Diamond-Like Carbon Depositing on the Surface of Polylactide Membrane for Prevention of Adhesion Formation During Tendon Repair

Post-traumatic peritendinous adhesion presents a significant challenge in clinical medicine.This study proposes the use of diamond-like carbon(DLC)deposited on polylactic acid(PLA)membranes as a biophysical mechanism for anti-adhesion barrier to encase ruptured tendons in tendon-injured rats.The results indicate that PLA/DLC composite membrane exhibits more efficient anti-adhesion effect than PLA membrane,with histological score decreasing from 3.12±0.27 to 2.20±0.22 and anti-adhesion effectiveness increasing from 21.61%to 44.72%.Mechanistically,the abundant C=O bond functional groups on the surface of DLC can reduce reactive oxygen species level effectively;thus,the phosphorylation of NF-κB and M1 polarization of macrophages are inhibited.Consequently,excessive inflammatory response augmented by M1 macrophage-originated cytokines including interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)is largely reduced.For biocompatibility evaluation,PLA/DLC membrane is slowly absorbed within tissue and displays prolonged barrier effects compared to traditional PLA membranes.Further studies show the DLC depositing decelerates the release of degradation product lactic acid and its induction of macrophage M2 polarization by interfering esterase and PLA ester bonds,which further delays the fibrosis process.It was found that the PLA/DLC membrane possess an efficient biophysical mechanism for treatment of peritendinous adhesion.

Controllable Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Dots and Their Detection Application as Nanoprobes

Carbon dots(CDs), as a new member of carbon nanomaterial family, have aroused great interest since their discovery in 2004. Because of their outstanding water solubility, high sensitivity and selectivity to target analytes, low toxicity, favorable biocompatibility, and excellent photostability, researchers from diverse disciplines have come together to further develop the fundamental properties of CDs. Many methods for the production of CDs have been reported, therein, hydrothermal and solvothermal technology needs simple equipments, and microwave synthesis needs less reaction time, hence these methods become current common synthesis methods, in which many precursors have been applied to produce CDs. Due to their excellent fluorescence, CDs have made impressive strides in sensitivity and selectivity to a diverse array of salt ions,organic/biological molecules and target gases. The development of CDs as nanoprobes is still in its infancy, but continued progress may lead to their integration into environmental and biological applications. Hydrothermal,solvothermal, and microwave synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots and their detection applications as nanoprobes in salt ions, organic/biological molecules, and target gases will be reviewed.

One Step Quick Detection of Cancer Cell Surface Marker by Integrated NiFe-based Magnetic Biosensing Cell Cultural Chip

RGD peptides has been used to detect cell surface integrin and direct clinical effective therapeutic drug selection. Herein we report that a quick one step detection of cell surface marker that was realized by a specially designed NiF e-based magnetic biosensing cell chip combined with functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. Magnetic nanoparticles with 20-30 nm in diameter were prepared by coprecipitation and modified with RGD-4C, and the resultant RGD-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were used for targeting cancer cells cultured on the NiF e-based magnetic biosensing chip and distinguish the amount of cell surface receptor-integrin.Cell lines such as Calu3, Hela, A549, CaF br, HEK293 and HUVEC exhibiting different integrin expression were chosen as test samples. Calu3, Hela, HEK293 and HUVEC cells were successfully identified. This approach has advantages in the qualitative screening test. Compared with traditional method, it is fast, sensitive, low cost,easy-operative, and needs very little human intervention. The novel method has great potential in applications such as fast clinical cell surface marker detection, and diagnosis of early cancer, and can be easily extended to other biomedical applications based on molecular recognition.

Synthesis of Ni nanowires via a hydrazine reduction route in aqueous ethanol solutions assisted by external magnetic fields

One-dimensional Ni nanostructures were synthesized via a hydrazine reduction route under external magnetic fields. The mixture of de-ionized water and ethanol was used as the reaction solvent and hydrazine hydrate as reducing agents. The morphology and properties of Ni nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffractometer(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM). It was found that the magnetic field strength, concentration of Ni ions,reaction time and temperature as well as p H values played key roles on formation, microstructures and magnetic properties of Ni nanowires. The optimal wires have diameter of ~200 nm and length up to ~200 μm. And their coercivity is ~260 Oe, which is much larger than the commercial Ni powders of 31 Oe. This work presents a simple, low-cost, environment-friendly and large-scale production approach to fabricate one-dimensional magnetic materials. The resulting materials may have potential applications in conductive filters, magnetic sensors and catalytic agents.

