A Technology to Transform 2D Planes Into 3D Soft and Flexible Structures by Engineering Adhesion Between Thin-Films
October 23, 2019 | DGISTEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
DGIST announced that Professor Sohee Kim’s research team in the Department of Robotics Engineering succeeded in developing a technology to produce flexible 3D medical devices. It is expected to be used in developing various devices with embedded electrical functionality or soft robots.
Professor Sohee Kim’s team developed a new technology for 3D device production that selectively bonds polymeric thin films using plasma. Since this technology can manufacture 3D flexible devices more easily than the existing methods, it is expected to have a positive impact on the future research.
The existing flexible 3D structures could not avoid manual handling such as directly gluing the top and bottom layers of the structure, or transferring pre-strained patterns on the substrate, which has limited the production efficiency at a very low level.
However, Professor Kim’s team created 3D flexible structures by generating covalent bonds only at the edges of patterns formed between two polymeric thin films with plasma and by injecting air into non-bonded patterns (namely, balloons) to inflate them. Moreover, the new 3D structures can be used as a sensor or actuator because metal wires can be easily patterned inside and outside the balloons.
A customized 3D device that is in contact with a complicated surface can also be produced using the technology developed by Professor Kim’s team. Since the 3D device is inflated like a balloon where the device is put on, it can have a customized shape along the curvature of a body part with a complex surface, like the human brain.
In addition, wire patterns in the micrometer scale can be easily formed inside and outside the 3D structure, which has been difficult so far in the production of 3D structures using conventional microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies. It is expected to be widely applied, for instance, for pressure measurement inside the body including the cranium, devices with electrical stimulation and detection functions, and soft robots.
The result of this study was published on the supplementary front page of the ‘ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces’ of the American Chemical Society on Wednesday, October 2. This study was conducted with supports from Basic Research Program of the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT as well as the DGIST. Ph.D. candidate Hyunmin Moon in the Department of Robotics Engineering and post-doctoral researcher Namsun Chou at Korea Institute of Science and Technology participated in the research as the first co-authors.
Suggested Items
Indium Experts to Present on High-Temperature, Lead-Free Solder Paste and High Reliability Liquid Metal Alloys Poster at ECTC
05/16/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Research Associate Kyle Aserian will deliver a presentation at the 74th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) on May 31, in Denver, Colorado.
Siemens, Foxconn Team Up to Optimize Forward-thinking Manufacturing
05/16/2024 | FoxconnSiemens AG, a leading technology company, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to drive digital transformation and sustainability in smart manufacturing platforms.
TactoTek Licenses IMSE Technology to Polestar for Sustainable Electronics Design Innovation
05/15/2024 | TactoTekPolestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand, and Finnish smart surface pioneer TactoTek, have entered a collaboration to explore integration of Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) technology into Polestar’s vehicle programs.
SiPearl: Partnership with Samsung Electronics for built-in HBM in Rhea
05/14/2024 | BUSINESS WIRESiPearl, the company building the high-performance low-power European microprocessor for HPC and AI inference, has signed a partnership with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a world leader in advanced memory technology, to equip its Rhea series with Samsung’s advanced memory solution ideal for HPC and AI applications.
ispace EUROPE, CDS Sign Payload Service Agreement to Transport Precise Location Measurement Technology to the Moon
05/14/2024 | BUSINESS WIREispace EUROPE S.A., the Luxembourg-based subsidiary of ispace, inc., and Control Data Systems SRL (CDS) have signed a payload services agreement to transport precise location measurement equipment to the Moon, the two companies announced.