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- ItemImperceptible Supercapacitors with High Area-Specific Capacitance(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Ge, Jin; Zhu, Minshen; Eisner, Eric; Yin, Yin; Dong, Haiyun; Karnaushenko, Dmitriy D.; Karnaushenko, Daniil; Zhu, Feng; Ma, Libo; Schmidt, Oliver G.Imperceptible electronics will make next-generation healthcare and biomedical systems thinner, lighter, and more flexible. While other components are thoroughly investigated, imperceptible energy storage devices lag behind because the decrease of thickness impairs the area-specific energy density. Imperceptible supercapacitors with high area-specific capacitance based on reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (RGO/PANI) composite electrodes and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/H2SO4 gel electrolyte are reported. Two strategies to realize a supercapacitor with a total device thickness of 5 µm—including substrate, electrode, and electrolyte—and an area-specific capacitance of 36 mF cm−2 simultaneously are implemented. First, the void volume of the RGO/PANI electrodes through mechanical compression is reduced, which decreases the thickness by 83% while retaining 89% of the capacitance. Second, the PVA-to-H2SO4 mass ratio is decreased to 1:4.5, which improves the ion conductivity by 5000% compared to the commonly used PVA/H2SO4 gel. Both advantages enable a 2 µm-thick gel electrolyte for planar interdigital supercapacitors. The impressive electromechanical stability of the imperceptible supercapacitors by wrinkling the substrate to produce folds with radii of 6 µm or less is demonstrated. The supercapacitors will be meaningful energy storage modules for future self-powered imperceptible electronics.
- ItemImpedimetric Microfluidic Sensor-in-a-Tube for Label-Free Immune Cell Analysis(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Egunov, Aleksandr I.; Dou, Zehua; Karnaushenko, Dmitriy D.; Hebenstreit, Franziska; Kretschmann, Nicole; Akgün, Katja; Ziemssen, Tjalf; Karnaushenko, Daniil; Medina-Sánchez, Mariana; Schmidt, Oliver G.Analytical platforms based on impedance spectroscopy are promising for non-invasive and label-free analysis of single cells as well as of their extracellular matrix, being essential to understand cell function in the presence of certain diseases. Here, an innovative rolled-up impedimetric microfulidic sensor, called sensor-in-a-tube, is introduced for the simultaneous analysis of single human monocytes CD14+ and their extracellular medium upon liposaccharides (LPS)-mediated activation. In particular, rolled-up platinum microelectrodes are integrated within for the static and dynamic (in-flow) detection of cells and their surrounding medium (containing expressed cytokines) over an excitation frequency range from 102 to 5 × 106 Hz. The correspondence between cell activation stages and the electrical properties of the cell surrounding medium have been detected by electrical impedance spectroscopy in dynamic mode without employing electrode surface functionalization or labeling. The designed sensor-in-a-tube platform is shown as a sensitive and reliable tool for precise single cell analysis toward immune-deficient diseases diagnosis.
- ItemSperm-Driven Micromotors Moving in Oviduct Fluid and Viscoelastic Media(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Striggow, Friedrich; Medina-Sánchez, Mariana; Auernhammer, Günter K.; Magdanz, Veronika; Friedrich, Benjamin M.; Schmidt, Oliver G.Biohybrid micromotors propelled by motile cells are fascinating entities for autonomous biomedical operations on the microscale. Their operation under physiological conditions, including highly viscous environments, is an essential prerequisite to be translated to in vivo settings. In this work, a sperm-driven microswimmer, referred to as a spermbot, is demonstrated to operate in oviduct fluid in vitro. The viscoelastic properties of bovine oviduct fluid (BOF), one of the fluids that sperm cells encounter on their way to the oocyte, are first characterized using passive microrheology. This allows to design an artificial oviduct fluid to match the rheological properties of oviduct fluid for further experiments. Sperm motion is analyzed and it is confirmed that kinetic parameters match in real and artificial oviduct fluids, respectively. It is demonstrated that sperm cells can efficiently couple to magnetic microtubes and propel them forward in media of different viscosities and in BOF. The flagellar beat pattern of coupled as well as of free sperm cells is investigated, revealing an alteration on the regular flagellar beat, presenting an on–off behavior caused by the additional load of the microtube. Finally, a new microcap design is proposed to improve the overall performance of the spermbot in complex biofluids. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
- ItemSymmetry‐Induced Selective Excitation of Topological States in Su–Schrieffer–Heeger Waveguide Arrays(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2023) Tang, Min; Wang, Jiawei; Valligatla, Sreeramulu; Saggau, Christian N.; Dong, Haiyun; Saei Ghareh Naz, Ehsan; Klembt, Sebastian; Lee, Ching Hua; Thomale, Ronny; van den Brink, Jeroen; Fulga, Ion Cosma; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Ma, LiboThe investigation of topological state transition in carefully designed photonic lattices is of high interest for fundamental research, as well as for applied studies such as manipulating light flow in on-chip photonic systems. Herein, the topological phase transition between symmetric topological zero modes (TZM) and antisymmetric TZMs in Su–Schrieffer–Heeger mirror symmetric waveguides is reported. The transition of TZMs is realized by adjusting the coupling ratio between neighboring waveguide pairs, which is enabled by selective modulation of the refractive index in the waveguide gaps. Bidirectional topological transitions between symmetric and antisymmetric TZMs can be achieved with proposed switching strategy. Selective excitation of topological edge mode is demonstrated owing to the symmetry characteristics of the TZMs. The flexible manipulation of topological states is promising for on-chip light flow control and may spark further investigations on symmetric/antisymmetric TZM transitions in other photonic topological frameworks.
