{"title":"An Organ-on-a-Chip Modular Platform with Integrated Immunobiosensors for Monitoring the Extracellular Environment.","authors":"Anastasia Kanioura, Myrto Kyriaki Filippidou, Dimitra Tsounidi, Panagiota S Petrou, Stavros Chatzandroulis, Angeliki Tserepi","doi":"10.3390/mi16070740","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>OoC systems employing human cells mirror the functionality of human organs and faithfully simulate their physiological microfluidic environment. Despite the potential of OoC technology in emulating tissue complexity, a significant gap persists in the continuous real-time monitoring of cellular behaviors and their responses to external stimuli, arising from the lack of biosensors integrated onto OoC microfluidic platforms. Addressing this limitation constitutes the primary objective of this study. By developing and incorporating biosensors onto a modular integrated OoC platform, we aim to enable the monitoring of changes taking place in the cellular environment under various stimuli in real time. An in-series modular integration of a biosensor array into an OoC platform is demonstrated herein, along with its potential to sustain human cell proliferation and accommodate the detection of IL-6, as an example of a mediator protein secreted as part of the immune response to inflammation. The implementation of commercially fabricated PCB components also addresses the issue of cost efficiency and manufacturing scaling-up of sensor-integrated OoCs. This advancement will not only enhance the accuracy and reliability of preclinical studies, but also pave the way for improved drug development and disease treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12300027/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicromachinesPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.3390/mi16070747
Ayushman Ramola, Amit Kumar Shakya, Vinay Kumar, Arik Bergman
{"title":"Recent Advances in Photonic Crystal Fiber-Based SPR Biosensors: Design Strategies, Plasmonic Materials, and Applications.","authors":"Ayushman Ramola, Amit Kumar Shakya, Vinay Kumar, Arik Bergman","doi":"10.3390/mi16070747","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070747","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article presents a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based sensors, with a particular focus on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon for biosensing. With their ability to modify core and cladding structures, PCFs offer exceptional control over light guidance, dispersion management, and light confinement, making them highly suitable for applications in refractive index (RI) sensing, biomedical imaging, and nonlinear optical phenomena such as fiber tapering and supercontinuum generation. SPR is a highly sensitive optical phenomenon, which is widely integrated with PCFs to enhance detection performance through strong plasmonic interactions at metal-dielectric interfaces. The combination of PCF and SPR technologies has led to the development of innovative sensor geometries, including D-shaped fibers, slotted-air-hole structures, and internal external metal coatings, each optimized for specific sensing goals. These PCF-SPR-based sensors have shown promising results in detecting biomolecular targets such as excess cholesterol, glucose, cancer cells, DNA, and proteins. Furthermore, this review provides an in-depth analysis of key design parameters, plasmonic materials, and sensor models used in PCF-SPR configurations, highlighting their comparative performance metrics and application prospects in medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and chemical analysis. Thus, an exhaustive analysis of various sensing parameters, plasmonic materials, and sensor models used in PCF-SPR sensors is presented and explored in this article.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12298052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicromachinesPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.3390/mi16070749
Chun Guo, Qingcheng Lin, Ruizhang Hu, Suisong Wu
{"title":"Research Progress and Application Scenarios of Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing: From Process Control to Performance Evaluation.","authors":"Chun Guo, Qingcheng Lin, Ruizhang Hu, Suisong Wu","doi":"10.3390/mi16070749","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070749","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years, with the innovation and continuous development of additive manufacturing technology, research on wire arc additive manufacturing technology (WAAM) has become increasingly common and in-depth in the chemical industry, mold manufacturing, and other fields. Therefore, it has attracted the attention of many universities, research institutes, and aerospace industries, conducted in-depth research on WAAM technology, and achieved certain research results. This paper briefly summarizes the current research status of arc additive manufacturing technology and summarizes the application status of WAAM technology in product development, personalized customization, traditional process replacement, \"material-structure-function\" integration, mold repair, etc. WAAM technology has huge development potential and good application prospects. In the future, arc additive manufacturing will develop in the direction of intelligence and high precision.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12298676/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicromachinesPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.3390/mi16070748
Azadeh Jafari, Behraad Bahreyni
{"title":"Theoretical Prediction of the Impact of Phosphorus Doping on the Elastic Constants of Silicon.","authors":"Azadeh Jafari, Behraad Bahreyni","doi":"10.3390/mi16070748","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070748","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurately controlling the mechanical properties of silicon is essential for developing high-performance micro-devices and systems. In this study, we investigate the influence of phosphorus doping on the elastic constants of silicon across a wide temperature range using a combination of tight-binding simulations and deformation potential theory. The mechanical properties were derived using Keyes's framework integrated with Fermi-Dirac statistics. The Goodwin-Skinner-Pettifor functional form was applied to estimate dopant-induced stress potentials and their effect on lattice stiffness. In particular, we investigated the change in elastic constants and their temperature dependence under ultra-high doping concentrations. The results show a monotonic decrease in c<sub>11</sub> and a non-monotonic increase in c<sub>12</sub> with both temperature and doping, while c<sub>44</sub> remains relatively unaffected, consistent with experimental and theoretical studies. These changes are attributed to anisotropic carrier redistribution among conduction band valleys and strain-modulated interactions between valleys. The novelty of this work lies in the explicit, atomistically informed calculation of deformation potential constants using tight-binding parameters specific to phosphorus doping in silicon, enabling the accurate prediction of temperature-dependent elastic constants and anisotropic mechanical behaviour in emerging microsystem applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12298610/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A High Dynamic Range and Fast Response Logarithmic Amplifier Employing Slope-Adjustment and Power-Down Mode.","authors":"Yanhu Wang, Rui Teng, Yuanjie Zhou, Mengchen Lu, Wei Ruan, Jiapeng Li","doi":"10.3390/mi16070741","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070741","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Based on the GSMC 180 nm SiGe BiCMOS process, a parallel-summation logarithmic amplifier is presented in this paper. The logarithmic amplifier adopts a cascaded structure of nine-stage fully-differential limiting amplifiers (LA) to achieve high dynamic range. The ten-stage rectifier completes the conversion of amplified voltage to a logarithmic current signal. A log slope adjuster is proposed. It can provide slopes of 17-30 mV/dB by configuring an off-chip resistor to meet the detection requirements of different input power. Meanwhile, a power-down control unit is designed to reduce the power consumption to only 162 μW in standby mode. The post-simulation results show that under 5 V power supply voltage, the dynamic range exceeds 80 dB and the 3 dB bandwidth is 20 MHz-4 GHz. It also has a fast response time of 42 ns with a power consumption of 109 mW in normal operation mode.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12298513/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicromachinesPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.3390/mi16070750
Baoyan Yang, Houjun Sun, Kaiqiang Zhu, Xinghua Wang
{"title":"Double-Sided Fabrication of Low-Leakage-Current Through-Silicon Vias (TSVs) with High-Step-Coverage Liner/Barrier Layers.","authors":"Baoyan Yang, Houjun Sun, Kaiqiang Zhu, Xinghua Wang","doi":"10.3390/mi16070750","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070750","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, a novel through-silicon via (TSV) fabrication strategy based on through-hole structures is proposed for low-cost and low-complexity manufacturing. Compared to conventional TSV fabrication processes, this method significantly simplifies the process flow by employing double-sided liner deposition, double-sided barrier layer/seed layer formation, and double-sided Cu electroplating. This method enhances the TSV stability by eliminating Cu contamination issues during chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), which are a common challenge in traditional blind via fabrication processes. Additionally, the liner and barrier layer/seed layer achieve a high step coverage exceeding 80%, ensuring excellent conformality and structural integrity. For electroplating, a multi-stage bi-directional electroplating technique is introduced to enable void-free Cu filling in TSVs. The fabricated TSVs exhibit an ultra-low leakage current of 135 fA at 20 V, demonstrating their potential for advancing 3D integration technologies in heterogeneous integration.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12297885/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Dialysis Membrane-Integrated Microfluidic Device for Controlled Drug Retention and Nutrient Supply.","authors":"Hajime Miyashita, Yuya Ito, Kenta Shinha, Hiroko Nakamura, Hiroshi Kimura","doi":"10.3390/mi16070745","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070745","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional pre-clinical drug evaluation methods, including animal experiments and static cell cultures using human-derived cells, face critical limitations such as interspecies differences, ethical concerns, and poor physiological relevance. More recently, microphysiological systems (MPSs) that use microfluidic devices to mimic in vivo conditions have emerged as promising platforms. By enabling perfusion cell culture and incorporating human-derived cells, MPSs can evaluate drug efficacy and toxicity in a more human-relevant