Building by Self-Assembly

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2016) | Viewed by 42201

Special Issue Editor

Department of Physical Intelligence, Max Planck Institute Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Interests: self-assembly; micromanipulation; capillarity; interfaces; granular matter; nanoparticles; swarm robotics; distributed systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Self-assembly is affirming a key engineering strategy for the construction of physical systems spanning a broad range of feature sizes (from nanometers to centimeters), structural materials (from nanoparticles to mechatronic components), tools (from supramolecular chemistry to rule-based aggregation), and applications (from single-molecule sensing to reconfigurable swarms of robots). Inspired by the physics of, e.g., crystal growth, protein folding, and activator/inhibitor processes, self-assembly’s technological ubiquity stems from its ultimately algorithmic nature, which makes it effective in arbitrary settings under specific and scale-dependent conditions. Self-assembly is being used for system integration and packaging, deployment and actuation of devices, unsupervised building and shaping of structures, and synthesis of artificial materials. Yet the scope and reach of this technology are ever widening. In view of the latest achievements and foreseeable breakthroughs, the time is ripe for a new Special Issue in Micromachines dedicated to self-assembly. Therefore, we invite contributions from all areas of self-assembly, covering the whole spectrum of sizes, materials, tools, and applications. In particular, we welcome contributions on:

  • 2D and 3D micro- and nanosystems: stochastic, directed or programmable self-assembly, self-folding and self-wrapping, DNA- and nanoparticle-based systems
  • Artificial materials: colloidal crystals and clusters, self-assembled monolayers, metamaterials
  • M/NEMS integration and packaging
  • Distributed collective systems of miniature robots and agents

We also welcome contributions on general aspects of self-assembly processes, including materials and interfaces, scaling, interaction among units, and assistance by external fields (surface tension, electromagnetic, flow, gradients in concentrations, pressure, temperature, etc.). The call is also for papers concerning the theory of self-assembly, including modeling, algorithms, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and catalysis, and pattern formation. Acceptable contributions are papers dealing with the latest work in the field, and reviews on all aspects of self-assembly from the different disciplines. In accordance with the general policy of the journal, we also invite research proposals that introduce ideas for new applications, new types of units, and new types of technologies.

Dr. Massimo Mastrangeli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • self-assembly
  • MEMS
  • NEMS
  • packaging
  • swarm robotics
  • nanoparticles
  • scaling
  • materials
  • algorithms
  • force fields