- ItemAdvanced Hybrid GaN/ZnO Nanoarchitectured Microtubes for Fluorescent Micromotors Driven by UV Light(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Wolff, Niklas; Ciobanu, Vladimir; Enachi, Mihail; Kamp, Marius; Braniste, Tudor; Duppel, Viola; Shree, Sindu; Raevschi, Simion; Medina-Sánchez, Mariana; Adelung, Rainer; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Kienle, Lorenz; Tiginyanu, IonThe development of functional microstructures with designed hierarchical and complex morphologies and large free active surfaces offers new potential for improvement of the pristine microstructures properties by the synergistic combination of microscopic as well as nanoscopic effects. In this contribution, dedicated methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including tomography are used to characterize the complex hierarchically structured hybrid GaN/ZnO:Au microtubes containing a dense nanowire network on their interior. The presence of an epitaxially stabilized and chemically extremely stable ultrathin layer of ZnO on the inner wall of the produced GaN microtubes is evidenced. Gold nanoparticles initially trigger the catalytic growth of solid solution phase (Ga1– xZnx)(N1– xOx) nanowires into the interior space of the microtube, which are found to be terminated by AuGa-alloy nanodots coated in a shell of amorphous GaOx species after the hydride vapor phase epitaxy process. The structural characterization suggests that this hierarchical design of GaN/ZnO microtubes could offer the potential to exhibit improved photocatalytic properties, which are initially demonstrated under UV light irradiation. As a proof of concept, the produced microtubes are used as photocatalytic micromotors in the presence of hydrogen peroxide solution with luminescent properties, which are appealing for future environmental applications and active matter fundamental studies. © 2019 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
- ItemSwitching Propulsion Mechanisms of Tubular Catalytic Micromotors(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Wrede, Paul; Medina-Sánchez, Mariana; Fomin, Vladimir M.; Schmidt, Oliver G.Different propulsion mechanisms have been suggested for describing the motion of a variety of chemical micromotors, which have attracted great attention in the last decades due to their high efficiency and thrust force, enabling several applications in the fields of environmental remediation and biomedicine. Bubble-recoil based motion, in particular, has been modeled by three different phenomena: capillary forces, bubble growth, and bubble expulsion. However, these models have been suggested independently based on a single influencing factor (i.e., viscosity), limiting the understanding of the overall micromotor performance. Therefore, the combined effect of medium viscosity, surface tension, and fuel concentration is analyzed on the micromotor swimming ability, and the dominant propulsion mechanisms that describe its motion more accurately are identified. Using statistically relevant experimental data, a holistic theoretical model is proposed for bubble-propelled tubular catalytic micromotors that includes all three above-mentioned phenomena and provides deeper insights into their propulsion physics toward optimized geometries and experimental conditions.
