Li F. – TechConnect Briefs

DNA detection using Laser Transmission Spectroscopy

Li F., Mahon A.R., Barnes M.A., Egan S., Feder J., Lodge D.M., Hwang C.-T., Schafer R., Ruggiero S.T., Tanner C.E., University of Notre Dame, US

Laser transmission spectroscopy (LTS) is a new quantitative and rapid technique for measuring the size, shape, and number of nanoparticles in suspension. We report on the application of LTS as a novel detection method for [...]

SUGARX: A Online Tool That Bridges the Gap Between Experiment and Simulation

Marepalli P., Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

We present a pioneering online tool called SugarX that, for the first time, bridges the gap between experiment and simulation. Our tool is available online at nanoHUB.org with remote experimental control and simulation. A web [...]

Calibrating the AFM with Self-Calibratable MEMS: A Theoretical Study

Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

To perform reliable scientific measurements with the atomic force microscope (AFM), it is important to calibrate the AFM cantilever. Conventional calibration methods have a 10 to 15% uncertainty, and the accuracies of such methods are [...]

Gravimeter on a Chip: A Theoretical Study

Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

We present a theoretical study of our proposed gravimeter on a chip. A gravimeter is a device used to measure gravity. In contrast to conventional gravimeters, our gravimeter is expected to be microscale, cheaper, more [...]

Improved Modeling of the Comb Drive Levitation Effect

Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

Lumped comb drive models found in the literature ignore the electrostatic levitation effect, which decreases their accuracy. The levitation effect occurs when the substrate is within close proximity to the comb drive. This common configuration [...]

An Online Electrostatics Modeling Tool for Microdevices with Dirichlet Boundary Conditions by Schwarz-Christoffel Mapping

Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

We present an online software tool that quickly and accurately models and simulates the electrostatic properties, such as capacitance, charge distribution, and electrostatic force, of microdevices in 2.5D domain with Dirichlet boundary conditions by using [...]

Towards Microrobots with Insect-Like Dexterity

Clark J.V., Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

In this paper we analyze a pioneering mechanism ‘solid state muscles’ that facilitates insect-like dexterity for autonomous and robust microscale robotics. The results of our efforts are expected to at lead to the following microrobot [...]

Using MEMS as Self-Calibrating Force-Displacement Transducers: A Computational Study

Clark J.V., Li F., Lee H., Kadasia K., Purdue University, US

Accurate and precise measurements of forces and displacements are critical to the improved understanding, discovery, and prediction of micro- and nanoscale phenomena. Since geometric and material properties of MEMS vary from run to run, it [...]

Polymer nanoparticles as nanoformulation agents

Pham H., Li F., Goh J.B., Dinglasan J., Anderson D., Vive Nano, Inc., CA

An approach to produce polymer nanoparticles with tailored characteristics to accommodate different nanoformulation applications is presented. Polymer nanoparticles are made from the collapse of polyelectrolytes in the presence of counterions and/or different solvents. The size, [...]

An Online Tool for Simulating Electro-Thermo-Mechanical Flexures Using Distributed and Lumped Analyses

Li F., Clark J.V., Purdue University, US

We present an online software tool that enables both novices and experts to quickly and fairly accurately model and simulate an electro-thermo-mechanical microdevice. We model and simulate a MEMS thermal actuator by coupling finite element [...]