In this paper photo-electrochemical etching of silicon in HF-based solutions is employed as a versatile technique for fabrication of original silicon microstructures, alternative to commonly used methods. Photo-electrochemical etching, a well known technique for regular macropore formation, has been exploited to produce a multitude of different regular silicon microstructures (microtubes, micro...

Many temperate European tree species have their southernmost distribution limits in the Mediterranean Basin. The projected climatic conditions, particularly an increase in dryness, might induce an altitudinal and latitudinal retreat at their southernmost distribution limit. Therefore, characterizing the morphological and physiological variability of temperate tree species under dry conditions i...

Electro hydraulic drives are often used where the dynamic response requirements of the driven load in terms of speed, cycling, accuracy and stability are particularly severe. One such application is the control and drive system associated with a high frequency hydraulic vibrator. A hydraulic shaker controls a valve which directs high pressure hydraulic fluid to generate controlled vibration. Hy...

Analysis of minute sample volumes is a major analytical challenge that requires an understanding of fluid flow in microstructures. Accordingly, flow dynamics of biological fluids and cell suspensions in straight glass-capped silicon microchannels (40 to 150 microns wide, 20 and 40 microns deep) were studied. We demonstrated that these microstructures are appropriate components for microfluidic ...

Multiscale computational methods bridging models at micro-scale with macro-properties is a problem of practical significance. Probability distribution functions (PDFs) providing a complete representation of microstructural variability in 3D polycrystalline materials using limited information is difficult to obtain since this inverse problem is highly ill-posed. We use the maximum entropy (MaxEn...

Hot embossed microstructures fabricated by laboratory and commercial environments have been studied. The laboratory process uses silicon with micropyramid patterns as the mold insert. Fine replication by using Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) has been achieved. The commercial process uses electroplated nickel as the mold insert. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), which has a lower glass transition point t...

Since the finite element approximations of microstructures are strongly mesh dependent, the use of the mesh transformation method based on the energy minimizing principle is considered a natural approach in the finite element computation of microstructures. However, without a control on the mesh quality, the mesh can become increasingly irregular in the process of energy minimization and thus j...

The fabrication of multi-level SU-8 microstructures using multiple coating and exposure steps and a single developing step has been achieved for up to six layers of SU-8. Alternating layers of SU-8 2010 (thin) and SU-8 2100 (thick) photoresist films were spin coated, followed by soft-bake, ultraviolet (UV) exposure and post-exposure bake steps. The multiple SU-8 layers were simultaneously devel...

The ability to manipulate the movement of surface microstructures is essential for the development of dynamic, responsive materials. We demonstrate that in addition to bulk actuation upon drying, a unique type of highly localized, directional actuation can be achieved when microstructures embedded in pH responsive gel are exposed to pH gradients. Theory and modelling elucidates the underlying m...

In this report, a technique for rapid synthesis of ZnO microstructures by microwave-assisted heating of precursors at hydrothermal conditions is demonstrated. Further, the reaction mechanism for the growth of ZnO microstructures is analyzed. An accelerated rate of reaction obtained using microwaves enables a dissolution-recrystallization mechanism for generation of one dimensional (1D) rod-like...