Selected Papers from the 11th Symposium on Micro-Nano Science and Technology on Micromachines

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 19947

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University of Advanced Science (KUAS), Kyoto 615-8577, Japan
Interests: nanomechanics; nanotechnology; nanofabrication; functional materials; thin film
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Fluid Science (IFS), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
Interests: nanoscale flow; molecular simulation; fuel cell; battery; semiconductor fabrication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo 135-8548, Japan

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will publish selected papers from the 11th Symposium on Micro-Nano Science and Technology on Micromachines, 26–28 October 2020.

We encourage contributions on significant and original works in order to understand physical, chemical, and biological phenomena at the micro/nano scales and to develop applied technologies. The conference will cover the following main topics:

1: Precision machinery, lubrication and design;
2: Material mechanics;
3: Fluid mechanics;
4: Thermal science and engineering;
5: Production processing and mechanical materials;
6: Robotics and mechatronics;
7: Medical biotechnology;
8: Micro/nano system.

Papers attracting most interest at the conference, or that provide novel contributions, will be selected for publication in Micromachines. These papers will be peer-reviewed for validation of research results, developments, and applications.

Prof. Dr. Takahiro Namazu
Prof. Dr. Takashi Tokumasu
Prof. Dr. Masahiro Motosuke
Prof. Dr. Sumito Nagasawa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