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

10402 KiB  
Article
Fluid-Mediated Stochastic Self-Assembly at Centimetric and Sub-Millimetric Scales: Design, Modeling, and Control
by Bahar Haghighat, Massimo Mastrangeli, Grégory Mermoud, Felix Schill and Alcherio Martinoli
Micromachines 2016, 7(8), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi7080138 - 06 Aug 2016
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5818
Abstract
Stochastic self-assembly provides promising means for building micro-/nano-structures with a variety of properties and functionalities. Numerous studies have been conducted on the control and modeling of the process in engineered self-assembling systems constituted of modules with varied capabilities ranging from completely reactive nano-/micro-particles [...] Read more.
Stochastic self-assembly provides promising means for building micro-/nano-structures with a variety of properties and functionalities. Numerous studies have been conducted on the control and modeling of the process in engineered self-assembling systems constituted of modules with varied capabilities ranging from completely reactive nano-/micro-particles to intelligent miniaturized robots. Depending on the capabilities of the constituting modules, different approaches have been utilized for controlling and modeling these systems. In the quest of a unifying control and modeling framework and within the broader perspective of investigating how stochastic control strategies can be adapted from the centimeter-scale down to the (sub-)millimeter-scale, as well as from mechatronic to MEMS-based technology, this work presents the outcomes of our research on self-assembly during the past few years. As the first step, we leverage an experimental platform to study self-assembly of water-floating passive modules at the centimeter scale. A dedicated computational framework is developed for real-time tracking, modeling and control of the formation of specific structures. Using a similar approach, we then demonstrate controlled self-assembly of microparticles into clusters of a preset dimension in a microfluidic chamber, where the control loop is closed again through real-time tracking customized for a much faster system dynamics. Finally, with the aim of distributing the intelligence and realizing programmable self-assembly, we present a novel experimental system for fluid-mediated programmable stochastic self-assembly of active modules at the centimeter scale. The system is built around the water-floating 3-cm-sized Lily robots specifically designed to be operative in large swarms and allows for exploring the whole range of fully-centralized to fully-distributed control strategies. The outcomes of our research efforts extend the state-of-the-art methodologies for designing, modeling and controlling massively-distributed, stochastic self-assembling systems at different length scales, constituted of modules from centimetric down to sub-millimetric size. As a result, our work provides a solid milestone in structure formation through controlled self-assembly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building by Self-Assembly)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14610 KiB  
Article
Assembly of a 3D Cellular Computer Using Folded E-Blocks
by Shivendra Pandey, Nicholas J. Macias, Carmen Ciobanu, ChangKyu Yoon, Christof Teuscher and David H. Gracias
Micromachines 2016, 7(5), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi7050078 - 28 Apr 2016
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5345
Abstract
The assembly of integrated circuits in three dimensions (3D) provides a possible solution to address the ever-increasing demands of modern day electronic devices. It has been suggested that by using the third dimension, devices with high density, defect tolerance, short interconnects and small [...] Read more.
The assembly of integrated circuits in three dimensions (3D) provides a possible solution to address the ever-increasing demands of modern day electronic devices. It has been suggested that by using the third dimension, devices with high density, defect tolerance, short interconnects and small overall form factors could be created. However, apart from pseudo 3D architecture, such as monolithic integration, die, or wafer stacking, the creation of paradigms to integrate electronic low-complexity cellular building blocks in architecture that has tile space in all three dimensions has remained elusive. Here, we present software and hardware foundations for a truly 3D cellular computational devices that could be realized in practice. The computing architecture relies on the scalable, self-configurable and defect-tolerant cell matrix. The hardware is based on a scalable and manufacturable approach for 3D assembly using folded polyhedral electronic blocks (E-blocks). We created monomers, dimers and 2 × 2 × 2 assemblies of polyhedral E-blocks and verified the computational capabilities by implementing simple logic functions. We further show that 63.2% more compact 3D circuits can be obtained with our design automation tools compared to a 2D architecture. Our results provide a proof-of-concept for a scalable and manufacture-ready process for constructing massive-scale 3D computational devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building by Self-Assembly)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

3363 KiB  
Article
Shape-Selective Assembly of Anisotropic, Deformable Microcomponents Using Bottom-Up Micromanufacturing
by Gunjan Agarwal and Carol Livermore
Micromachines 2016, 7(4), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi7040068 - 14 Apr 2016
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6757
Abstract
A technique for shape-selective directed assembly of anisotropic, deformable, chemically-identical microcomponents onto patterned rigid templates based on shape and size differences is modeled and demonstrated. The assembly method not only controls the selective placement of the components, but also aligns the components with [...] Read more.
A technique for shape-selective directed assembly of anisotropic, deformable, chemically-identical microcomponents onto patterned rigid templates based on shape and size differences is modeled and demonstrated. The assembly method not only controls the selective placement of the components, but also aligns the components with the assembly sites. Unlike the assembly of isotropic (spherical) microcomponents, in which only size differences can be used to discriminate among chemically-identical components to achieve selective placement, differences in both shape and size can enable selectivity in the assembly of anisotropic (non-spherical) microcomponents. The present selective directed assembly is driven by shape-matching to a microfabricated template to provide selectivity, uniform chemical surface functionalization to promote assembly, and megasonic excitation to prevent assembly into poorly shape-matched binding sites. A theoretical framework quantifies the predicted selectivity of this approach and predicts that it will be effective for many material combinations, including hydrogels and bio-compatible polymers. Experiments demonstrate successful directed assembly of cylindrical, hydrogel colloidal microcomponents with 26 μm mean diameter and 50 μm length into silicon templates patterned with hemicylindrical assembly sites. During the assembly, tapered microcomponents with 150 μm length and a nominal diameter of 26 μm that decreases along the components’ lengths were successfully excluded from hemicylindrical assembly sites. These results provide the first demonstration of selective directed assembly of non-spherical microcomponents by this approach. The assembly shows high local yields in agreement with theory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building by Self-Assembly)
Show Figures

