Development of a light-powered microstructure : enhancing thermal actuation with near-infrared absorbent gold nanoparticles.

Development of microscale actuating technologies has considerably added to the toolset for interacting with natural components at the cellular level. Small-scale actuators and switches have potential in areas such as microscale pumping and particle manipulation. Thermal actuation has been used with asymmetric geometry to create large deflections with high force relative to electrostatically driven systems. However, many thermally based techniques require a physical connection for power and operate outside the temperature range conducive for biological studies and medical applications. The work presented here describes the design of an out-of-plane bistable switch that responds to near-infrared light with wavelength-specific response. In contrast to thermal actuating principles that require wired conductive components for Joule heating, the devices shown here are wirelessly powered by near -infrared (IR) light by patterning a wavelength-specific absorbent gold nanoparticle (GNP) film onto the microstructure. An optical window exists which allows near-IR wavelength light to permeate living tissue, and high stress mismatch in the bilayer geometry allows for large actuation at biologically acceptable limits. Patterning the GNP film will allow thermal gradients to be created from a single laser source, and integration of various target wavelengths will allow for microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices with multiple operating modes. An optically induced temperature gradient using wavelength-selective printable or spinnable coatings would provide a versatile method of wireless and non-invasive thermal actuation. This project aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the particle and surface interaction for bioengineering applications based on a “hybrid” of infrared resonant gold nanoparticles and MEMS structures. This hybrid technology has potential applications in light-actuated switches and other mechanical structures. Deposition methods and surface chemistry are integrated with three-dimensional MEMS structures in this work. The long-term goal of this project is a system of light-powered microactuators for exploring cells\u27 response to mechanical stimuli, adding to the fundamental understanding of tissue response to everyday mechanical stresses at the molecular level

Light-driven bimorph soft actuators : Design, fabrication, and properties

Soft robots that can move like living organisms and adapt to their surroundings are currently in the limelight from fundamental studies to technological applications, due to their advances in material flexibility, human-friendly interaction, and biological adaptation that surpass conventional rigid machines. Light-fueled smart actuators based on responsive soft materials are considered to be one of the most promising candidates to promote the field of untethered soft robotics, thereby attracting considerable attention amongst materials scientists and microroboticists to investigate photomechanics, photoswitch, bioinspired design, and actuation realization. In this review, we discuss the recent state-of-the-art advances in light-driven bimorph soft actuators, with the focus on bilayer strategy, i.e., integration between photoactive and passive layers within a single material system. Bilayer structures can endow soft actuators with unprecedented features such as ultrasensitivity, programmability, superior compatibility, robustness, and sophistication in controllability. We begin with an explanation about the working principle of bimorph soft actuators and introduction of a synthesis pathway toward light-responsive materials for soft robotics. Then, photothermal and photochemical bimorph soft actuators are sequentially introduced, with an emphasis on the design strategy, actuation performance, underlying mechanism, and emerging applications. Finally, this review is concluded with a perspective on the existing challenges and future opportunities in this nascent research Frontier.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Compliant, Large-Strain, and Self-Sensing Twisted String Actuators with Applications to Soft Robots