Fabrication of a Polymer Micro Needle Array by Mask-Dragging X-Ray Lithography and Alignment X-Ray Lithography

Polymer materials such as transparent thermoplastic poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)have been of great interest in the research and development of integrated circuits and micro-electromechanical systems due to their relatively low cost and easy process.We fabricated PMMA-based polymer hollow microneedle arrays by maskdragging and aligning x-ray lithography.Techniques for 3D micromachining by direct lithography using x-rays are developed.These techniques are based on using image projection in which the x-ray is used to illuminate an appropriate gold pattern on a polyimide film mask.The mask is imaged onto the PMMA sample.A pattern with an area of up to 100×100 mm^(2)can be fabricated with sub-micron resolution and a highly accurate order of a few microns by using a dragging mask.The fabrication technology has several advantages,such as forming complex 3D micro structures,high throughput and low cost.

Mechanical Alloying of Ag-Cu Immiscible Alloy System

Mechanical alloying has been performed in Ag-Cu immiscible alloy system with five different compositions. X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out to determine the structural characterization of the milled powders. Lattice constants of the milled powders were determined and the solubility for Ag in Cu was calculated. The results demonstrated that MA indeed produced a face center cubic (f.c.c.). Cu-based Cu-Ag solid solution and the solid solubility has been extended to x(Ag)=30% for Ag in Cu when the grain size of Cu-based Cu-Ag solid solution is about 10 nm after MA. There is a three-phases co-existence during the process of MA in this alloy system which agrees well with other experimental and theoretical results. Based on the experimental results a formation model was proposed in this paper to understand the formation of Ag-Cu solid solution during MA.

Improvement of Electrical Properties of the Ge2Sb2Te5 Film by Doping Si for Phase-Change Random Access Memory

Si-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 films have been prepared by dc magnetron co-sputtering with Ge2Sb2Te5 and Si targets. The addition of Si in the Ge2Sb2Te5 film results in the increase of both crystallization temperature and phasetransition temperature from face-centred-cubic （fcc） phase to hexagonal （hex） phase. The resistivity of the Ge2Sb2Te5 film shows a significant increase with the Si doping. When doping 11.8 at.% of Si in the film, the resistivity after 460℃ annealing increases from 1 to 11 mΩ.cm and dynamic resistance increase from 64 to 99Ω compared to the undoped Ge2Sb2Te5 film. This is very helpful to writing current reduction of phase-change random access memory.

Capacitance Sensing and Software-Realized Lock-in Amplifier for the Electromagnetically Levitated Micro Gyroscope

In the novel prototype of micro-gyroscope structure,the new configured capacitance sensing scheme for the micro gyroscope was analyzed and the virtual instrument based detection scheme was implemented.The digital lock-in amplifier was employed in the capacitance detection to restrain the noise interference.The capacitance analysis shows that 1 fF capacitance variation corresponds to 0.1 degree of the turn angle.The differential capacitance bridge and the charge integral amplifier were used as the front signal input interface.In the implementation of digital lock-in amplifier,a new routine which warranted the exactly matching of the reference phase to signal phase was proposed.The result of the experiment shows that digital lock-in amplifier can greatly eliminate the noise in the output signal.The non linearity of the turn angle output is 2.3% and the minimum resolution of turn angle is 0.04 degrees.The application of the software demodulation in the signal detection of micro-electro-mechanical-system(MEMS)device is a new attempt,and it shows the prospective for a high-performance application.

Study on the Electrical Conductivity of Au Nanoparticle/Chloroform and Toluene Suspensions

Au nanoparticles capped by hexadecanethiol and dodecanethiol were chemically synthesized. The characteristics of electrical conductivity for the capped nanoparticles dissolved in chloroform and toluene solvents were investigated. The electrical conductivity of the samples is conspicuously Au nanoparticle concentration dependent. The results show that a rapid conductivity increases when the nanoparticle concentration increases from low value to a moderate value of 5.47 g/L and 11.22 g/L, which is capped by hexadecanethiol and dodecanethiol in chloroform solvent, and 2.77 g/L and 7.88 g/L in toluene solvent. The room-temperature dc conductivity σ dc of Au nanoparticle capped by hexadecanethiol is smaller than that capped by dodecanethiol in the whole range of Au nanoparticle concentrations. The conductivity of Au nanoparticle suspensions increases almost linearly in the temperature range in above two solvents.

