Disclosed are methods and systems of controlling the placement of micro-objects on the surface of a micro-assembler. Control patterns may be used to cause phototransistors or electrodes of the micro-assembler to generate dielectrophoretic (DEP) and electrophoretic (EP) forces which may be used to manipulate, move, position, or orient one or more micro-objects on the surface of the micro-assembler.

Provided are a method of producing a nano composite structure and a nano composite structure produced by using the same. The method comprises producing a substrate; placing a metal net structure above the substrate; and plasma treating the substrate above which the metal net structure is placed. The nano composite structure includes a substrate having a plurality of first protrusions constituting a nano pattern on its surface; and an inorganic particle disposed on an end of at least a portion of the first protrusions.

The present invention discloses polymer surfaces with T-shaped microstructure and their fabrication method and applications. The polymer surfaces with the T-shaped microstructure are characterized in that T-shaped microposts arrange orderly on them, and nanobulges arrange orderly on the top surfaces of the micronails of the T-shaped microposts. A flexible insert is designed and manufactured according to the geometry of the T-shaped microposts, and nanogrooves are manufactured on the cavity surface of an injection mold according to the geometry of the nanobulges on the top surfaces of the micronails. The flexible insert is mounted on the injection mold cavity. An injection molding machine is used to inject the molten polymer into the injection mold cavity. Then the polymer surfaces with the T-shaped microposts, on the top surfaces of the micronails of which the nanobulges arrange orderly, are molded. The polymer surfaces with the T-shaped microstructure exhibit robust Cassie-Baxter state and moderate surface adhesion to water droplets, and can be used for quantitative collection, lossless transportation or micromixing of microdroplets.

A substrate for sensing, a method of manufacturing the substrate, and an analyzing apparatus including the substrate are provided. The substrate for sensing includes: a support layer; a plurality of metal nanoparticle clusters arranged on the support layer; and a plurality of perforations arranged among the plurality of metal nanoparticle clusters. The plurality of metal nanoparticle clusters each comprise a plurality of metal nanoparticles stacked in a three-dimensional structure. Each of the plurality of perforations transmits incident light therethrough.

Aspects include methods of fabricating antibacterial surfaces for medical implant devices including patterning a photoresist layer on a silicon substrate and etching the silicon to generate a plurality of nanopillars. Aspects also include removing the photoresist layer from the structure and coating the plurality of nanopillars with a biocompatible film. Aspects also include a system for preventing bacterial infection associated with medical implants including a thin silicon film including a plurality of nanopillars.

A preparation method of a bionic adhesive material with a tip-expanded microstructural array includes the following steps: machining through-holes on a metal sheet; modifying morphology of a through-hole by electroplating, using the metal sheet in step 1 as an electroplating cathode, and arranging the electroplating cathode and an electroplating anode in parallel to prepare a hyperboloid-like through-hole array assembly, fitting a lower surface of the hyperboloid-like through-hole array assembly tightly to an upper surface of a substrate assembly to prepare a through-hole assembly of a mold; and filling the mold assembly with a polymer, curing, and demolding to obtain the adhesive material with the tip-expanded microstructural array.

The present disclosure provides microstructured hydrophobic surfaces and devices for gripping wet deformable surfaces. The surfaces and devices disclosed herein utilize a split contact Wenzel-Cassie mechanism to develop multi-level Wenzel-Cassie structures. The Wenzel-Cassie structures are separated with a spatial period corresponding to at least one wrinkle eigenmode of a wet deformable surface to which the microstructure or device is designed to contact, allowing grip of the deformable surface without slippage. Microstructures of the present invention are specifically designed to prevent the formation of Shallamach waves when a shear force is applied to a deformable surface. The multi-level Wenzel-Cassie states of the present disclosure develop temporally, and accordingly are characterized by hierarchical fluid pinning, both in the instance of slippage, and more importantly in the instance of localization. This temporal aspect to the multi-level Wenzel-Cassie state delays or prevents the transition from a wrinkled eigenmode state in a deformable surface to a buckled state in a deformable surface.

A contact having a first contact member having an exposed surface, the exposed surface having irregularities, undulations, or asperities that form one or more high points and low points on the exposed surface, a second contact member having a contact base surface, a plurality of electrically conductive flexures extending from the contact base surface, and when the first contact member is positioned adjacent to the second contact member in a closed position in which the contact base surface of the second contact member is not in electrical contact with the one or more high points on the exposed surface of the first contact member, each flexure of the plurality of flexures is in electrical contact with the exposed surface of the first contact member.

3D nanochannel interleaved devices for molecular manipulation are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a device includes: forming a pattern on a substrate of alternating mandrels and spacers alongside the mandrels; selectively removing the mandrels from a front portion of the pattern forming gaps between the spacers; selectively removing the spacers from a back portion of the pattern forming gaps between the mandrels; filling i) the gaps between the spacers with a conductor to form first electrodes and ii) the gaps between the mandrels with the conductor to form second electrodes; and etching the mandrels and the spacers in a central portion of the pattern to form a channel (e.g., a nanochannel) between the first electrodes and the second electrodes, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are offset from one another across the channel, i.e., interleaved. A device formed by the method is also provided.

In an example, a wet cleaning process is performed to clean a structure having features and openings between the features while preventing drying of the structure. After performing the wet cleaning process, a polymer solution is deposited in the openings while continuing to prevent any drying of the structure. A sacrificial polymer material is formed in the openings from the polymer solution. The structure may be used in semiconductor devices, such as integrated circuits, memory devices, MEMS, among others.