The twisted string actuator (TSA) is a rotary-to-linear transmission system that has been implemented in robots for high force output and efficiency. The basic components of a TSA are a motor, strings, and a load (to keep the strings in tension). The twisting of the strings shortens their length to generate linear contraction. Due to their high force output, energy efficiency, and compact form factor, TSAs hold the potential to improve the performance of soft robots. Currently, it is challenging to realize high-performance soft robots because many existing soft or compliant actuators exhibit limitations such as fabrication complexity, high power consumption, slow actuation, or low force generation. The applications of TSAs in soft robots have hitherto been limited, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the conventional strings of TSAs are stiff and strong, but not compliant. Secondly, precise control of TSAs predominantly relies on external position or force sensors. For these reasons, TSA-driven robots are often rigid or bulky.To make TSAs more suitable for actuating soft robots, compliant, large-strain, and self-sensing TSAs are developed and applied to various soft robots in this work. The design was realized by replacing conventional inelastic strings with compliant, thermally-activated, and conductive supercoiled polymer (SCP) strings. Self-sensing was realized by correlating the electrical resistance of the strings with their length. Large strains are realized by heating the strings in addition to twisting them. The quasi-static actuation and self-sensing properties are accurately captured by Preisach hysteresis operators. Next, a data-driven mathematical model was proposed and experimentally validated to capture the transient decay, creep, and hysteretic effects in the electrical resistance. This model was then used to predict the length of the TSA, given its resistance. Furthermore, three TSA-driven soft robots were designed and fabricated: a three-fingered gripper, a soft manipulator, and an anthropomorphic gripper. For the three-fingered gripper, its fingers were compliant and designed to exploit the Fin Ray Effect for improved grasping. The soft manipulator was driven by three TSAs that allowed it to bend with arbitrary magnitude and direction. A physics-based modeling strategy was developed to predict this multi-degree-of-freedom motion. The proposed modeling approaches were experimentally verified to be effective. For example, the proposed model predicted bending angle and bending velocity with mean errors of 1.58 degrees (2.63%) and 0.405 degrees/sec (4.31%), respectively. The anthropomorphic gripper contained 11 TSAs; two TSAs were embedded in each of the four fingers and three TSAs were embedded in the thumb. Furthermore, the anthropomorphic gripper achieved tunable stiffness and a wide range of grasps

Soft pneumatic devices for blood circulation improvement

The research activity I am presenting in this thesis lies within the framework of a cooperation between the University of Cagliari (Applied Mechanics and Robotics lab, headed by professor Andrea Manuello Bertetto, and the research group of physicians referencing to professor Alberto Concu at the Laboratory of Sports Physiology, Department of Medical Sciences), and the Polytechnic of Turin (professor Carlo Ferraresi and his equipe at the Group of Automation and Robotics, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) This research was also funded by the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR – PRIN 2009). My activity has been mainly carried on at the Department of Mechanics, Robotics lab under the supervision of prof. Manuello; I have also spent one year at the Control Lab of the School of Electrical Engineering at Aalto University (Helsinki, Finland). The tests on the patients were taken at the Laboratory of Sports Physiology, Cagliari. I will be describing the design, development and testing of some soft pneumatic flexible devices meant to apply an intermittent massage and to restore blood circulation in lower limbs in order to improve cardiac output and wellness in general. The choice of the actuators, as well as the pneumatic circuits and air distribution system and PLC control patterns will be outlined. The trial run of the devices have been field--‐tested as soon a prototype was ready, so as to tune its features step--‐by--‐ step. I am also giving a characterization of a commercial thin force sensor after briefly reviewing some other type of thin pressure transducer. It has been used to gauge the contact pressure between the actuator and the subject’s skin in order to correlate the level of discomfort to the supply pressure, and to feed this value back to regulate the supply air flow. In order for the massage to be still effective without causing pain or distress or any cutoff to the blood flow, some control objective have been set, consisting in the regulation of the contact force so that it comes to the constant set point smoothly and its value holds constant until unloading occurs. The targets of such mechatronic devices range from paraplegic patients lacking of muscle tone because of their spinal cord damage, to elite endurance athletes needing a circulation booster when resting from practicing after serious injuries leading to bed rest. Encouraging results have been attained for both these two categories, based on the monitored hemodynamic variables