Multiple-State Storage Capability of Stacked Chalcogenide Films （Si16Sb33Te51/Si4Sb45Te51/Si11Sb39Te50） for Phase Change Memory

The multiple-state storage capability of phase change memory （PCM） is confirmed by using stacked chalcogenide films as the storage medium. The current-voltage characteristics and the resistance-current characteristics of the PCM clearly indicate that four states can be stored in this stacked film structure. Qualitative analysis indicates that the multiple-state storage capability of this stacked film structure is due to successive crystallizations in different Si-Sb-Te layers triggered by different amplitude currents.

Synthesis of Silica Hollow Spheres with Diameter Around 50 nm by Anionic Surfactant

Silica hollow spheres（SHSs） have attracted great attention because of their low toxicity, low density, large surface area, high chemical and thermal stability, and surface permeability. They can be widely applied in storage^[l], catalysis^[2], drug deli- very^[3,4], low-dielectric-constant materials^[5], low-refractive materials^[6-8], and so on. Up to now, there have been various methods to produce SHSs. Inorganic^[9] or organic particles^[10], such as polystyrene or calcium carbonate, were used as hard templates to create hollow cavities, However, the multistep synthetic process and the lack of structural robustness of the shells upon template removal process weaken their applica- tion. Soft templates, including oil-in-water emulsions^[11,12], vesicles^[13], micelle^[14,15] and gas bubbles^[16], are applied widely.

Evaluation of Young's Modulus and Residual Stress of NiFe Film by Microbridge Testing

Microbridge testing was used to measure the Young＇s modulus and residual stress of metallic films. Samples of freestanding NiFe film microbridge were fabricated by microelectromechanical systems. Special ceramic shaft structure was designed to solve the problem of getting the load-deflection curve of NiFe film microbridge by the Nanoindenter XP system with normal Berkovich probe. Theoretical analysis of load-deflection curves of the microbridges was proposed to evaluate the Young＇s modulus and residual stress of the films simultaneously. The calculated results based on experimental measurements show that the average Young＇s modulus and residual stress for the electroplated NiFe films are 203.2 GPa and 333.0 MPa, respectively, while the Young＇s modulus measured by the Nano-hardness method is 209.6：1：11.8 GPa for the thick NiFe film with silicon substrate.

Numerical analysis of the three-dimensional aerodynamics of a hovering rufous hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus)

Hummingbirds have a unique way of hover- ing. However, only a few published papers have gone into details of the corresponding three-dimensional vortex struc- tures and transient aerodynamic forces. In order to deepen the understanding in these two realms, this article presents an integrated computational fluid dynamics study on the hovering aerodynamics of a rufous hummingbird. The original morphological and kinematic data came from a former researcher＇s experiments. We found that conical and sta- ble leading-edge vortices （LEVs） with spanwise flow inside their cores existed on the hovering hummingbird＇s wing surfaces. When the LEVs and other near-field vortices were all shed into the wake after stroke reversals, periodically shed bilateral vortex rings were formed. In addition, a strong downwash was present throughout the flapping cycle. Time histories of lift and drag were also obtained. Combining the three-dimensional flow field and time history of lift, we believe that high lift mechanisms （i.e., rotational circulation and wake capture） which take place at stroke reversals in insect flight was not evident here. For mean lift throughout a whole cycle, it is calculated to be 3.60 g （104.0 % of the weight support）. The downstroke and upstroke provide 64.2 % and 35.8 % of the weight support, respectively.

Extraction of optical constants and thickness of nanometre scale TiO2 film

TiO2 thin films were deposited on glass substrates by sputtering in a conventional rf magnetron sputtering system. X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission spectrum were measured. The curves of refraction index and extinction coefficient distributions as well as the thickness of films calculated from transmission spectrum were obtained. The optimization problem was also solved using a method based on a constrained nonlinear programming algorithm.

Experimental study of noncontact ultrasonic motor with non-symmetrical electrode

We have proposed a novel noncontact ultrasonic motor based on non-syinmetrical electrode driving. The configuration of this electrode and the fabrication process of rotors are presented. Its vibration characteristics are computed and analysed by using the finite element method and studied experimentally. Good agreement between them is obtained. Moreover, it is also shown that this noncontact ultrasonic motor is operated in antisymmetric radial vibration mode of B21 mode. The maximum revolution speed for three-blade and six-blade rotors are 5100 and 3700r/min at an input voltage of 20V, respectively. Also, the noncontact high-speed revolution of the rotors can be realized by the parts of Ⅰ, Ⅲ of the electrode or Ⅱ, Ⅳ of the electrode. The levitation distance between the s tator and rotor is about 140μm according to the theoretical calculation and the experimental measurement.

