In this study, a topotactic transformation route was proposed to synthesize single-crystalline β-NiS hollow spheres with uniform phase and morphology evolving from polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres. Uniform polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres were firstly prepared with thiourea and glutathione as sulfur sources under hydrothermal conditions through the Kirkendall effect. By increasing the r...

The authors developed a new technique to create micro-and nanometer scale structures on curved free-standing objects by combining embossing/imprinting lithography approaches with mechanical loadings on elastic films. Embossing/imprinting generates small structures and mechanical loading determines shape or geometry of the final object. As a result, a portion of the tubes with a radius between 0...

Optical tweezers are a well-established tool for manipulating small objects. However, their integration with microfluidic devices often requires an objective lens. More importantly, trapping of non-transparent or optically sensitive targets is particularly challenging for optical tweezers. Here, for the first time, we present a photon-free trapping technique based on electro-thermally induced f...

The effect of hydrostatic pressure on solid and hollow microsphere optical resonators was investigated. The primary goal was to explore the feasibility of a micro-optical pressure sensor based on whispering gallery modes (WGMs) and to quantify the deleterious effect of environmental pressure changes on other WGM-based sensors. Expressions were developed for WGM shifts due to changes in hydrosta...

We successfully synthesized two different structures, silica nanospheres and porous polymer membranes, via nanophase separation, based on a sol-gel process. Silica sol, which was in situ polymerized from tetraorthosilicate, was used as a precursor. Subsequently, it was mixed with a polymer that was used as a matrix component. It was observed that nanophase separation occurred after the mixing o...

We propose an experiment using optically trapped and cooled dielectric micro-spheres for the detection of short-range forces. The center-of-mass motion of a microsphere trapped in vacuum can experience extremely low dissipation and quality factors of 10(12), leading to yoctonewton force sensitivity. Trapping the sphere in an optical field enables positioning at less than 1 μm from a surface, a ...

Resuspension of uniform latex micro spheres deposited on a single seed pod of field rye grass stalk and head was investigated experimentally in a wind tunnel. The experiment was designed to distinguish aerodynamic (viscous and turbulent) mechanisms from mechanical resuspension resulting from the oscillatory impact of the grass hitting a stationary object. The experiment was run for deposited sp...

This paper presents local solidification of metal powder, irradiated by localized microwaves, as potential means for stepwise additive formation of 3D structures. Experimental results of metal powder solidified locally by microwaves are presented in forms of spheres and rods in a 1-10 mm range. The feasibility of extending solid structures by adding powder batches and solidifying them locally, ...

The Parallel Robotics Inspired Goniometer (PRIGo) is a novel compact and high-precision goniometer providing an alternative to (mini-)kappa, traditional three-circle goniometers and Eulerian cradles used for sample reorientation in macromolecular crystallography. Based on a combination of serial and parallel kinematics, PRIGo emulates an arc. It is mounted on an air-bearing stage for rotation a...