Micro and nanoactuators based on bistable molecular materials

Les systèmes microélectromécaniques (MEMS) sont des dispositifs de taille micrométrique capables de transformer un signal mécanique en un signal électrique et vice-versa. Ils sont aujourd'hui largement répandus dans notre vie quotidienne pour la détection, la transformation de l'énergie et l'actionnement de dispositifs grâce à leur faible dissipation énergétique, leur réponse ultra-rapide et leur grande sensibilité. Même si depuis plusieurs décennies, les progrès technologiques ont entraîné la miniaturisation des ces dispositifs, il reste nombreux challenges à surmonter dont l'un des plus importantes est l'intégration à l'échelle nanométrique d'actionneurs à base des matériaux dit " intelligents " (à ces dimensions, les matériaux habituellement utilisés perdent leurs propriétés d'actionnement). Dans ce contexte, ce travail de thèse avait pour objectif d'explorer l'utilisation des matériaux moléculaires à transition de spin pour le développement d'actionneurs électromécaniques. Dans ce but, nous avons conçu des microleviers en silicium que nous avons recouvert par différentes molécules à transition de spin soit par sublimation, soit par " spray-coating ". Les MEMS ont été caractérisés à température et pression variables en modes dynamique et statique à l'aide d'un unique dispositif expérimental. Les résultats obtenus démontrent que les molécules à transition de spin peuvent être intégrées, à l'aide de différents procédés de fabrication, dans des dispositifs MEMS et qu'il est possible de réaliser l'actionnement à l'aide d'une source d'énergie thermique (chauffage et refroidissement) et/ou lumineuse. Simultanément, cette étude a également permis d'évaluer les propriétés mécaniques des matériaux à transition de spin (module de Young, coefficient de Poisson) qui restent mal connues.Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are micrometric devices able to transform a mechanical signal into an electrical one and vice-versa. In the past years they have been successfully employed in different fields of our everyday life for sensing, transducing different forms of energy and for actuating purposes thanks to their low energy dissipation, fast response and high sensibility. Even if recent technological progress has allowed a considerable miniaturization of these devices, several challenges remain. In particular the integration of smart actuating materials at the nanometric scale remains arduous because in most cases they lose their actuating properties at reduced sizes. In this context, this thesis work aimed for exploring the possibility of using molecular spin crossover materials for the development of electromechanical actuators. To this aim we have conceived silicon microcantilevers, which have been coated by various spin crossover molecules using either thermal evaporation or spray-coating methods. The MEMS have been characterized at variable temperature and pressure both in dynamical and static modes using a single experimental setup. The results prove that spin crossover molecules can be successfully integrated into silicon MEMS devices using different fabrication processes and their actuation can be achieved using either a thermal energy source or light irradiation. In parallel, this work has allowed us to extract relevant mechanical properties of spin crossover materials (Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio), which have been largely unknown previously

Design, characterisation and testing of SU8 polymer based electrothermal microgrippers