9 pages, 21769 KiB  
Article
Fluorescence Anisotropy as a Temperature-Sensing Molecular Probe Using Fluorescein
by Puneet Jain, Takuya Aida and Masahiro Motosuke
Micromachines 2021, 12(9), 1109; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12091109 - 15 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2838
Abstract
Fluorescence anisotropy, a technique to study the folding state of proteins or affinity of ligands, is used in this present work as a temperature sensor, to measure the microfluidic temperature field, by adding fluorophore in the liquid. Fluorescein was used as a temperature-sensing [...] Read more.
Fluorescence anisotropy, a technique to study the folding state of proteins or affinity of ligands, is used in this present work as a temperature sensor, to measure the microfluidic temperature field, by adding fluorophore in the liquid. Fluorescein was used as a temperature-sensing probe, while glycerol–aq. ammonia solution was used as a working fluid. Fluorescence anisotropy of fluorescein was measured by varying various parameters. Apart from this, a comparison of fluorescence anisotropy and fluorescence intensity is also performed to demonstrate the validity of anisotropy to be applied in a microfluidic field with non-uniform liquid thickness. Viscosity dependence and temperature dependence on the anisotropy are also clarified; the results indicate an appropriate selection of relation between molecule size and viscosity is important to obtain a large temperature coefficient in anisotropy. Furthermore, a practical calibration procedure of the apparatus constant is proposed. In addition, the potential of temperature imaging is confirmed by the measurement of temperature distribution under focused laser heating. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 8350 KiB  
Article
Molecular Dynamics Study of Ion Transport in Polymer Electrolytes of All-Solid-State Li-Ion Batteries
by Takuya Mabuchi, Koki Nakajima and Takashi Tokumasu
Micromachines 2021, 12(9), 1012; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12091012 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3659
Abstract
Atomistic analysis of the ion transport in polymer electrolytes for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries was performed using molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the relationship between Li-ion transport and polymer morphology. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) and poly(diethylene oxide-alt-oxymethylene), P(2EO-MO), were used as the electrolyte materials, and [...] Read more.
Atomistic analysis of the ion transport in polymer electrolytes for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries was performed using molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the relationship between Li-ion transport and polymer morphology. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) and poly(diethylene oxide-alt-oxymethylene), P(2EO-MO), were used as the electrolyte materials, and the effects of salt concentrations and polymer types on the ion transport properties were explored. The size and number of LiTFSI clusters were found to increase with increasing salt concentrations, leading to a decrease in ion diffusivity at high salt concentrations. The Li-ion transport mechanisms were further analyzed by calculating the inter/intra-hopping rate and distance at various ion concentrations in PEO and P(2EO-MO) polymers. While the balance between the rate and distance of inter-hopping was comparable for both PEO and P(2EO-MO), the intra-hopping rate and distance were found to be higher in PEO than in P(2EO-MO), leading to a higher diffusivity in PEO. The results of this study provide insights into the correlation between the nanoscopic structures of ion solvation and the dynamics of Li-ion transport in polymer electrolytes. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 4462 KiB  
Article
3D-Printed Micro-Tweezers with a Compliant Mechanism Designed Using Topology Optimization
by Yukihito Moritoki, Taichi Furukawa, Jinyi Sun, Minoru Yokoyama, Tomoyuki Shimono, Takayuki Yamada, Shinji Nishiwaki, Tatsuto Kageyama, Junji Fukuda, Masaru Mukai and Shoji Maruo
Micromachines 2021, 12(5), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12050579 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4937
Abstract
The development of handling technology for microscopic biological samples such as cells and spheroids has been required for the advancement of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. In this study, we developed micro-tweezers with a compliant mechanism to manipulate organoids. The proposed method combines [...] Read more.
The development of handling technology for microscopic biological samples such as cells and spheroids has been required for the advancement of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. In this study, we developed micro-tweezers with a compliant mechanism to manipulate organoids. The proposed method combines high-resolution microstereolithography that uses a blue laser and topology optimization for shape optimization of micro-tweezers. An actuation system was constructed using a linear motor stage with a force control system to operate the micro-tweezers. The deformation of the topology-optimized micro-tweezers was examined analytically and experimentally. The results verified that the displacement of the tweezer tip was proportional to the applied load; furthermore, the displacement was sufficient to grasp biological samples with an approximate diameter of several hundred micrometers. We experimentally demonstrated the manipulation of an organoid with a diameter of approximately 360 µm using the proposed micro-tweezers. Thus, combining microstereolithography and topology optimization to fabricate micro-tweezers can be potentially used in modifying tools capable of handling various biological samples. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 4477 KiB  
Article
Direct Writing of Cu Patterns on Polydimethylsiloxane Substrates Using Femtosecond Laser Pulse-Induced Reduction of Glyoxylic Acid Copper Complex
by Nam Phuong Ha, Tomoji Ohishi and Mizue Mizoshiri
Micromachines 2021, 12(5), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12050493 - 27 Apr 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2736
Abstract
We investigate the direct writing properties of copper (Cu) patterns on glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates using femtosecond laser pulse-induced thermochemical reduction of glyoxylic acid copper (GACu) complex. The films of the GACu complex coated on the substrates were irradiated by focused femtosecond [...] Read more.
We investigate the direct writing properties of copper (Cu) patterns on glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates using femtosecond laser pulse-induced thermochemical reduction of glyoxylic acid copper (GACu) complex. The films of the GACu complex coated on the substrates were irradiated by focused femtosecond laser pulses using a low numerical aperture of 0.45. Under the same conditions, such as laser scanning speed and pulse energy, the width of the line patterns fabricated on PDMS substrates was larger than that on glass substrates. X-ray diffraction peaks of the patterns on glass substrates corresponded to Cu without significant oxidation. By contrast, although Cu patterns were fabricated on PDMS substrates at a scanning speed of 10 mm/s and pulse energy of 0.49 nJ, Cu2O was also generated under overheating conditions at a scanning speed of 1 mm/s and pulse energy of 0.37 nJ. All the patterns exhibited electrical conductivity. The minimum resistivity of the patterns on PDMS substrates is 1.4 × 10−5 Ωm, which is 10 times higher than that on glass substrates, indicating that microcracks formed by thermal shrinkage of the substrates during the laser irradiation increase the resistivity. This direct Cu writing technique on soft materials is useful for fabricating flexible microdevices. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 6162 KiB  
Article
Design of a Kirigami Structure with a Large Uniform Deformation Region
by Hiroki Taniyama and Eiji Iwase
Micromachines 2021, 12(1), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12010076 - 12 Jan 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4643
Abstract
We designed a kirigami structure with a particular shape at both ends to provide a large uniform deformation region when stretched. When a kirigami structure is stretched, non-deformation regions, where the regions’ cuts do not open, and non-uniform deformation regions, where the regions’ [...] Read more.
We designed a kirigami structure with a particular shape at both ends to provide a large uniform deformation region when stretched. When a kirigami structure is stretched, non-deformation regions, where the regions’ cuts do not open, and non-uniform deformation regions, where the regions’ cuts are not uniformly deformed, are produced. The extent of the non-deformation and non-uniform deformation regions increases in proportion to the number of cut cycles in the width direction nw this reduces the percentage of the uniform deformation region. We propose a method that increases the uniform deformation region in a kirigami structure by deforming the shape of the ends from a rectangle to a trapezoid when stretched. The proposed kirigami structure has separation lines at both ends that separate cuts in the width direction, and the position of contacts at both ends are moved to the center. The proposed kirigami structure has a large uniform deformation region, even when nw is large, as evidenced by calculating the area of open cuts under stretching. The product of our study realizes a stretchable electro device with a large area, which maintains the position of evenly mounted functional elements when stretched. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop