Microsystems & Nanoengineering最新文献

{"title":"Calorimetric differential pressure sensor with high sensitivity for hydrodynamic perception.","authors":"Yudong Cao, Zhiqiang Ma, Hui Kang, Weitai Zhou, Xiaochang Yang, Hong Ye, Xingxu Zhang, Jun Cai, Yonggang Jiang","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01270-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-026-01270-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate perception of hydrodynamic information is crucial for intelligent navigation and control of underwater robotics in challenging underwater environments. Current diaphragm-based differential pressure sensors are generally constrained by limited resolution for hydrodynamic perception. Here, we present a high-sensitivity calorimetric differential pressure sensor featured with precisely designed calorimetric components located on cantilever beams. The proposed sensor achieves an impressive underwater differential pressure resolution of 18.9 mPa and a repeatability standard deviation of 0.38%. By integrating a sensor array consisting of three such sensors into an underwater robotic model, the velocity and yaw angle were estimated simultaneously with average solution errors of 2.9 mm·s^-1 and 0.94°, respectively. Underwater obstacles can be recognized with an accuracy of 97.5% by perceiving hydrodynamic variations in the Kármán vortex street due to its high sensitivity. Overall, the proposed sensor shows many potential applications in underwater flow sensing and the control of underwater robotics.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13103352/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147775837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Superior mechanoluminescence of ZnS:Mn/ZnO heterostructure array chip boosted by type II electron transition.","authors":"Jiateng Fan, Yunkai Wang, Aihua Zhong, Hang Yang, Zhiheng Ma, Shuangmei Xue, Dengfeng Peng, Longbiao Huang, Jingting Luo, Dong Tu, Kazuhiro Hane","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01284-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-026-01284-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mechanoluminescence (ML) has garnered considerable attention in widespread applications, including visualized stress detection, electronic signatures, and electronic skin. However, its high stress-threshold and limited emission efficiency fail to satisfy the growing applications. To address these challenges, we propose constructing ZnS:Mn/ZnO heterostructure with type II energy band alignment, aiming to activate the abundant electrons in the valence band for ML emission and introduce additional piezoelectric field as well as built-in electric field. The ZnS: Mn/ZnO heterostructure array chips were fabricated by standard semiconductor techniques, forming regular heterostructures and emission centers in square array. Each emission square functions as a pixel for mapping force and recording dynamic forces. As anticipated, the heterostructure array exhibits a record-low threshold of 0.05 N and a 4-fold increase in ML intensity. In mechano-electro-photon combined study, pulsed electric current were simultaneously observed, directly confirming the generation of non-balanced free carriers upon the mechanical stimulus. Owing to the high electron density in the VB of ML materials, the type II electron transition proposed in this work could dramatically increase the number of non-balanced carriers participating in the ML process, thereby have a revolutionary impact on the efficiency and fundamental understanding of ML emission.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13102978/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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 fully integrated magnetofluidic system enabled by a wax phase barrier for automated multiplex meat adulteration detection.","authors":"Tianping Zhou, Changding Li, Deyong Chen, Junbo Wang, Nan Li","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01281-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-026-01281-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Meat adulteration poses serious economic, regulatory, and ethical challenges worldwide, creating an urgent need for rapid, on-site, and multiplex authentication methods. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the gold standard for nucleic acid analysis, its reliance on laboratory infrastructure and skilled operators limits field deployment, while current isothermal amplification platforms still lack sufficient automation and integration. Here, we present Magtect, a fully automated magnetofluidic system for rapid, multiplex identification of meat adulteration in sheep products. The system integrates magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction, ultrasound-assisted washing, magnetic array-guided bead distribution, and parallel multiplex recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) detection within a single chip. By combining silicone oil with a thermally controllable wax isolation layer, Magtect enables physical spatial separation of multi-step reagents and on-demand mixing during heating, effectively preventing premature reagent contact and cross-interference. Notably, the wax barrier isolates the elution buffer from the RPA master mix, eliminating bead-induced amplification inhibition commonly observed in conventional magnetofluidic designs. Using this platform, adulteration of sheep meat with duck, chicken, or pork components can be fully automatically identified within 30 min. The system achieves a detection limit of 0.1 copies/μL and reliably detects adulteration levels as low as 1%. These results demonstrate that Magtect provides a robust, sensitive, and field-deployable solution for on-site meat authenticity verification, representing a significant step forward in automated food integrity monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13103085/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147775141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Scalable fabrication of gas sensors via spark-ablation printing of semiconductive metal oxide nanoparticles and heterostructures.","authors":"Wenke Fu, Zhenyuan Tang, Yanshu Gu, Xiaoli Shao, Jingyuan Zhang, Ziying Hu, Mingdi Zhang, Jixiang Li, Zeming Jin, Xia Liu, Min Tu","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01208-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-026-01208-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Semiconductive metal oxide (SMO) gas sensors are extensively used in air monitoring, industrial safety, and hazardous-gas detection due to their high sensitivity, low cost and low power consumption. Advances in nanotechnology have enabled precise control over the morphology and electronic structure of SMOs, thereby enhancing their sensing performances. However, the implementation of nanoscale SMOs into gas sensors typically involves two steps consisting of material synthesis and subsequent transfer onto device substrates, which face challenges in ensuring high uniformity and reproducibility. Here, we report a scalable gas sensor fabrication strategy based on spark-ablation printing, which enables the simultaneous synthesis and direct deposition of SMO films onto micro hotplate sensor chips. This one-step process allows the integration of both pristine and noble-metal-decorated SMOs, achieving ppb-level gas detection limit with excellent device-to-device consistency. Furthermore, sensor arrays composed of diverse SMO materials, when integrated with machine-learning algorithms, enable the accurate classification of four gases (>99%), demonstrating the potential of this approach for scalable and intelligent gas-sensing applications. Spark-ablation printing employs pulsed high-voltage discharges to vaporize electrode materials, generating nanoparticles that are transported by the gas flow and deposited onto MEMS microheater arrays as porous sensing films. This solvent-free and region-selective deposition technique enables scalable integration of diverse metal oxides, providing a robust platform for high-performance gas sensing.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13100202/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Differential migratory phenotypes of human neutrophils and breast cancer cells in a wireless unidirectional electric field platform.","authors":"Nicholas Palmerley, Yang Liu, Amanda Stefanson, Dumitru Tomsa, Amir Hossein Abolfathi, Lucy Liu, Xuehui Jiang, René P Zahedi, John A Wilkins, Ruey-Chyi Su, Francis Lin","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01267-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41378-026-01267-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electric field directed migration (electrotaxis) of immune cells and breast cancer cells has been previously demonstrated with important physiological and pathological relevance. However, whether an electrical current is necessary for electrotactic cell migration is unknown, which requires engineering innovation to enable experimental investigation. Addressing this fundamental question will lead to biological implications of the electromagnetic environment exposure and raise the possibility of wireless electrical control of cell trafficking in tissues, which motivated this research. To help address this question, we developed a useful wireless unidirectional electric field (Wi-uEF) device, in where the electrochemical field is manipulated to examine migratory responses of human peripheral blood neutrophils (hPBN) and high metastatic potential MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Migration of immune and cancer cells responded differently under Wi-uEF; hPBN migration is biased toward the cathode while breast cancer cells maintain overall random migration patterns. Based on these observations, we hypothesized a random-walk-based mechanistic model to predict different cell migration outcomes in Wi-uEF, and in-silico simulation captured the key experimental results. Altogether, our work is the first demonstration of the differential migratory responses of hPBN and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells to Wi-uEF and suggests a possible biophysical mechanism. Additionally, our wireless bioelectronic platform is capably developed for examining various biological cell responses in real-time in a controlled electrochemical microenvironment.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13092634/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147723116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Research on unit circuits based on cathode modulated vacuum/air channel electron tube.","authors":"Wenjing Ying, Ziyi Lai, Haitao Xu, Minglv Wang, Qiufeng Ye, Zebo Fang, Jingquan Liu, Yuelin Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01234-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41378-026-01234-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the past decade, the reported planar vacuum electron tubes (VETs) have not yet succeeded in resolving the gate leakage issue due to inherent limitations of their working principles, preventing their circuit integration thus far. This paper proposes a cathode modulated vacuum/air channel electron tube (CMVET), which completely solves the long-standing gate leakage problem. Furthermore, the developed CMVET has been integrated into fundamental circuit blocks and successfully applied in common-source amplifiers, differential amplifiers, cascode amplifiers, as well as NOR and NAND gates, thereby demonstrating its functionality and laying a foundation for further research on monolithic electron tube integrated circuits.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13092629/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147723107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Multichannel soft microfluidic force sensors: design, characterization, and application in laparoscopy.","authors":"Wael Othman, Mohammad A Qasaimeh","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01263-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41378-026-01263-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This work presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of multichannel soft microfluidic force sensors for integration with laparoscopic graspers. The sensors consist of PDMS structures encapsulating Galinstan-filled microchannels, where applied forces induce structural deformation and a corresponding increase in electrical resistance. Fabrication is achieved through 3D printing and PDMS molding under cleanroom-free conditions, enabling cost-effective and reproducible sensor production. We systematically investigated key design parameters, including microchannel geometry and sensor thickness and stiffness, through finite element simulations and experimental validation. Results show that thinner, softer sensors with inverted stepped-triangle microchannels exhibit the highest sensitivity. To further extend functionality, we developed both multilayer and coplanar multichannel sensor designs, enabling dual-range sensing with improved linearity and tunability. The sensors were integrated into a laparoscopic grasper, with one sensor mounted on the handle to measure thumb-applied actuation forces and another sensor on the jaw to capture tissue contact forces. This dual-sensing configuration highlights the potential of soft microfluidic sensors to restore tactile feedback in minimally invasive surgery. Overall, microfluidic technology provides a practical, scalable approach to soft-sensing systems for surgical tools, robotics, and human-machine interfaces.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13092641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147723140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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 capacitive-piezoelectric hybrid MEMS microphone with signal fusion for enhancing signal-to-noise ratio.","authors":"Yangyang Guan, Michael Schneider, Dongsheng Li, Hemin Zhang, Jing Mi, Alexander Bertrand, Sina Sadeghpour, Chen Wang, Huicong Liu, Christ Glorieux, Michael Kraft","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01251-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41378-026-01251-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This work describes a hybrid micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) microphone integrating capacitive and piezoelectric transduction mechanisms for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement. A theoretical system-level model was established to characterize the hybrid device, which was fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer-based process. The piezoelectric transduction component employs a Si/SiO2/Au/AlN/Pt material stack, while the capacitive transduction part consists of a variable capacitor formed by a silicon handle layer and a silicon device layer. Experimental results at 1 kHz show that the hybrid MEMS microphone achieves sensitivities of -64.3 dB (re: 1 V/Pa) in piezoelectric mode, -54.9 dB (re: 1 V/Pa) in capacitive mode, and -52.4 dB (re: 1 V/Pa) in hybrid mode, with corresponding SNR values of 65.7 dB, 59.8 dB, and 62.2 dB, respectively. To enhance the overall SNR of the hybrid MEMS microphone, a signal fusion technique is applied to the dual synchronized signals, resulting in an enhanced SNR of 66.7 dB, exhibiting a 14.1 dB improvement compared to the 52.6 dB reported in previous work.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13084049/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147690983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Systematic investigation of the LSPR characteristics in plasmonic nanoarrays.","authors":"Xing Zhao, Xiangnan Zhu, Dexiang Chen, Yunjia Wei, Lei Yao, Weiyi Li, Guoqun Li, Zixuan Sun, Yixin Zhao, Xingce Fan, Teng Qiu, Qi Hao","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01248-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41378-026-01248-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For plasmonic materials, it is crucial to modulate and couple their localized surface-plasmon resonances (LSPRs) frequencies with the incident laser to generate resonant electromagnetic fields. While the LSPR properties of colloidal plasmonic particles are well-established, the distinct morphology and LSPR behaviors of plasmonic nanoarrays fabricated by template-assisted evaporation remain insufficiently explored. This study systematically investigates the effects of particle diameter, deposition thickness, and surface roughness on the LSPR characteristics of nanoarrays. Furthermore, we demonstrate precise tuning of LSPRs through adjustments to the dielectric medium and composition in multilayer nanoparticles, as well as polarization dependence of anisotropic nanoparticles. Several critical, yet often overlooked, aspects were identified: (1) Physically deposited nanoparticles exhibit non-spherical morphologies, leading to LSPR characteristics that are distinct from those of idealized spheres. (2) Out-of-plane geometry strongly influences the LSPR response; notably, increasing the particle thickness can induce an LSPR blueshift, contrary to conventional expectations. (3) The dielectric environment plays a decisive role in governing the LSPRs of nanoarrays, including contributions from both the dielectric substrate and the surrounding medium. Moreover, we also demonstrate the capability of AAO-templated nanoarrays for plasmonic refractive index sensing, revealing a red shift of the LSPR peak with increasing refractive index and enhanced sensitivity for larger particle diameters. These findings provide insight into LSPR behaviors in nanoarrays and establish strategies for precise plasmonic tuning, deploying in LSPR sensing applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13083933/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147691026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Coupling inertial, viscoelastic, and enhanced secondary flow in a composite microchannel: achieving high-precision multi-sized particle 3D central co-focusing.","authors":"Tianwei Zhao, Peng Zeng, Chenchen Ji, Xu Yin, Jinxia Li, Xing Chen, Yuanming Ma, Gaobin Xu, Xichen Yuan, Jianguo Feng","doi":"10.1038/s41378-026-01254-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41378-026-01254-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microfluidic particle focusing is essential for diverse biomedical applications. However, conventional inertial focusing techniques are limited by particle size dependency, hindering effective 3D central co-focusing of particles with varying sizes. In this study, we introduced a novel microfluidic method based on an inertial-viscoelastic-secondary flow synergistic effect (INVEST) within a composite microchannel (CMC), enabling high-efficiency 3D co-focusing of multi-sized particles. The CMCs incorporated height-varying horizontal and vertical semicircular obstacles to modulate inertial and secondary flows, while hyaluronic acid (HA) was introduced to enhance the viscoelastic effect and balance the force disparities among particles. Comprehensive numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the main flow field, secondary flow vectors, and shear-rate distributions. A novel metric, equilibrium zone width (EZW), was first proposed to theoretically assess the focusing performance. The simulation results indicated a minimal EZW of 15.58 μm. Moreover, experimental validations across various HA concentrations, obstacle configurations, and particle sizes demonstrated focusing widths below 20.5 μm and efficiencies exceeding 95% for particle mixtures with diameters from 10 to 20 μm. Further testing using white blood cells confirmed a focusing efficiency of 96.14%. These findings verified that the CMCs successfully integrated inertial migration, viscoelastic effects, and enhanced secondary flows to realize the INVEST mechanism within a single microchannel, effectively addressing the issues of size dependency of traditional inertial focusing and the corner attraction effect of viscoelastic focusing. The developed microfluidic platform enables robust 3D central co-focusing of multi-sized particles and heterogeneous cells, providing a promising solution for high-throughput microflow cytometry and single-cell analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":18560,"journal":{"name":"Microsystems & Nanoengineering","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13083988/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147690980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}