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Erben E, Liao W, Minopoli A, Maghelli N, Lauga E, Kreysing M. Opto-fluidically multiplexed assembly and micro-robotics. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2024; 13:59. [PMID: 38409110 PMCID: PMC10897173 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-024-01406-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Techniques for high-definition micromanipulations, such as optical tweezers, hold substantial interest across a wide range of disciplines. However, their applicability remains constrained by material properties and laser exposure. And while microfluidic manipulations have been suggested as an alternative, their inherent capabilities are limited and further hindered by practical challenges of implementation and control. Here we show that the iterative application of laser-induced, localized flow fields can be used for the relative positioning of multiple micro-particles, irrespectively of their material properties. Compared to the standing theoretical proposal, our method keeps particles mobile, and we show that their precision manipulation is non-linearly accelerated via the multiplexing of temperature stimuli below the heat diffusion limit. The resulting flow fields are topologically rich and mathematically predictable. They represent unprecedented microfluidic control capabilities that are illustrated by the actuation of humanoid micro-robots with up to 30 degrees of freedom, whose motions are sufficiently well-defined to reliably communicate personal characteristics such as gender, happiness and nervousness. Our results constitute high-definition micro-fluidic manipulations with transformative potential for assembly, micro-manufacturing, the life sciences, robotics and opto-hydraulically actuated micro-factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Erben
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, 01307, Germany
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems - Biological Information Processing. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344, Germany
| | - Weida Liao
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
| | - Antonio Minopoli
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Nicola Maghelli
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Eric Lauga
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
| | - Moritz Kreysing
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
- Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems - Biological Information Processing. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344, Germany.
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Li H, Teal D, Liang Z, Kwon H, Huo D, Jin A, Fischer P, Fan DE. Precise electrokinetic position and three-dimensional orientation control of a nanowire bioprobe in solution. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 18:1213-1221. [PMID: 37500771 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-023-01439-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Owing to Brownian-motion effects, the precise manipulation of individual micro- and nanoparticles in solution is challenging. Therefore, scanning-probe-based techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, attach particles to cantilevers to enable their use as nanoprobes. Here we demonstrate a versatile electrokinetic trap that simultaneously controls the two-dimensional position with a precision of 20 nm and 0.5° in the three-dimensional orientation of an untethered nanowire, as small as 300 nm in length, under an optical microscope. The method permits the active transport of nanowires with a speed-dependent accuracy reaching 90 nm at 2.7 μm s-1. It also allows for their synchronous three-dimensional alignment and rotation during translocation along complex trajectories. We use the electrokinetic trap to accurately move a nanoprobe and stably position it on the surface of a single bacterial cell for sensing secreted metabolites for extended periods. The precision-controlled manipulation underpins developing nanorobotic tools for assembly, micromanipulation and biological measurements with subcellular resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaizhi Li
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Daniel Teal
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Zexi Liang
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Hyunah Kwon
- Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Huo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Alison Jin
- Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Peer Fischer
- Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Donglei Emma Fan
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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McDonald MN, Zhu Q, Paxton WF, Peterson CK, Tree DR. Active control of equilibrium, near-equilibrium, and far-from-equilibrium colloidal systems. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:1675-1694. [PMID: 36790855 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01447e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The development of top-down active control over bottom-up colloidal assembly processes has the potential to produce materials, surfaces, and objects with applications in a wide range of fields spanning from computing to materials science to biomedical engineering. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the field using a taxonomy based on how active control is used to guide assembly. We find there are three distinct scenarios: (1) navigating kinetic pathways to reach a desirable equilibrium state, (2) the creation of a desirable metastable, kinetically trapped, or kinetically arrested state, and (3) the creation of a desirable far-from-equilibrium state through continuous energy input. We review seminal works within this framework, provide a summary of important application areas, and present a brief introduction to the fundamental concepts of control theory that are necessary for the soft materials community to understand this literature. In addition, we outline current and potential future applications of actively-controlled colloidal systems, and we highlight important open questions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark N McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
| | - Qinyu Zhu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
| | - Walter F Paxton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Cameron K Peterson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Douglas R Tree
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
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McDonald MN, Peterson CK, Tree DR. Steering particles via micro-actuation of chemical gradients using model predictive control. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2023; 17:014107. [PMID: 36742353 PMCID: PMC9894658 DOI: 10.1063/5.0126690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Biological systems rely on chemical gradients to direct motion through both chemotaxis and signaling, but synthetic approaches for doing the same are still relatively naïve. Consequently, we present a novel method for using chemical gradients to manipulate the position and velocity of colloidal particles in a microfluidic device. Specifically, we show that a set of spatially localized chemical reactions that are sufficiently controllable can be used to steer colloidal particles via diffusiophoresis along an arbitrary trajectory. To accomplish this, we develop a control method for steering colloidal particles with chemical gradients using nonlinear model predictive control with a model based on the unsteady Green's function solution of the diffusion equation. We illustrate the effectiveness of our approach using Brownian dynamics simulations that steer single particles along paths, such as circle, square, and figure-eight. We subsequently compare our results with published techniques for steering colloids using electric fields, and we provide an analysis of the physical parameter space where our approach is useful. Based on these findings, we conclude that it is theoretically possible to explicitly steer particles via chemical gradients in a microfluidics paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark N. McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Cameron K. Peterson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Douglas R. Tree
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
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Gao Y, Lakerveld R. Feedback control for defect-free alignment of colloidal particles. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:2099-2110. [PMID: 29900458 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00369f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Precise alignment of small-scale building blocks into specific structural features is important for the manufacture of novel materials. Directed self-assembly is a promising route to align such small-scale building blocks with single-particle resolution. However, reliable alignment via directed self-assembly is challenging due to design uncertainty, randomness and potential disturbances acting on the system. This paper presents an integrated feedback control strategy to align colloidal particles reliably using directed self-assembly with electric field properties as manipulated variables in a microfluidic device. First, the particle density is controlled to make assembly of a defect-free structure attainable. Subsequently, a novel control method for particle alignment is implemented to self-assemble lines with single-particle resolution. The system's ergodicity is restricted systematically to assure that the density-control step at the higher hierarchy restricts the alignment-control step at the lower hierarchy. The method exploits several electrokinetic phenomena and all steps are fully automated. The approach is generic and can in principle be extended to include more density control steps to self-assemble more complicated structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Gao
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong S.A.R.
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