- ItemA Patternable and In Situ Formed Polymeric Zinc Blanket for a Reversible Zinc Anode in a Skin-Mountable Microbattery(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Zhu, Minshen; Hu, Junping; Lu, Qiongqiong; Dong, Haiyun; Karnaushenko, Dmitriy D.; Becker, Christian; Karnaushenko, Daniil; Li, Yang; Tang, Hongmei; Qu, Zhe; Ge, Jin; Schmidt, Oliver G.Owing to their high safety and reversibility, aqueous microbatteries using zinc anodes and an acid electrolyte have emerged as promising candidates for wearable electronics. However, a critical limitation that prevents implementing zinc chemistry at the microscale lies in its spontaneous corrosion in an acidic electrolyte that causes a capacity loss of 40% after a ten-hour rest. Widespread anti-corrosion techniques, such as polymer coating, often retard the kinetics of zinc plating/stripping and lack spatial control at the microscale. Here, a polyimide coating that resolves this dilemma is reported. The coating prevents corrosion and hence reduces the capacity loss of a standby microbattery to 10%. The coordination of carbonyl oxygen in the polyimide with zinc ions builds up over cycling, creating a zinc blanket that minimizes the concentration gradient through the electrode/electrolyte interface and thus allows for fast kinetics and low plating/stripping overpotential. The polyimide's patternable feature energizes microbatteries in both aqueous and hydrogel electrolytes, delivering a supercapacitor-level rate performance and 400 stable cycles in the hydrogel electrolyte. Moreover, the microbattery is able to be attached to human skin and offers strong resistance to deformations, splashing, and external shock. The skin-mountable microbattery demonstrates an excellent combination of anti-corrosion, reversibility, and durability in wearables. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
- ItemHighly Symmetric and Extremely Compact Multiple Winding Microtubes by a Dry Rolling Mechanism(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Moradi, Somayeh; Naz, Ehsan Saei Ghareh; Li, Guodong; Bandari, Nooshin; Bandari, Vineeth Kumar; Zhu, Feng; Wendrock, Horst; Schmidt, Oliver G.Rolled-up nanotechnology has received significant attention to self-assemble planar nanomembranes into 3D micro and nanotubular architectures. These tubular structures have been well recognized as novel building blocks in a variety of applications ranging from microelectronics and nanophotonics to microbatteries and microrobotics. However, fabrication of multiwinding microtubes with precise control over the winding interfaces, which is crucial for many complex applications, is not easy to achieve by existing materials and technologies. Here, a dry rolling approach is introduced to tackle this challenge and create tight windings in compact and highly symmetric cylindrical microstructures. This technique exploits hydrophobicity of fluorocarbon polymers and the thermal expansion mismatch of polymers and inorganic films upon thermal treatment. Quality parameters for rolled-up microtubes, against which different fabrication technologies can be benchmarked are defined. The technique offers to fabricate long freestanding multiwinding microtubes as well as hierarchical architectures incorporating rolled-up wrinkled nanomembranes. This work presents an important step forward toward the fabrication of more complex but well-controlled microtubes for advanced high-quality device architectures. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
- ItemDigital Electrochemistry for On-Chip Heterogeneous Material Integration(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Bao, Bin; Rivkin, Boris; Akbar, Farzin; Karnaushenko, Dmitriy D.; Bandari, Vineeth Kumar; Teuerle, Laura; Becker, Christian; Baunack, Stefan; Karnaushenko, Daniil; Schmidt, Oliver G.Many modern electronic applications rely on functional units arranged in an active-matrix integrated on a single chip. The active-matrix allows numerous identical device pixels to be addressed within a single system. However, next-generation electronics requires heterogeneous integration of dissimilar devices, where sensors, actuators, and display pixels sense and interact with the local environment. Heterogeneous material integration allows the reduction of size, increase of functionality, and enhancement of performance; however, it is challenging since front-end fabrication technologies in microelectronics put extremely high demands on materials, fabrication protocols, and processing environments. To overcome the obstacle in heterogeneous material integration, digital electrochemistry is explored here, which site-selectively carries out electrochemical processes to deposit and address electroactive materials within the pixel array. More specifically, an amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film-transistor (TFT) active-matrix is used to address pixels within the matrix and locally control electrochemical reactions for material growth and actuation. The digital electrochemistry procedure is studied in-depth by using polypyrrole (PPy) as a model material. Active-matrix-driven multicolored electrochromic patterns and actuator arrays are fabricated to demonstrate the capabilities of this approach for material integration. The approach can be extended to a broad range of materials and structures, opening up a new path for advanced heterogeneous microsystem integration.
- ItemDual Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Tracking of Magnetically Driven Micromotors: From In Vitro to In Vivo(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Aziz, Azaam; Holthof, Joost; Meyer, Sandra; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Medina-Sánchez, MarianaThe fast evolution of medical micro- and nanorobots in the endeavor to perform non-invasive medical operations in living organisms has boosted the use of diverse medical imaging techniques in the last years. Among those techniques, photoacoustic imaging (PAI), considered a functional technique, has shown to be promising for the visualization of micromotors in deep tissue with high spatiotemporal resolution as it possesses the molecular specificity of optical methods and the penetration depth of ultrasound. However, the precise maneuvering and function's control of medical micromotors, in particular in living organisms, require both anatomical and functional imaging feedback. Therefore, herein, the use of high-frequency ultrasound and PAI is reported to obtain anatomical and molecular information, respectively, of magnetically-driven micromotors in vitro and under ex vivo tissues. Furthermore, the steerability of the micromotors is demonstrated by the action of an external magnetic field into the uterus and bladder of living mice in real-time, being able to discriminate the micromotors’ signal from one of the endogenous chromophores by multispectral analysis. Finally, the successful loading and release of a model cargo by the micromotors toward non-invasive in vivo medical interventions is demonstrated. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Healthcare Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH