Micromachines, Volume 8, Issue 1

As the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) matures, new demands are being placed on the microfabrication of complex architectures in robust materials, such as hard plastics. Iterative design optimization in a timely manner—rapid prototypin...

In this communication, we report a physical method for the fabrication of organic solvent and surfactant-resistant barriers on paper-based fluidic devices. When nonwoven polypropylene sheet is embossed with a steel mold, the embossed region acts as a...

Microfluidics has been undergoing fast development in the past two decades due to its promising applications in biotechnology, medicine, and chemistry. Towards these applications, enhancing concentration sensitivity and detection resolution are indis...

The interaction of dielectrophoresis (DEP) particles in an electric field has been observed in many experiments, known as the “particle chains phenomenon”. However, the study in 3D models (spherical particles) is rarely reported due to its complexity...

We have developed a miniature human liver (liver-sinusoid-on-a-chip) model using a dual microchannel separated by a porous membrane. Primary human hepatocytes and immortalized bovine aortic endothelial cells were co-cultured on opposite sides of a mi...

Infrared absorption spectroscopy remains a challenge due to the weak light-matter interaction between micron-wavelengthed infrared light and nano-sized molecules. A highly doped semiconductor supports intrinsic plasmon modes at infrared frequencies,...

This paper presents a sensitivity-enhanced gas sensor based on a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). It was designed and fabricated with micro through-holes in its top electrode for sensitivity enhancement. The sensor was driven by a Colpitts oscill...

A giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV), with similar properties to cellular membrane, has been widely studied. Electroformation with its simplicity and accessibility has become the most common method for GUV production. In this work, GUV electroformation...

Additive manufacturing is especially suitable for complex-shaped 3D parts with integrated and optimized functionality realized by filigree geometries. Such designs benefit from low safety factors in mechanical layout. This demands ductile materials t...

Droplet microfluidics technology is recently a highly interesting platform in material fabrication. Droplets can precisely monitor and control entire material fabrication processes and are superior to conventional bulk techniques. Droplet production...

The piezoelectric micro-jet, which can achieve the drop-on-demand requirement, is based on ink-jet technology and small droplets can be ejected out by precise control. The droplets are driven out of the nozzle by the acoustic pressure waves which are...

The editors of Micromachines would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]

This article describes the field of scalable nanomanufacturing, its importance and need, its research activities and achievements. The National Science Foundation is taking a leading role in fostering basic research in scalable nanomanufacturing (SNM...

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) with properties that can be tuned by size, shape, and composition are promising for the next generation of photonic and electronic devices. However, utilization of these materials in such devices is hindered by the limite...

In the last decade, the microfluidic community has witnessed an evolution in fabrication methodologies that deviate from using conventional glass and polymer-based materials. A leading example within this group is the print, cut and laminate (PCL) ap...

In this paper we present a method to fabricate a fused silica microfluidic device by employing low viscosity KMPR photoresists. The resulting device is a continuous-flow microfluidic mixer based on hydrodynamic focusing. The advantages of this new fa...

Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with high stability and scalability are in high demand for the extremely widespread applications in flexible optoelectronic devices. Traditionally, thin films of indium thin oxide (ITO) served the role of FTEs,...

We present a method based on a microfluidic chip that produces continuous jetting of alginate microfiber in the atmosphere to facilitate its collection and assembly. Through the analysis of the factors influencing the microfiber jetting, the principl...

A nano-patterning approach on silicon dioxide (SiO₂) material, which could be used for the selective growth of III-V nanowires in photovoltaic applications, is demonstrated. In this process, a silicon (Si) stamp with nanopillar structures was first f...

In this paper, a silicon-based radio frequency micro-electromechanical systems (RF MEMS) pattern reconfigurable antenna for a Ka-band application was designed, analyzed, fabricated, and measured. The proposed antenna can steer the beam among three ra...

In molecular and cellular biological research, cell isolation and sorting are required for accurate investigation of a specific cell types. By employing unique cell properties to distinguish between cell types, rapid and accurate sorting with high ef...

We present a simulation and experimental investigation of bi-directional tunable in-plane clamped–guided arch microbeam resonators. Tensile and compressive axial forces are generated from a bi-directional electrostatic actuator, which modulates the m...

This paper challenges the production of the protein nanoparticles using the conjugation of Ni²⁺ complexed nitrilotriacetic acid end-functionalized polystyrene (Ni-NTA-PS) and histidine tagged GFP (His-GFP) hybrid. The microfluidic synthesis of the pr...

This paper presents a practical flow-through method to separate anisole and ethyl phenylacetate, respectively, from a polystyrene mixture. The microfluidic separation uses different diffusive dynamics of the substances transverse to the lamination fl...

Stretchable electronics represent a new generation of electronics that utilize soft, deformable elastomers as the substrate or matrix instead of the traditional rigid printed circuit boards. As the most essential component of stretchable electronics,...

In this study, a new type of temperature sensor device was developed. The circular electrode of the thermally sensitive sensor was modified with tetramethyltin (TMT) and O₂ plasma to form a thin SnOxCy conductive layer on the electrode surface. The n...

In this review, we introduce Vorticella as a model biological micromachine for microscale engineering systems. Vorticella has two motile organelles: the oral cilia of the zooid and the contractile spasmoneme in the stalk. The oral cilia beat periodic...

Digital microfluidics (DMF) driven by electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) has recently been attracting great attention as an effective liquid-handling platform for on-chip cooling. It enables rapid transportation of coolant liquid sandwiched between...

This paper reports on the design, fabrication and preliminary test results of a novel microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device—the acoustic gyroscope. The unique operating mechanism is based on the “acoustic version” of the Sagnac effect in fiber...

Cell patterning has been widely used in research on fundamental cell biology and in applications such as tissue engineering, neuron network formation, cell based biosensor and drug screening. Although various methods have been developed, cell pattern...