Graduation Year
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.M.E.
Degree Granting Department
Mechanical Engineering
Major Professor
Nathan Crane, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Nathan Crane, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Rasim Guldiken, Ph.D.
Keywords
Micro Self-Assembly, Lateral Capillary Forces, Fluid-Fluid Interface, Hexadecane, Microchip
Abstract
Mechanical assembly of systems and structures on the micro-scale can be inefficient as particles of sub-millimeter dimensions are difficult to manipulate. Cutting edge manufacturing methods implement self-assembly as an approach to ordering micro and nano-sized parts into a desired arrangement. This thesis studies a technique utilizing surface tension as a method of actuating microparts on a liquid-liquid interface via lateral capillary interactions. Preliminary experimentation is conducted to investigate the feasibility of developing a new method for self-alignment of microparts by observing the influence of interfacial geometry on the movement of silicon tiles along a hexadecanewater interface. Different surface geometries are created by implementing vertical rods of different wetting properties that alter the curvature of the interface. Results demonstrate that the microparts attain an equilibrium separation distance from the vertical rods. It is indicated that this equilibrium distance is determined by the dimensions of the micropart and the curvature of the interface. With further investigation, these results may be used to cultivate a method for self-alignment of microparts into rings of a desired radius.
Scholar Commons Citation
Liberti, Caroline Elizabeth, "Self-Alignment of Silicon Microparts on a Hexadecane-Water Interface by Surface Tension" (2011). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/3207