Microassembly systems are designed to combine micro-component parts with high accuracy. These micro-components are fabricated using different manufacturing processes in sizes of several micrometers. This technology is essential to produce miniaturised devices and equipment, especially those built from parts requiring different fabrication procedures. The most important task in microassembly systems is the manipulator, which should have the ability to handle and control micro-particles. Different techniques have been developed to carry out this task depending on the application, required accuracy, and cost. In this thesis, the most common methods are identified and briefly presented, and some advantages and disadvantages are outlined. A microgripper is the most important device utilized to handle micro-objects with high accuracy. However, it is a device that can be used only in sequential microassembly techniques. It has the potential to become the most important tool in the field of micro-robotics, research and development, and assembly of parts with custom requirements. Different actuation mechanisms are employed to design microgrippers such as electromagnetic force, electrostatic force, piezoelectric effect, and electrothermal expansions. Also, different materials are used to fabricate these microgrippers, for example metals, silicon, and polymers such as SU-8. To investigate the limitation and disadvantages of the conventional SU-8 electrothermal based microgrippers, different devices designed and fabricated at IMT, Romania, were studied. The results of these tests showed a small end-effector displacement and short cycling on/off (lifetime). In addition, the actuator part of these microgrippers was deformed after each operation, which results in reduced displacement and inconsistent openings at off state every time it was operated in a power ON/OFF cycle. One of these limitations was caused by the existence of conductors in arms of the end-effectors. These conductor designs have two disadvantages: firstly, it raises temperature in the arms and causing an expansion in the opposite direction of the desired displacement. Secondly, since the conductors pass through the hinges, they should be designed wide enough to reduce the conductor resistance as much as possible. Therefore, the wider the hinges are, the higher the in-plane stiffness and the less out of plane deflection. As a result, it increases the reaction force of the arm reducing the effect of deformation. Based on these limitations a new actuatorstructure of L-shape was proposed to reduce the effects of these drawbacks. This actuator has no conductor in the hinges or the arms of the end-effectors which reduce limitation on the hinge width. . In addition, a further development of this actuator was proposed to increase the stiffness of the actuator by doubling its thickness compared with the other parts of the griper. The results of this actuator proved the improvement in performance and reduction of the actuator deformation. This new actuator structure was used to design several different microgrippers with large displacement and suitable for a wide range of applications. Demonstrations of the capabilities of the microgrippers to be used in microassembly are presented. In addition, a novel tri-directional microactuator is proposed in this thesis. This actuator’s end-effector is capable of displacements in three different directions. This actuator was used with the other designs to develop a novel three-arm (three fingers) multidirectional microgripper. To study the microgripper displacement as a function to the heater temperature, the TCR of the conductor layer of each device was measured. Because different configurations of conductor layers were studied, a significant effect of the metal layer structure on TCR was discovered. The TCR value of gold film is reduced significantly by adding the chromium layers below and about it which were used to improve the adhesion between the gold film and the SU layers. In this thesis, a new method based on a robotic system was developed to characterise these microgrippers and to study the steady state, dynamic response, and reliability (lifetime cycling on/off). An electronic interface was developed and integrated to the robotic system to control and drive the microgrippers. This new system was necessary to carry out automated testing of the microgrippers with accurate and reliable results. Four different new groups of microgrippers were designed and studied. The first group was indirectly actuated using an L-Shaped actuator and two different actuator widths. The initial opening was 120 μm for both designs. The maximum displacement was about 140 μm for both designs. However, the actuator in the wider heater width showed more stable behavior during the cycling and the dynamic tests. The second group was based on direct actuation approach using the L-Shaped actuator. There were eight different designs based on this method with different heater conductor shape, actuator width, and arm thickness. The initial opening was 100 μm and there were different displacements for the eight designs. The study of these microgrippers proved that the actuator stiffness has a significant effect on the microgripper displacement. In addition, the shape of the heater conductor has less effect. The largest displacement achieved using this method of design was about 70 μm. The third group was designed for dual mode operation and has three different designs. The initial openings were 90 μm and 250 μm. The displacement was about 170 μm in both modes. The last microgripper design was a tri-arm design for multi-mode operation. The lifetime study of SU8 based microgrippers in this thesis was the first time such an investigation was carried out. The results of IMT designs showed that the larger is the displacement the less stable is the gripper design because of the high rection force acting on the actuators. The L-shape based microgrippers had better performance and they did not break after more than 400 cycles. In addition, the studies of static displacement and dynamic response of different designed microgripper proved that better performance of the proposed actuator can be obtained by using double thickness for the actuator as compared to the arm thickness