Figure 1

3064 KiB  
Communication
Capillary Self-Alignment of Microchips on Soft Substrates
by Bo Chang, Quan Zhou, Zhigang Wu, Zhenhua Liu, Robin H. A. Ras and Klas Hjort
Micromachines 2016, 7(3), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi7030041 - 04 Mar 2016
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 8734
Abstract
Soft micro devices and stretchable electronics have attracted great interest for their potential applications in sensory skins and wearable bio-integrated devices. One of the most important steps in building printed circuits is the alignment of assembled micro objects. Previously, the capillary self-alignment of [...] Read more.
Soft micro devices and stretchable electronics have attracted great interest for their potential applications in sensory skins and wearable bio-integrated devices. One of the most important steps in building printed circuits is the alignment of assembled micro objects. Previously, the capillary self-alignment of microchips driven by surface tension effects has been shown to be able to achieve high-throughput and high-precision in the integration of micro parts on rigid hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned surfaces. In this paper, the self-alignment of microchips on a patterned soft and stretchable substrate, which consists of hydrophilic pads surrounded by a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) background, is demonstrated for the first time. A simple process has been developed for making superhydrophobic soft surface by replicating nanostructures of black silicon onto a PDMS surface. Different kinds of PDMS have been investigated, and the parameters for fabricating superhydrophobic PDMS have been optimized. A self-alignment strategy has been proposed that can result in reliable self-alignment on a soft PDMS substrate. Our results show that capillary self-alignment has great potential for building soft printed circuits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building by Self-Assembly)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

5101 KiB  
Review
Free-Standing Self-Assemblies of Gallium Nitride Nanoparticles: A Review
by Yucheng Lan, Jianye Li, Winnie Wong-Ng, Rola M. Derbeshi, Jiang Li and Abdellah Lisfi
Micromachines 2016, 7(9), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi7090121 - 23 Aug 2016
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5872
Abstract
Gallium nitride (GaN) is an III-V semiconductor with a direct band-gap of 3 . 4 e V . GaN has important potentials in white light-emitting diodes, blue lasers, and field effect transistors because of its super thermal stability and excellent optical properties, playing [...] Read more.
Gallium nitride (GaN) is an III-V semiconductor with a direct band-gap of 3 . 4 e V . GaN has important potentials in white light-emitting diodes, blue lasers, and field effect transistors because of its super thermal stability and excellent optical properties, playing main roles in future lighting to reduce energy cost and sensors to resist radiations. GaN nanomaterials inherit bulk properties of the compound while possess novel photoelectric properties of nanomaterials. The review focuses on self-assemblies of GaN nanoparticles without templates, growth mechanisms of self-assemblies, and potential applications of the assembled nanostructures on renewable energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building by Self-Assembly)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

3422 KiB  
Review
Surface Tension Directed Fluidic Self-Assembly of Semiconductor Chips across Length Scales and Material Boundaries
by Shantonu Biswas, Mahsa Mozafari, Thomas Stauden and Heiko O. Jacobs
Micromachines 2016, 7(4), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi7040054 - 28 Mar 2016
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 9005
Abstract
This publication provides an overview and discusses some challenges of surface tension directed fluidic self-assembly of semiconductor chips which are transported in a liquid medium. The discussion is limited to surface tension directed self-assembly where the capture, alignment, and electrical connection process is [...] Read more.
This publication provides an overview and discusses some challenges of surface tension directed fluidic self-assembly of semiconductor chips which are transported in a liquid medium. The discussion is limited to surface tension directed self-assembly where the capture, alignment, and electrical connection process is driven by the surface free energy of molten solder bumps where the authors have made a contribution. The general context is to develop a massively parallel and scalable assembly process to overcome some of the limitations of current robotic pick and place and serial wire bonding concepts. The following parts will be discussed: (2) Single-step assembly of LED arrays containing a repetition of a single component type; (3) Multi-step assembly of more than one component type adding a sequence and geometrical shape confinement to the basic concept to build more complex structures; demonstrators contain (3.1) self-packaging surface mount devices, and (3.2) multi-chip assemblies with unique angular orientation. Subsequently, measures are discussed (4) to enable the assembly of microscopic chips (10 μm–1 mm); a different transport method is introduced; demonstrators include the assembly of photovoltaic modules containing microscopic silicon tiles. Finally, (5) the extension to enable large area assembly is presented; a first reel-to-reel assembly machine is realized; the machine is applied to the field of solid state lighting and the emerging field of stretchable electronics which requires the assembly and electrical connection of semiconductor devices over exceedingly large area substrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building by Self-Assembly)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop