This paper presents a simple technique to fabricate new electrofluidic devices for the three-dimensional(3D)manipulation of microorganisms by hybrid subtractive and additive femtosecond(fs)laser microfabrication(fs la...This paper presents a simple technique to fabricate new electrofluidic devices for the three-dimensional(3D)manipulation of microorganisms by hybrid subtractive and additive femtosecond(fs)laser microfabrication(fs laser-assisted wet etching of glass followed by water-assisted fs laser modification combined with electroless metal plating).The technique enables the formation of patterned metal electrodes in arbitrary regions in closed glass microfluidic channels,which can spatially and temporally control the direction of electric fields in 3D microfluidic environments.The fabricated electrofluidic devices were applied to nanoaquariums to demonstrate the 3D electro-orientation of Euglena gracilis(an elongated unicellular microorganism)in microfluidics with high controllability and reliability.In particular,swimming Euglena cells can be oriented along the z-direction(perpendicular to the device surface)using electrodes with square outlines formed at the top and bottom of the channel,which is quite useful for observing the motions of cells parallel to their swimming directions.Specifically,z-directional electric field control ensured efficient observation of manipulated cells on the front side(45 cells were captured in a minute in an imaging area of~160×120μm),resulting in a reduction of the average time required to capture the images of five Euglena cells swimming continuously along the z-direction by a factor of~43 compared with the case of no electric field.In addition,the combination of the electrofluidic devices and dynamic imaging enabled observation of the flagella of Euglena cells,revealing that the swimming direction of each Euglena cell under the electric field application was determined by the initial body angle.展开更多
Like the vital role that multifunctional biological fluids play in living organisms,leveraging fluid multifunctionality offers a promising approach to enhance system capabilities without overcomplicating the hardware....Like the vital role that multifunctional biological fluids play in living organisms,leveraging fluid multifunctionality offers a promising approach to enhance system capabilities without overcomplicating the hardware.However,creating a multifunctional fluid for soft fluidic systems remains a persistent challenge.Here,we report a multifunctional electrofluid that integrates actuation,sensing,self-healing,damage detection,and triboelectricity powering for the various function requirements of soft fluidic systems.We demonstrate that actuation,sensing,and damage detection can be achieved by activating electrons in the working fluid,and the system enables underwater self-healing through the incorporation of water-reactive self-healing agents into the working fluid.In addition,we achieve the fluid flow by transporting the electrons gathered by the triboelectric nanogenerator into the fluid,thereby making the system become a triboelectricity-powered machine.The fluid module developed based on electrofluids is self-contained and plug-and-play,providing good convenience for rapid construction of soft fluidic systems.We validate the effectiveness of the electronic fluids through soft robotic fish,soft octobot,and wearable devices,demonstrating that the proposed fluid enables multiple functions of the system without added weight or volume.As such,the proposed electrofluid provides a promising platform to achieve high integration and lightweight of multifunctional soft fluidic actuation by expanding the functionalities of the fluid itself.展开更多
文摘This paper presents a simple technique to fabricate new electrofluidic devices for the three-dimensional(3D)manipulation of microorganisms by hybrid subtractive and additive femtosecond(fs)laser microfabrication(fs laser-assisted wet etching of glass followed by water-assisted fs laser modification combined with electroless metal plating).The technique enables the formation of patterned metal electrodes in arbitrary regions in closed glass microfluidic channels,which can spatially and temporally control the direction of electric fields in 3D microfluidic environments.The fabricated electrofluidic devices were applied to nanoaquariums to demonstrate the 3D electro-orientation of Euglena gracilis(an elongated unicellular microorganism)in microfluidics with high controllability and reliability.In particular,swimming Euglena cells can be oriented along the z-direction(perpendicular to the device surface)using electrodes with square outlines formed at the top and bottom of the channel,which is quite useful for observing the motions of cells parallel to their swimming directions.Specifically,z-directional electric field control ensured efficient observation of manipulated cells on the front side(45 cells were captured in a minute in an imaging area of~160×120μm),resulting in a reduction of the average time required to capture the images of five Euglena cells swimming continuously along the z-direction by a factor of~43 compared with the case of no electric field.In addition,the combination of the electrofluidic devices and dynamic imaging enabled observation of the flagella of Euglena cells,revealing that the swimming direction of each Euglena cell under the electric field application was determined by the initial body angle.
基金supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant no.LZYQ25E050001(W.T.)the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant no.52305074(W.T.)+1 种基金International Cooperation Program of the Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant no.52261135542(J.Z.)the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant no.524B2051(X.G.).
文摘Like the vital role that multifunctional biological fluids play in living organisms,leveraging fluid multifunctionality offers a promising approach to enhance system capabilities without overcomplicating the hardware.However,creating a multifunctional fluid for soft fluidic systems remains a persistent challenge.Here,we report a multifunctional electrofluid that integrates actuation,sensing,self-healing,damage detection,and triboelectricity powering for the various function requirements of soft fluidic systems.We demonstrate that actuation,sensing,and damage detection can be achieved by activating electrons in the working fluid,and the system enables underwater self-healing through the incorporation of water-reactive self-healing agents into the working fluid.In addition,we achieve the fluid flow by transporting the electrons gathered by the triboelectric nanogenerator into the fluid,thereby making the system become a triboelectricity-powered machine.The fluid module developed based on electrofluids is self-contained and plug-and-play,providing good convenience for rapid construction of soft fluidic systems.We validate the effectiveness of the electronic fluids through soft robotic fish,soft octobot,and wearable devices,demonstrating that the proposed fluid enables multiple functions of the system without added weight or volume.As such,the proposed electrofluid provides a promising platform to achieve high integration and lightweight of multifunctional soft fluidic actuation by expanding the functionalities of the fluid itself.