Design, Fabrication and Testing of Tunable RF Meta-atoms

Metamaterials are engineered structures designed to alter the propagation of electromagnetic waves incident upon the structure. The focus of this research was the effect of metamaterials on electromagnetic signals at radio frequencies. RF meta-atoms were investigated to further develop the theory, modeling, design and fabrication of metamaterials. Comparing the analytic modeling and experimental testing, the results provide a deeper understanding into metamaterials which could lead to applications for beam steering, invisibility cloaking, negative refraction, super lenses, and hyper lenses. RF meta-atoms integrated with microelectromechanical systems produce tunable meta-atoms in the 10 - 15 GHz and 1 - 4 GHz frequency ranges. RF meta-atoms with structural design changes are developed to show how inductance changes based on structural modifications. RF meta-atoms integrated with gain medium are investigated showing that loss due to material characteristics can be compensated using active elements such as a Low Noise Amplifier. Integrating the amplifier into the split ring resonator causes a deeper null at the resonant frequency. The research results show that the resonant frequency can be tuned using microelectromechanical systems, or by induction with structural designs and reduce loss associated with the material conductivity by compensating with an active gain medium. Proposals that offer future research activities are discussed for inductance and active element meta-atoms. In addition, terahertz (THz), infrared (IR), and optical structures are briefly investigate

Ferroelectrics

Ferroelectric materials exhibit a wide spectrum of functional properties, including switchable polarization, piezoelectricity, high non-linear optical activity, pyroelectricity, and non-linear dielectric behaviour. These properties are crucial for application in electronic devices such as sensors, microactuators, infrared detectors, microwave phase filters and, non-volatile memories. This unique combination of properties of ferroelectric materials has attracted researchers and engineers for a long time. This book reviews a wide range of diverse topics related to the phenomenon of ferroelectricity (in the bulk as well as thin film form) and provides a forum for scientists, engineers, and students working in this field. The present book containing 24 chapters is a result of contributions of experts from international scientific community working in different aspects of ferroelectricity related to experimental and theoretical work aimed at the understanding of ferroelectricity and their utilization in devices. It provides an up-to-date insightful coverage to the recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, functional properties and potential device applications in specialized areas

EUROSENSORS XVII : book of abstracts

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkien (FCG).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

High spatial resolution investigation of spin crossover phenomena using scanning probe microscopies

