• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2014

The roll-to-roll (R2R) fabrication method to make micro-scale pillar arrays for biomimetic functionalization of surfaces is presented. Inspired by the micro-structure of plants in nature, a surface with a synthetic micro-scale pillar array is fabricated via maskless photolithography. After the surface is SAM (self-assembled monolayer) coated with trichlorosilane in a vacuum desiccator, it displays a hydrophobic property even in R2R replicas of original substrate, whose properties are further characterized using various pitches and diameters. In order to perform a comparison between the original micro-pattern and its replicas, surface morphology was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and wetting characteristics were measured via a contact angle measurement tool with a $10{\mu}L$ water droplet. Efficient roll-to-roll imprinting for a biomimetic functionalized surface has the potential for use in many fields ranging from water repelling and self-cleaning to microfluidic chips.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.225-235
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• 2006

With the discovery in plants of the proteinaceous forisome crystalloid (Knoblauch, et al. 2003), a novel, non-living, ATP-independent biological material became available to the designer of smart materials for advanced actuating and sensing. The in vitro studies of Knoblauch, et al. show that forisomes (2-4 micron wide and 10-40 micron long) can be repeatedly stimulated to contract and expand anisotropically by shifting either the ambient pH or the ambient calcium ion concentration. Because of their unique abilities to develop and reverse strains greater than 20% in time periods less than one second, forisomes have the potential to outperform current smart materials as advanced, biomimetic, multi-functional, smart sensors or actuators. Probing forisome material properties is an immediate need to lay the foundation for synthesizing forisomebased smart materials for health monitoring of structural integrity in civil infrastructure and for aerospace hardware. Microfluidics is a growing, vibrant technology with increasingly diverse applications. Here, we use microfluidics to study the surface interaction between forisome and substrate and the conformational dynamics of forisomes within a confined geometry to lay the foundation for forisome-based smart materials synthesis in controlled and repeatable environment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.82-82
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• 2017

It is a great challenge to design and develop biologically inspired hierarchical platforms composed of nano and sub-nanopatterned topography for cell and tissue engineering. In this work, we have developed the novel platforms as a synthetic extracellular matrix using graphene and nanopatterned substrates for promoting functions of cells. Monolayer graphene was coated on the nanopatterned matrix with various nanoscale parallel ridges and grooves as scaffolds with hierarchical structures. Strictly, it was found that graphene-matrix nanotopography platforms could promote the functions of cells including stem cells, osteoblast cells, and endothelial cells through the synergically controlled cell-substrate and cell-cell interactions. Our results proposed that the graphene-based nanopatterned scaffolds would allow us to set up an efficient strategy for designing advanced biomimetic engineering systems toward stem cell-based tissue regeneration.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.102.2-102.2
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• 2012

Different layers of zirconium nitride (ZrN) and hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings were prepared on cp Ti substrate for biomedical applications. The main idea is to improve the mechanical strength as well as the biocompatibility of the coating. ZrN is known for its high mechanical strength, corrosion resistance. HA is well known for its biocompatibility properties. Hence, in this study, both materials were coated on a cp Ti substrate with bottom layer with ZrN for good bonding with substrate and the top layer with HA for induce bioactivity. Middle layer was formed by a composite of HA and ZrN. Detail analyses of the layered coatings for its structural, morphological, topographical properties were carried out. Then the mechanical property of the layered coatings was analyzed by nanoindentation. Biomimetic growths of apatite on the functionally graded coatings were determined by simulated body fluid method. This study provides promising results to use this kind of coatings in biomedical field.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.345-351
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• 2012

Biomimetic terpene sensors which have high sensitivity and stability have been fabricated using moleculary imprinted polymer (MIP) technology. Since it is impossible to make a resistive type sensor due to the high resistance of MIP, we improved the sensor by adding conductive polymers. We investigated the sensitivity of resistive type sensors with nano particles depending on the amount of conductive polymers. The MIP membrane contained the methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross linker, which formed specific cavities originated by the target terpene molecules. The mixture of MIP and the conductive polymer was coated on the patterns of interdigit electrodes on the alumina substrate. The fabricated sensors showed their highest specific sensitivities exposed to 500 ppm target gases : limonene 0.055 at 40% of amount of conductive polymers and geraniol $5.84{\times}10^{-4}$ at 20% of amount of conductive polymers. In conclusion, we found that the terpene sensors are affected by the target molecules, functional monomers and the conductive polymers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.432-432
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• 2011

