Effect of aluminum alloying on the structure and properties of rapidly quenched TiNiCu alloy

The efficiency of shape memory alloys for the MEMS technology has been recently demonstrated. Quasibinary intermetallic TiNi-TiCu alloys produced by rapid quenching from liquid phase in the form of thin (about 40 um) ribbons are an attractive material for the fabrication of micro-actuators due to their narrow temperature hysteresis of the shape memory effect (SME) and relatively large recoverable strain. In order to broaden the functionality of SME microdevices, in this work we have alloyed TiNiCu containing 25 at.% copper with aluminum. The results have shown that alloying with 0.6 at.% Al increases the cast characteristics of the composition and favors its amorphization. Upon crystallization by isothermal annealing or electropulse treatment the resultant microstructure and SME properties of the Al containing alloy change but slightly in comparison with the original alloy however there is a significant shift (by more than 15°C) of the SME temperature range toward lower temperatures.

4D Thermomechanical metamaterials for soft microrobotics

Metamaterials have attracted wide scientific interest to break fundamental bounds on materials properties. Recently, the field has been extending to coupled physical phenomena where one physics acts as the driving force for another. Stimuli-responsive or 4D metamaterials have been demonstrated for thermo-elasticity, magneto-optics or piezo-electricity. Herein, a soft, ultra-compact and accurate microrobot is described which can achieve controlled motion under thermal stimuli. The system consists of an organized assembly of two functional structures: a rotational and a translational element. Both elements are designed basing upon the principle of the thermoelastic bilayer plate that bends as temperature changes. Samples are fabricated using gray-tone lithography from a single polymer but with two different laser writing powers, making each part different in its thermal and mechanical behaviors. Excellent motion-controllable, reversible and stable features in a dry environment are verified by simulations and experiments, revealing broad application prospects for the designed soft micro actuators.

Study on Fixed-Point Growth of Thermal Bubble with Micro-Planar Induction Heater

Background: The thermal bubble-driven micro actuators have advantages of simple structure and low working voltage, which have broad prospects in the field of micro-fluidic systems. Methods: This paper presents a new type of micro-planar induction heater which can realize the fixed-point growth of thermal bubbles by adding some active cavities. The micro-planar induction heater is composed of a metal heating plate, a glass substrate and a planar coil. Results: In the experiments, an alternating current of 80kHz was applied to the micro-planar induction heater, both the heating time and the interruption time were 1 s controlled by PLC. A CCD camera was used to record the generation process of thermal bubbles, including nucleation, growth and shrinkage. The experimental results show that thermal bubbles can grow and contract periodically at the position of the cavities when the cavities diameter is 50μm and 90μm, respectively. The ideal thickness of the heating plate is between 6μm and 13μm. Conclusion:: The fixed-point growth of the thermal bubble with a micro-planar induction heater has been studied. This kind fixed-point growth of thermal bubbles can be used in micro actuators such as micro ejectors, micro mixers and micro pumps.

Thermopneumatic Soft Micro Bellows Actuator for Standalone Operation

Typical pneumatic soft micro actuators can be manufactured without using heavy driving components such as pumps and power supplies by adopting an independent battery-powered mechanism. In this study, a thermopneumatically operated soft micro bellows actuator was manufactured, and the standalone operation of the actuator was experimentally validated. Thermopneumatic actuation is based on heating a sealed cavity inside the elastomer of the actuator to raise the pressure, leading to deflection of the elastomer. The bellows actuator was fabricated by casting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using the 3D-printed soluble mold technique to prevent leakage, which is inherent in conventional soft lithography due to the bonding of individual layers. The heater, manufactured separately using winding copper wire, was inserted into the cavity of the bellows actuator, which together formed the thermopneumatic actuator. The 3D coil heater and bellows allowed immediate heat transfer and free movement in the intended direction, which is unachievable for conventional microfabrication. The fabricated actuator produced a stroke of 2184 μm, equivalent to 62% of the body, and exerted a force of 90.2 mN at a voltage of 0.55 V. A system in which the thermopneumatic actuator was driven by alkaline batteries and a control circuit also demonstrated a repetitive standalone operation.

Development of Control Circuit for Inductive Levitation Micro-Actuators

A control circuit for inductive levitation micro-actuators was developed in this research, the circuit’s performance and its electrical parameters are discussed. The developed control circuit was fabricated on a four-layer printed circuit board (PCB) board with a size of 60 × 60 × 25 mm. It consisted of a generator based on high-speed Flip-Flop components and a current amplifier build on a H-bridge configuration. The circuit was able to generate an AC current with a squared waveform in a frequency range from 8 to 43 MHz and with a peak-to-peak amplitude of up to 420 mA. To demonstrate the efficiency of developed circuit and its compatibility with a micro-actuation system, an inductive levitation micro-actuator was fabricated by using 3D micro-coil technology. The device was composed of two solenoidal coil designs, a levitation and a stabilization coil, with outer diameters of 2 and 3.8 mm, respectively. A 25 μm diameter gold wire was used to fabricate the coils, with the levitation coil having 20 turns and the stabilization coil having 12 turns, similar to the micro-structure presented previously by our group. Using the developed control circuit, the micro-actuator was successfully excited and it demonstrated the actuation of aluminum disc-shaped micro-objects with diameters of 2.8 and 3.2 mm and, for the first time, an aluminum square-shaped object with a side length of 2.8 mm at a frequency of 10 MHz. To characterize the actuation, the levitation height and the current amplitude were measured. In particular, we demonstrated that the square-shaped micro-object could be lifted up to a height of 84 μm with a current of 160 mA. The characterization was supported by a simulation using a 3D model based on the quasi-finite element model (FEM) approach.