Soft initial-rotation and H_∞ robust constant rotational speed control for rotational MEMS gyro

A novel soft initiai-rotation control system and an H∞ robust constant rotational speed controller （RCRSC） for a rotational MEMS （micro-electro-mechanical system） gyro are presented. The soft initial-rotation control system can prevent the possible tumbling down of the suspended rotor and ensure a smooth and fast initial-rotation process. After the initial-rotation process, in order to maintain the rotational speed accurately constant, the RCRSC is acquired through the mixed sensitivity design approach. Simulation results show that the actuation voltage disturbances from the internal carrier waves in the gyro is reduced by more than 15.3 dB, and the speed fluctuations due to typical external vibrations ranging from 10 Hz to 200 Hz can also be restricted to 10^-3 rad/s order.

MICROBRIDGE TESTING OF YOUNG'S MODULUS AND RESIDUAL STRESS OF NICKEL FILM ELECTROPLATED ON SILICON WAFER

Microbridge testing is used to measure the Young's modulus and residual stresses of metallic films.Nickel film microbridges with widths of several hundred microns are fabricated by Microelectromechanical Systems.In order to measure the mechanical properties of nickel film microbridges,special shaft structure is designed to solve the problem of getting the load--deflection curves of metal film microbridge by Nanoin--denter XP system with normal Berkovich probe.Theoretical analysis of the micro--bridge load--deflection curve is proposed to evaluate the Young's modulus and residual stress of the films simultaneously.The calculated results based on the experimental measurements show that the average Young's modulus and residual stress are around 190GPa and 175MPa respectively,while the Young's modulus measured by Nano-hardness method on nickel film with silicon substrate is 186.8±7.34GPa.

EFFECT OF HEAT TREATMENTS ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND TRANSFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS OF TiNiPd SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY THIN FILMS

Microstructure and phase transformation behaviors of the film annealed at different temperatures were studied by X-ray diffractometry （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）. Also tensile tests were examined. For increasing annealed temperature, multiple phase transformations, transformations via a B19-phase or direct martensite/austenite transformtion are observed. The TiNiPd thin film annealed at 750℃ had relatively uniform martensite/austenite transformtion and shape memory effect. Martensite/austenite transformtion was also found in strain-temperature curves. Subsequent annealing at 450℃ had minor effect on transformation temperatures of Ti-Ni-Pd thin films but resulted in more uniform transformation and improved shape memory effect.

Research of photolithography technology based on surface plasmon

This paper demonstrates a new process of the photolithography technology, used to fabricate simply fine patterns, by employiag surface plasmon character. The sub-wavelength periodic silica structures with uniform silver film are used as the exposure mask. According to the traditional semiconductor process, the grating structures are fabricated at exposing wavelength of 436 nm. At the same time, it provides additional and quantitative support of this technique based on the finite-difference time-domain method. The results of the research show that surface plasmon characteristics of metals can be used to increase the optical field energy distribution differences through the silica structures with silver film, which directly impact on the exposure of following photosensitive layer in different regions.

Complete decoupling rebalance loop design of a micromachined electrostatically suspended gyroscope

A micromachined electrostatically suspended gyroscope(MESG)based on UV-LIGA microfabrication process was introduced.By close-loop control,the suspended rotor is kept in null position and through the torque rebalance loop,in which the output control voltages reflects the input angular velocity,a dual-axis input angular velocity can be measured simultaneously.First,the system model of MESG was established by dynamic analysis based on the torque analysis.Then,the rebalance loop under ideal condition is designed using modern control technique.The performance of the designed decoupling rebalance loop was compared with that of conventional proportional integral differential(PID)rebalance loop combined with the compensation loop.In order to realize the decoupling of the output voltages,a compensated decoupling matrix and its difference equation were presented and realized by a digital decoupling method employing digital signal processor(DSP).It was confirmed that the controller could realize the complete decoupling and improve the performance of the gyroscope,which includes merits of fast response speed,low overshoot and good dynamic performance,as the simulation results shown.At last,the circuit and digital realization scheme were given.