• KSTLE International Journal
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.14-17
• /
• 2006

In this paper, we report on the replication of surface topography of natural leaf of Lotus onto thin polymeric films using a capillarity-directed soft lithographic technique. PDMS molds were used to replicate the surface. The replication was carried out on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film coated on silicon wafer. The patterns so obtained were investigated for their friction properties at micro-scale using a ball-on-flat type micro-tribo tester, under reciprocating motion. Soda lime balls (1 mm diameter) were used as counterface sliders. Friction tests were conducted at a constant applied normal load of $3000{\mu}N$ and speed of 1mm/s. All experiments were conducted at ambient temperature ($24{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) and relative humidity ($45{\pm}5%$). Results showed that the patterned samples exhibited superior tribological properties when compared to the silicon wafer and non patterned sample (PMMA thin film). The reduced real area of contact projected by the surfaces was the main reason for their enhanced friction property.

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

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.89-95
• /
• 2012

In this paper, microchannels for the flow control of two fluids with different volumes have been designed, fabricated, and verified. The dimensions of the inlets were determined based on the Stokes equation in order to realize that the flow of the two fluids meet at the same time, and to maintain a certain configuration when the flows passed through each inlet channel. The designed microchannels were confirmed using computational fluid dynamics simulation for the incompressible, Newtonian, and transient flows. In addition, a microfluidic system containing the designed microchannels was fabricated by soft lithography, and the pressure-driven flows of the two fluids were characterized by microfluidic experiments.

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

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.67-72
• /
• 1992

Since the inception of the idea to develop an X-ray laser in 1960's, a rapid progress to demonstrate soft X-ray lasers in the wavelength region below 300$\AA$ has been made during the last ten years. Among many prospective proposals, the recombination scheme and the collisional exitation scheme have been most successful in achieving a significant gain. An appreciable single-pass amplification was achieved at 182 $\AA$ from CVI ions using the recombination scheme and at 206 and 290$\AA$ from the Se XXV ions using the collisional excitation scheme. The current research on X-ray lasers emphasizes the enhancement of amplification upto saturation and the extension of operating wavelength to shorter wavelengths, especially to the water window region between 23 and 44 $\AA$. X-ray lasers are expected to open many application fields, such as X-ray laser microscopy, X-ray holography, X-ray lithography, and more, in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.354-359
• /
• 2006

Recently, the interest in lithography without photo exposure has been increased compare to the conventional photolithography in nano meter and micrometer size patterning area. We studied a self aligned dipping of Ag solution through micro contact printing (${\mu}-CP$) with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) treated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft mold. The OTS monolayer on the patterned PDMS was formed by dipping it into OTS solution. We transferred the OTS monolayer from PDMS mold to the glass. The OTS monolayer changed the surface energy from hydrophilic surface to hydrophobic surface, And then we made self aligned Ag solution patterns just after dipping the substrate, using adhesion difference of Ag solution between OTS treated hydrophobic area and non-OTS treated hydrophilic area. We finally get the Ag patterns through only dip-coating after the ${\mu}-CP$ process. And we observed surface energies on the glass substrate through the contact angle measurements as time goes on.

• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.302-307
• /
• 2012

We have designed, fabricated and tested an integrated microfluidic chip with a Planar Hall Effect (PHE) sensor. The sensor was constructed by sequentially sputtering Ta/NiFe/Cu/NiFe/IrMn/Ta onto glass. The microfluidic channel was fabricated with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) using soft lithography. Magnetic nanoparticles suspended in hexadecane were used as ferrofluid, of which the saturation magnetisation was 3.4 emu/cc. Droplets of ferrofluid were generated in a T-junction of a microfluidic channel after hydrophilic modification of the PDMS. The size and interval of the droplets were regulated by pressure on the ferrofluid channel inlet. The PHE sensor detected the flowing droplets of ferrofluid, as expected from simulation results. The shape of the signal was dependent on both the distance of the magnetic droplet from the sensor and the droplet length. The sensor was able to detect a magnetic moment of $2{\times}10^{-10}$ emu at a distance of 10 ${\mu}m$. This study provides an enhanced understanding of the magnetic parameters of ferrofluid in a microfluidic channel using a PHE sensor and will be used for a sample inlet module inside of integrated magnetic lab-on-a-chip systems for the analysis of biomolecules.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.385-390
• /
• 2011

In this study, we developed a micromixer based on the non-equilibrium electrokinetics at the junction of a microchannel and nanochannel. Two fluid streams were mixed by an electro-osmotic flow and a vortex flow created as a result of the non-equilibrium electrokinetics at the junction of the microchannel and nanochannel. Initially, the microchannel was fabricated using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by the general soft lithography process and the nanochannel was created at a specific position on the microchannel by applying a high voltage. To evaluate the mixing performance of the micromixer, fluorescent distribution was analyzed by using the fluorescent dye, Rhodamine B. About 90% mixing was achieved with this novel micromixer, and this micromixer can be used in microsystems for biochemical sample analysis.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.562-565
• /
• 2013

The high purity Al foil, which has an enlarged surface area by electrochemical etching process, has been used as an anode for an aluminum electrolytic capacitor. Etch pits are randomly distributed on the surface because of the existence of surface irregularities such as impurity and random nucleation of pits. Even though a large surface area was formed on the tunnel-etched Al, its applications to various fields were limited due to non-uniform tunnel morphologies. In this work, the selective electrochemical etching of aluminum was carried out by using a patterned mask fabricated by photolithographic method. The formation of etch pits with uniform distribution has been demonstrated by the optimization of experimental conditions such as current density and etching solution temperature.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.31 no.3 s.258
• /
• pp.209-216
• /
• 2007

Bacterial chemotaxis is essential to the study of structure and function of bacteria. Although many studies have accumulated the knowledge about chemotaxis in the past, the motion of a single bacterium has not been studied much yet. In this study, we have developed a device microfabricated by soft lithography and consisting of microfluidic channels. The microfluidic assay generates a concentration gradient of chemoattractant linearly in the main channel by only diffusion of the chemicals. Bacteria are injected into the main channel in a single row by hydrodynamic focusing technique. We measured the velocity of bacteria in response to a given concentration gradient of chemoattractant using the microfludic assay, optical systems with CCD camera and simple PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) algorithm. The advantage of this assay and experiment is to measure the velocity of a single bacterium and to quantify the degree of chemotaxis by statistically analyzing the velocity at the same time. Specifically, we measured and analyzed the motility of Escherichia coli strain RP437 in response to various concentration gradients of L-aspartate statistically and quantitatively by using this microfluidic assay. We obtained the probability density of the velocity while RP437 cells are swimming and tumbling in the presence of the linear concentration gradient of L-aspartate, and quantified the degree of chemotaxis by analyzing the probability density.