Dry adhesion caused by Nanoscale contact comes up to important scientific issue. Herein, we introduce bendable nanohairy locking fastener system with high shear strength and mechanically flexible backing. The polymeric patches like velcro are composed of an array of straight nanohairs with 100 nm diameter and $1{\mu}m$ height. To fabricate high aspect vertical nanohairs, we used UV molding method with appropriately flexible and rigid polyurethane acrylate material on PET substrate. Two identical nanohairy patches are easily merged and locked each other induced by van der Waals force. Because nanohairs can be arrayed with high density ${\sim}4{\times}10^8/cm^2$, we can obtain high shear adhesion force on flat surface (~22 N/$cm^2$). Furthermore, we can obtian nanohairy locking system with maximum shear adhesion ~48 N/$cm^2$ of curved surface due to flexibility of PET substrate. We confirm the tendency that shear adhesion force increases, as radius of curvature increases.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the formation of apatite layer on two different titanium substrate treated with biomimetic method, Titanium plates were heat-treated at different temperatures of $400^{\circ}C$, $600^{\circ}C$, and $800^{\circ}C$ for 5 h in air atmosphere, And then, that plates were chemically treated with an alkali solution of 1 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH), The pre-treated titanium plates were soaked in the simulated body fluid (SBF) of Kokubo's recipe, After soaking for 7 days and 21 days in SBF, the coated layers formed on the titanium plates were characterized and compared with the morphology and chemical composition, The apatite formation was more activated on the titanium plates chemically treated with NaOH compared with the only heat-treated titanium plates.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.199-211
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• 2011

Using computational modeling, we design a pair of biomimetic microcapsules that exploit chemical mechanisms to communicate and alter their local environment. As a result, these synthetic objects can undergo autonomous, directed motion. In the simulations, signaling microcapsules release "agonist" particles, while target microcapsules release "antagonist" particles and the permeabilities of both capsule types depend on the local particle concentration in the surrounding solution. Additionally, the released nanoscopic particles can bind to the underlying substrate and thereby create adhesion gradients that propel the microcapsules to move. Hydrodynamic interactions and the feedback mechanism provided by the dissolved particles are both necessary to achieve the cooperative behavior exhibited by these microcapsules. Our model provides a platform for integrating both the spatial and temporal behavior of assemblies of "artificial cells", and allows us to design a rich variety of structures capable of exhibiting complex dynamics. Due to the cell-like attributes of polymeric microcapsules and polymersomes, material systems are available for realizing our predictions.

• Nano
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.1850126.1-1850126.10
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• 2018

Flexible strain sensors, as the core member of the family of smart electronic devices, along with reasonable sensing range and sensitivity plus low cost, have rose a huge consumer market and also immense interests in fundamental studies and technological applications, especially in the field of biomimetic robots movement detection and human health condition monitoring. In this paper, we propose a new flexible strain sensor based on thick CVD graphene film and its low-cost fabrication strategy by using the commercial adhesive tape as flexible substrate. The tensile tests in a strain range of ~30% were implemented, and a gage factor of 30 was achieved under high strain condition. The optical microscopic observation with different strains showed the evolution of cracks in graphene film. Together with commonly used platelet overlap theory and percolation network theory for sensor resistance modeling, we established an overlap destructive resistance model to analyze the sensing mechanism of our devices, which fitted the experimental data very well. The finding of difference of fitting parameters in small and large strain ranges revealed the multiple stage feature of graphene crack evolution. The resistance fallback phenomenon due to the viscoelasticity of flexible substrate was analyzed. Our flexible strain sensor with low cost and simple fabrication process exhibits great potential for commercial applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.274.1-274.1
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• 2013

We report the circumferential alignment of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) in an orthogonally micropatterned circular microfluidic channel to form an in vivo-like smooth muscle cell layer. To realize a biomimetic smooth muscle cell layer which is aligned perpendicular to the axis of blood vessel, we first fabricated a half-circular polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel by soft lithography using a convex PDMS mold. The orthogonally micro wrinkle patterns were generated inside the half-circular microchannel by stretching-releasing operation under UV irradiation. Upon UV treatment with uniaxial 40 % stretch of a PDMS substrate and releasing process, the microwrinkle patterns perpendicular to the axial direction of the circular microchannel were generated, which could guide the circumferential alignment of HASMCs successfully during cultivation. The analysis of orientation angle, shape index, and contractile protein marker expression indicates that the cultured HASMCs revealed the in vivo-like cell phenotype. Finally, we produced circular microchannels by bonding two half-circular microchannels, and cultured the HASMCs circumferentially with high alignment and viability for 5 days. These results are the first demonstration for constructing an in vivo-like 3D smooth muscle cell layer in the circular microfluidic channel which can provide novel bioassay platforms for in-depth study of HASMC biology and vascular function.