Related papers: An experimental design for the control and assembl…
External magnetic fields are known to attract and orient magnetically responsive colloidal particles. In the case of 2D microplatelets, rotating magnetic fields are typically used to orient them parallel to each other in a brick-and-mortar…
Spin-related effects in thermoelectricity can be used to design more efficient refrigerators and offer novel promising applications for the harvesting of thermal energy. The key challenge is to design structural and compositional magnetic…
Here we demonstrate a synthetic micro-engine, based on long-range controlled movement of colloidal particles, which is induced by a local catalytic reaction. The directed motion at long timescales was achieved by placing specially designed…
Machines enabled the Industrial Revolution and are central to modern technological progress: A machine's parts transmit forces, motion, and energy to one another in a predetermined manner. Today's engineering frontier, building artificial…
Magnetically assembled superparamagnetic colloids have been exploited as fluid mixers, swimmers and delivery systems in several microscale applications. The encapsulation of such colloids in droplets may open new opportunities to build…
Simple local interactions can cause primitive building blocks to self-assemble into complex and functional patterns. However, even for a small number of blocks, there exist a vast number of possible configurations that are plausible,…
We present the technical details of an experimental method to realize a model system for 2D phase transitions and the glass transition. The system consists of several hundred thousand colloidal super-paramagnetic particles confined by…
Externally controlled motion of micro and nanomotors in a fluid environment constitutes a promising tool in biosensing, targeted delivery and environmental remediation. In particular, recent experiments have demonstrated that fuel-free…
In this work we show that macroscopic experiments can be used to investigate microscopic systems. Such macroscopic experiments enable testing the assumptions and results obtained by theoretical considerations or simulations that can not be…
Magnetic remote actuation of soft materials is attractive for applications such as transforming materials and medical robots. However, due to manufacturing limitations, microscale magnetoactive devices are scarce -- light-based additive…
Manipulation of small-scale matter is a fundamental topic in micro- and nanorobotics. Numerous magnetic robotic systems have been developed for the manipulation of microparticles in an ambient environment, liquid as well as on the…
We demonstrate a fully automated open-source magnetometer designed primarily for characterization of magnetic fields produced by coils, permanent magnets or by parasitic sources. It is based on an Arduino Mega microcontroller and a…
With an eye towards next-generation, smart, micro/nanofluidic devices, capable of responding to external stimuli or changes in environment, we demonstrate a means to achieve dynamic control of the spatio-temporal properties of the electric…
Actuation and control of motion in micro-mechanical systems are technological challenges, since they are accompanied by mechanical friction and wear, principal and well known sources of device lifetime reduction. In this theoretical work we…
The coexistence and competition of superconductivity and magnetism can lead to a variety of rich physics and technological applications. Recent discovery of atomic-layer superconductors and self-assembly of magnetic molecules on solid…
True microrobots, in contrast with externally controlled microparticles, must harvest or carry their own source of energy, as well as their own (preferably programmable) microcontroller of actuators for locomotion, using information…
Modular microrobotics can potentially address many information-intensive microtasks in medicine, manufacturing and the environment. However, surface area has limited the natural powering, communication, functional integration, and…
Superparamagnetic colloids present interesting assembly dynamics and propulsion in time-varying magnetic fields due to their magnetic relaxation. However, little is known about the mechanisms governing this magnetic relaxation, which is…
Three-dimensional self-assembly of lithographically patterned ultrathin films opens a path to manufacture microelectronic architectures with functionalities and integration schemes not accessible by conventional two-dimensional…
Tailoring spin coupling to electric fields is central to spintronics and spin-based quantum information processing. We present an optimal micromagnet design that produces appropriate stray magnetic fields to mediate fast electrical spin…