Light-Driven Manipulation and Optoelectronic Tweezers: From Optomechanics to Micro/Nano-Robotics
A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "A：Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 17
Special Issue Editors
2.School of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
Interests: optical materials; quantum sensing; optoelectronic tweezers; nanoparticle
2.School of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
Interests: nitrogen terminated diamond; nitrogen delta doped diamond; RF(N2) plasma; MW(N2) plasma; nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond; optical detected magnetic resonance; nanoparticle
Interests: High-speed fiber optic communication systems; Integrated photonics and optoelectronics; Optical frequency combs (OFC); Optomechanics and metamaterials; Nanophotonics and nanostructured optoelectronics; Optical tweezers
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid development of light-driven manipulation has revealed new possibilities in science and technology, enabling precise control over matter from the microscale to the nanoscale. Optoelectronic tweezers (OETs) have emerged as a versatile platform that combines the optical and electrical fields to manipulate a wide variety of particles with high precision and low power consumption. Beyond traditional trapping, OETs now underpin advances in optomechanics, including the controlled rotation, orbiting, and assembly of micro- and nano-particles, revealing new pathways toward micro/nano-robotics and programmable matter.
This Special Issue aims to compile contributions that explore the fundamental principles of OETs, new OET materials, OET device architectures, and emerging applications of OETs and related light–matter manipulation platforms. Topics will include both theoretical frameworks and experimental demonstrations, ranging from biomedical applications, such as cell sorting and targeted drug delivery, to functional carriers like vaterite microparticles and hybrid nanomaterials, as well as collective micro-robotic behaviors, metasurface-assisted manipulation, and quantum-enabled optomechanics.
We invite researchers from the fields of physics, materials science, engineering, and life sciences to contribute original research articles and reviews to this Special Issue to provide a broad and interdisciplinary view of this fast-evolving field. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:
Fundamentals of optoelectronic tweezers (OETs) and new OET device architectures;
Optomechanics of micro/nano-particles: trapping, rotation, and orbital motion;
Micro-robotics powered by optical and optoelectronic fields;
Vaterite and functional microcarriers: optical manipulation and hybrid materials;
Integration of OETs with lab-on-chip and microfluidic platforms;
Metasurfaces, photonic crystals, and hybrid optical systems for manipulation;
Collective dynamics and swarming of optically actuated micro/nano-robots;
Biomedical and biophysical applications: cell sorting, targeted delivery, and diagnostics;
Theoretical and computational modeling of light–matter forces in OETs;
Future directions: energy harvesting, quantum photonics, and advanced optomechanical systems.
Dr. Hani Barhum
Dr. Mohammad Attrash
Dr. Toms Salgals
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- light-driven manipulation
- optoelectronic tweezers
- optomechanics
- micro/nano-robotics
- micro/nano-particles
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