Récemment, un grand nombre d'objets de taille nanométrique, incluant les nanoparticules, les films minces, les dispositifs nanostructurés, présentant des phénomènes de commutation impliquant différents états de spin, ont été développé pour des applications dans le domaine des capteurs et des systèmes nanophotoniques, nanoélectroniques et nanomécaniques. En effet, Ces nanomatériaux à conversion de spin présentent une dépendance en taille des propriétés physico-chimiques très intéressantes. Même si l'origine du phénomène de conversion de spin est purement moléculaire, le comportement macroscopique de ces systèmes à l'état solide est fortement influencé par les interactions intermoléculaires élastiques. On s'attend donc à ce que les propriétés coopératives et, de manière plus générale, le diagramme de phase, soient très dépendantes de la taille du système. Au-delà de la stabilité des phases, les cinétiques de transformation dépendent également de la taille du système. Dans ce contexte, des interactions élastiques fortes conduisent dans de nombreux cas à des transitions de type premier ordre accompagnées par une séparation de phase hétérogène. Les détails du mécanisme de la dynamique spatio-temporelle associée à la transition de spin restent encore inexplorés. L'ensemble de ces phénomènes observés dans les matériaux à transition de spin demande des méthodes de caractérisation possédant une capacité d'imagerie d'une grande résolution spatiale afin d'aller au-delà des techniques de microscopie optique en champ lointain habituellement employées. Par conséquence, l'objectif global de cette thèse de doctorat est de développer de nouvelles approches qui permettent de détecter le phénomène de transition de spin avec une résolution spatiale nanométrique. Pour observer la transition de spin thermique dans les films minces, nous avons utilisé pour la première fois la microscopie optique en champ proche (NSOM en Anglais) ainsi que la microscopie à force atomique (AFM en Anglais) en conjonction avec des dispositifs originaux de chauffage à l'échelle du nanomètre, conçus à partir de nanofils et fonctionnant par effet Joule. En utilisant ces techniques, le changement de l'état de spin a pu être observé avec une résolution sub-longueur d'onde au travers des changements des propriétés mécanique et optique des matériaux. Le NSOM en mode illumination, utilisé soit en luminescence ou en mode réflexion fournit un signal utile pour la détection du changement d'état de spin mais ne permet en revanche qu'une quantification limitée du phénomène en raison de l'instabilité des échantillons (photoblanchiment, ...) . D'un autre côté, les différents modes mécaniques AFM, incluant la spectroscopie à force rapide et l'analyse multifréquentielle, ont permis des mesures quantitatives et reproductibles avec une résolution nanométrique. En particulier, nous avons été capable de mesurer pour la première fois l'augmentation du module d'Young (env. 25-30%) observée lors de la transition de l'état Haut Spin vers l'état Bas Spin et nous avons utilisé cette propriété pour réaliser une imagerie quantitative de la transition de spin. Des mesures AFM ont été faites sur des monocristaux à transition de spin. Nous avons montré que les transferts thermiques entre la sonde et l'échantillon peuvent être utilisés pour manipuler la nucléation et la propagation des phases Haut et Bas Spin dans des cristaux. Par ailleurs, ces interactions sonde-échantillon rendent difficiles l'imagerie AFM de ces phénomènes. Néanmoins, les changements d'ordre topographique de la surface au cours de la transition de spin peuvent être observés et discutés en conjonction avec les résultats de spectroscopie Raman (cartographie) et microscopie optique en champ lointain. L'ensemble de ces résultats ouvre de nouvelles possibilités d'étude et de contrôle/manipulation de ces objets bistables à l'échelle du nanomètreRecently a variety of nanoscale objects, including nanoparticles, thin films and nanometric assemblies, exhibiting molecular spin-state switching phenomena have been developed for applications in sensors, nanophotonic, nanoelectronic and nanomechanical systems. These spin crossover nanomaterials have been also reported to exhibit interesting size-dependent properties. Indeed, even if the origin of the spin crossover phenomenon is purely molecular, the macroscopic behavior of these systems in the solid state is strongly influenced by elastic interactions between the molecules. These cooperative properties and, in general, the phase diagram are expected to depend strongly on the size of the material. Beyond the phase stability, the transformation kinetics is likely to display also size dependence. Indeed, the strong elastic interactions in these materials lead, in many cases, to first-order phase transitions and phase separation phenomena. Details of the associated spatio-temporal dynamics of spin crossover systems remain largely unexplored. All these size dependent and spatially heterogeneous phenomena in spin crossover materials call for appropriate characterization methods with high spatial resolution imaging capability, but to date only far-field optical microscopy has been used to this aim. Hence, the overall objective of this PHD thesis was to develop new approaches allowing to trigger and detect the spin crossover phenomenon with nanometric spatial resolution. For the detection of the thermally induced spin crossover in thin films, we used for the first time Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in conjunction with an original nano-heater device, based on Joule-heated metallic nanowires. Using these techniques the spin-state change in the films was inferred with sub-wavelength resolution through the associated optical and mechanical property changes of the material. Apertured NSOM used either in luminescence or reflectivity mode provided useful signal for detecting the spin-state switching phenomena, but rather limited quantification was possible due to sample stability issues (photobleaching, etc). On the other hand, AFM mechanical modes, including fast force spectroscopy and multifrequency analysis, allowed for quantitative and well-reproducible measurements with nanometric resolution. In particular, we have measured for the first time the increase of the Young's modulus (ca. 25-30 %) when going from the high spin to the low spin state and used this property for quantitative imaging of the spin transition. AFM measurements were also performed on spin crossover single crystals. We have shown that probe-sample thermal interactions can be used to manipulate the nucleation and propagation of the high spin and low spin phases in the crystals. On the other hand, these interactions make for difficulties for the AFM imaging of these phenomena. Nevertheless changes of the surface topography during the spin transition can be observed and discussed in conjunction with far-field optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy data. The ensemble of these results open up new possibilities for the investigation and manipulation of these bistable objects at the nanoscale