Related papers: Sub-microscopic modulation of mechanical propertie…
Electrospinning in controlled nitrogen atmosphere is developed for the realization of active polymer nanofibers. Fibers electrospun under controlled atmospheric conditions are found to be smoother and more uniform than samples realized by…
The extraordinary aerial agility of hummingbirds and insects continues to inspire the design of flapping-wing drones. To replicate and analyze such flight, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations that couple flow solvers with rigid…
We study the aerodynamics of a flapping flexible wing with a two-vein pattern that mimics the elastic response of insect wings in a simplified manner. The experiments reveal a non-monotonic variation of the thrust force produced by the…
We have measured the mechanical properties of few-layer graphene and graphite flakes that are suspended over circular holes. The spatial profile of the flake's spring constant is measured with an atomic force microscope. The bending…
Nanofluidics is pivotal in fundamental research and diverse applications, from water desalination to energy harvesting and biological analysis. Dynamically manipulating nanofluidic properties, such as diffusion and friction, presents an…
Conventional dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be extended to bimodal and multimodal AFM in which the cantilever is simultaneously excited at two ore more resonance frequencies. Such excitation schemes result in one additional…
With the recent important development of microfluidic systems, miniaturization of flow devices has become a real challenge. Microchannels, however, are characterized by a large surface to volume ratio, so that surface properties strongly…
It has been shown that electron transitions, as measured in a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), are related to chemical interactions in a tunnelling barrier. Here, we show that the shape and apparent height of subatomic features in an…
We perform unsteady three-dimensional direct numerical simulations to study the aerodynamic characteristics of finite-aspect-ratio swept wings with a NACA 0015 cross-section at a chord-based Reynolds number of 400. The effects of the sweep…
Graphene nanowiggles (GNW) are graphene-based nanostructures obtained by making alternated regular cuts in pristine graphene nanoribbons. GNW were recently synthesized and it was demonstrated that they exhibit tunable electronic and…
The torsional vibration of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers is critical for high-sensitivity measurements, yet existing models for width-varying cantilevers often rely on approximations that lead to significant discrepancies with…
Worm-like filaments that are propelled homogeneously along their tangent vector are studied by Brownian dynamics simulations. Systems in two dimensions are investigated, corresponding to filaments adsorbed to interfaces or surfaces. A large…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a well-known tool for studying surface roughness and to collect depth information about features on the top atomic layer of samples. By combining secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) with focused ion beam…
Bristled and membranous insect wings have co-evolved despite apparently serving the same functionality. We emulate flight physics using an automated free-fall experiment to better understand how and why several distinct wing forms may have…
As mechanical devices in the nano/micro length scale are increasingly employed, it is crucial to understand nanoscale friction and wear especially at technically relevant sliding velocities. Accordingly, a novel technique has been developed…
Textured hydrophobic surfaces that repel liquid droplets unidirectionally are found in nature such as butterfly wings and ryegrass leaves and are also essential in technological processes such as self-cleaning and anti-icing. However,…
The effects produced by the condensation of water vapours from the ambient in the various intricate nanoarchitectures occurring in the wing scales of several Lepidoptera species were investigated by controlled cooling (from room temperature…
Aeroelastic structures, from insect wings to wind turbine blades, experience transient unsteady aerodynamic loads that are coupled to their motion. Effective real-time control of flexible structures relies on accurate and efficient…
One of the central appealing properties of magnetic gels and elastomers is that their elastic moduli can reversibly be adjusted from outside by applying magnetic fields. The impact of the internal magnetic particle distribution on this…
Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) computes the forces exerted at the surface of an elastic material by measuring induced deformations in volume. It is used to determine the pattern of the adhesion forces exerted by cells or by cellular…