed Mehaney
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010204 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1936
Abstract
Recently, the pollution of fresh water with heavy metals due to technological and industrial breakthroughs has reached record levels. Therefore, monitoring these metals in fresh water has become essentially urgent. Meanwhile, the conventional periodic one-dimensional phononic crystals can provide a novel platform for [...] Read more.
Recently, the pollution of fresh water with heavy metals due to technological and industrial breakthroughs has reached record levels. Therefore, monitoring these metals in fresh water has become essentially urgent. Meanwhile, the conventional periodic one-dimensional phononic crystals can provide a novel platform for detecting the pollution of heavy metals in fresh water with high sensitivity. A simplified design of a defective, one-dimensional phononic crystals (1D-PnC) structure is introduced in this paper. The sensor is designed from a lead-epoxy multilayer with a central defect layer filled with an aqueous solution from cadmium bromide (CdBr2). The formation of a resonant peak through the transmittance spectrum is highly expected. This study primarily aims to monitor and detect the concentration of cadmium bromide in pure water based on shifting the position of this resonant peak. Notably, any change in cadmium bromide concentration can affect the acoustic properties of cadmium bromide directly. The transfer matrix method has been used to calculate the transmission spectra of the incident acoustic wave. The numerical findings are mainly based on the optimization of the cadmium bromide layer thickness, lead layer thickness, epoxy layer thickness, and the number of periods to investigate the most optimum sensor performance. The introduced sensor in this study has provided a remarkably high sensitivity (S = 1904.25 Hz) within a concentration range of (0–10,000 ppm). The proposed sensor provides a quality factor (QF), a resolution, and a figure of merit of 1398.51752, 48,875,750 Hz, and 4.12088 × 10−5 (/ppm), respectively. Accordingly, this sensor can be a potentially robust base for a promising platform to detect small concentrations of heavy metal ions in fresh water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic and Phononic Crystals: Towards Sensors and Energy Applications)
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16 pages, 4246 KiB  
Article
Event-Based Optical Flow Estimation with Spatio-Temporal Backpropagation Trained Spiking Neural Network
by Yisa Zhang, Hengyi Lv, Yuchen Zhao, Yang Feng, Hailong Liu and Guoling Bi
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010203 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2821
Abstract
The advantages of an event camera, such as low power consumption, large dynamic range, and low data redundancy, enable it to shine in extreme environments where traditional image sensors are not competent, especially in high-speed moving target capture and extreme lighting conditions. Optical [...] Read more.
The advantages of an event camera, such as low power consumption, large dynamic range, and low data redundancy, enable it to shine in extreme environments where traditional image sensors are not competent, especially in high-speed moving target capture and extreme lighting conditions. Optical flow reflects the target’s movement information, and the target’s detailed movement can be obtained using the event camera’s optical flow information. However, the existing neural network methods for optical flow prediction of event cameras has the problems of extensive computation and high energy consumption in hardware implementation. The spike neural network has spatiotemporal coding characteristics, so it can be compatible with the spatiotemporal data of an event camera. Moreover, the sparse coding characteristic of the spike neural network makes it run with ultra-low power consumption on neuromorphic hardware. However, because of the algorithmic and training complexity, the spike neural network has not been applied in the prediction of the optical flow for the event camera. For this case, this paper proposes an end-to-end spike neural network to predict the optical flow of the discrete spatiotemporal data stream for the event camera. The network is trained with the spatio-temporal backpropagation method in a self-supervised way, which fully combines the spatiotemporal characteristics of the event camera while improving the network performance. Compared with the existing methods on the public dataset, the experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper is equivalent to the best existing methods in terms of optical flow prediction accuracy, and it can save 99% more power consumption than the existing algorithm, which is greatly beneficial to the hardware implementation of the event camera optical flow prediction., laying the groundwork for future low-power hardware implementation of optical flow prediction for event cameras. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Machine-Learning-Assisted Sensors)
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11 pages, 9049 KiB  
Article
Ultrasonic Enhancement of Chondrogenesis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Bolt-Clamped Langevin Transducers
by Jinhyuk Kim, Hyuncheol Bae, Hyuk-Soo Han and Jungwoo Lee
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010202 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1834
Abstract
We recently investigated the design and fabrication of Langevin-type transducers for therapeutic ultrasound. Effect of ultrasonic energy arising from the transducer on biological tissue was examined. In this study, the transducer was set to radiate acoustic energy to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for [...] Read more.
We recently investigated the design and fabrication of Langevin-type transducers for therapeutic ultrasound. Effect of ultrasonic energy arising from the transducer on biological tissue was examined. In this study, the transducer was set to radiate acoustic energy to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for inducing differentiation into cartilage tissue. The average chondrogenic ratio in area was 20.82% in the control group, for which no external stimulation was given. Shear stress was applied to MSCs as the contrast group, which resulted in 42.66% on average with a 25.92% minimum rate; acoustic pressure from the flat tip causing transient cavitation enhanced chondrogenesis up to 52.96%. For the round tip excited by 20 Vpp, the maximum differentiation value of 69.43% was found, since it delivered relatively high acoustic pressure to MSCs. Hence, the results from this study indicate that ultrasound pressure at the kPa level can enhance MSC chondrogenesis compared to the tens of kHz range by Langevin transducers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Micromachines in Biology and Biomedicine 2022)
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