The paper reports an experimental study of the adhesive contact between liquid-bridged hydrogel microparticles. A novel nanomechanical tester has been developed to measure both force-approach curves at sub-micro resolutions as well side-view images two agarose spheres during pull-off. Meanwhile, JKR theory extended quantify work adhesion solid-liquid-vapor interface and Young’s modulus particle...

Capillary force actuators provide forces via the alteration of the capillary pressure within a conducting liquid bridge through the application of electrical potential. A dynamic model of a capillary force actuator is developed. Separate models of the fluid/flexured platen and electrodynamics are constructed and linked together via the Young–Lippmann relation. Since the bridge height is small i...

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide(1). Cardiac tissue engineering holds much promise to deliver groundbreaking medical discoveries with the aims of developing functional tissues for cardiac regeneration as well as in vitro screening assays. However, the ability to create high-fidelity models of heart tissue has proven difficult. The heart's extracellular matrix ...

A range of complex percutaneous procedures, such as biopsy or regional anesthesia, rely heavily on accurate needle insertion. Small variations in the mechanical properties of the pierced tissue can however cause deviations from the projected needle path and can thus result in inaccurate placement of the needle. Navigation of a rigid needle towards the target tissue is traditionally based on the...

We present measurements of equilibrium forces resulting from capillary condensation. The results give access to the ultralow interfacial tensions between the capillary bridge and the coexisting bulk phase. We demonstrate this with solutions of associative polymers and an aqueous mixture of gelatin and dextran, with interfacial tensions around 10 microN/m. The equilibrium nature of the capillary...

We present a concept of a wetting defect of continuously variable strength based on electrowetting, along with a capillary force sensor adapted for the characterization of macroscopically heterogeneous surfaces. Patterned electrodes submerged under an insulating layer are used to generate potential wells for drops of electrically conductive liquids on the solid surface, with a well depth that s...

-We propose a novel microfluidic system for continues particles separation by using capillary force and evaporating force. Typically, the microfluidic system needs external force or extra pumps to drive fluids, which were caused system complexity. It is a kind of the simple method to utilize evaporation force and capillary force on driving liquid. The particles can be continuously separated acc...