manner. However, standard MPS protocols rely on discrete medium changes, causing abrupt changes in drug concentrations that do not reflect the continuous pharmacokinetics seen in vivo. To overcome this limitation, we developed a Dialysis Membrane-integrated Microfluidic Device (DMiMD) which maintains continuous drug concentrations through selective medium change via a dialysis membrane. The membrane's molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) enables the retention of high-molecular-weight drugs while facilitating the passage of essential low-molecular-weight nutrients such as glucose. We validated the membrane's molecular selectivity and confirmed effective nutrient supply using cells. Additionally, anticancer drug efficacy was evaluated under continuously changing drug concentrations, demonstrating that the DMiMD successfully mimics in vivo drug exposure dynamics. These results indicate that the DMiMD offers a robust in vitro platform for accurate assessment of drug efficacy and toxicity, bridging the gap between conventional static assays and the physiological complexities of the human body.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12299900/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicromachinesPub Date : 2025-06-24DOI: 10.3390/mi16070736
Alemayehu Kidanemariam, Sungbo Cho
{"title":"Recent Advancements in Metal-Organic Framework-Based Microfluidic Chips for Biomedical Applications.","authors":"Alemayehu Kidanemariam, Sungbo Cho","doi":"10.3390/mi16070736","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070736","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The integration of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with microfluidic technologies has opened new frontiers in biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. Microfluidic chips offer precise fluid control, low reagent use, and high-throughput capabilities features further enhanced by MOFs' ample surface area, adjustable porosity, and catalytic activity. Together, they form powerful lab-on-a-chip platforms for sensitive biosensing, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and microbial detection. This review highlights recent advances in MOF-based microfluidic systems, focusing on material innovations, fabrication methods, and diagnostic applications. Particular emphasis is placed on MOF nanozymes, which enhance biochemical reactions for multiplexed testing and rapid pathogen identification. Challenges such as stability, biocompatibility, and manufacturing scalability are addressed, along with emerging trends like responsive MOFs, AI-assisted design, and clinical translation strategies. By bridging MOF chemistry and microfluidic engineering, these systems hold great promise for next-generation biomedical technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12298669/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Review of Three-Dimensional Electric Field Sensors.","authors":"Xiaonan Li, Yu Gu, Zehao Li, Zijian He, Pengfei Yang, Chunrong Peng","doi":"10.3390/mi16070737","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070737","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Three-dimensional electric field sensors (3D EFSs) can simultaneously measure electric field components in three mutually orthogonal directions and comprehensively capture the spatial distribution and dynamic changes of the electric field. They can be widely used in atmospheric science, smart grids, aerospace, target detection, and other fields. This paper deeply analyzes the latest progress in 3D EFSs, focusing on four major types of sensors: DC field mill, electro-optic effect, capacitive sensing, and microelectromechanical system (MEMS). It elaborates on their working principles, structural design, and decoupling calibration methods. At the same time, the advantages and disadvantages of various types of 3D EFSs and their applications in different fields are analyzed. Finally, the challenges faced by 3D EFS technology and its future development direction are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12300256/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fruit-Fly-Optimized Weighted Averaging Algorithm for Data Fusion in MEMS IMU Array.","authors":"Ting Zhu, Gao Peng, Jianping Li, Jiawei Xuan, Jingbei Tian","doi":"10.3390/mi16070739","DOIUrl":"10.3390/mi16070739","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The weighted averaging algorithm is a widely adopted high-efficiency data fusion approach for micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) array, where the configuration of weighting coefficients plays a critical role in improving measurement accuracy. In this study, an optimal weighted averaging algorithm based on the fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOA) is proposed by analyzing the data fusion mechanism of the MEMS IMU array. Firstly, a measurement model for the MEMS IMU array is constructed, and the principles of data fusion are systematically investigated. Secondly, the optimal weighting coefficients under ideal conditions are derived, and their limitations in practical applications are discussed. Building on this framework, the FOA is employed to search for optimal weights, enabling the realization of high-precision weighted averaging fusion. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms conventional approaches in terms of accuracy and robustness.</p>","PeriodicalId":18508,"journal":{"name":"Micromachines","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12298224/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144742758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}