Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BioWings (Bio-compatible electrostrictive smart materials for future generation of medical micro-electro- mechanical systems)
Período documentado: 2019-06-01 hasta 2020-11-30
BioWings is FET-Open project aiming to promote the development of biocompatible materials for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), so that non-toxic miniature unit can be made and integrated with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic functions suitable for implantation in the human body. There are already several micro-electro-mechanical systems, but they often contain lead elements that are not compatible and harmful to humans. BioWings aim to develop biocompatible materials with properties similar to the best piezoelectric materials (i.e. PZT) but without lead or the other harmful elements. Therefore, BioWings set up to develop Bio-compatible electrostrictive smart materials for future generation for medical micro-electro-mechanical systems. In BioWings, we work in particular with cerium-based oxide materials that are non-toxic, environmentally friendly and can be well-functioned in low energy devices. Cerium-based oxide materials are also fully compatible with silicon, allowing the integration with conventional Si technology without the need for an intermediate, expensive layer.
In collaboration between partners from Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Israel, the researchers are aim at achieving a better understanding of the electrostrictive properties and behaviour of cerium-based oxide materials and show how these properties can best be tackled so that oxide materials can be used as the base material in many different kinds of MEMS applications. If the group, consisting of industrial, medical and research partners, succeed in creating a prototype that integrates cerium oxide into a biomedical electromechanical system, it can revolutionize the medical industry and bring about a paradigm shift in terms of new materials application.
We have delivered a detailed report which includes information about activities carried out, outputs delivered, and expenditure incurred. Here we will only describe selected important results achieved during this reporting period:
1. Dissemination and communications: website, different social media, participating in 4 different international events to promote Biowings, published scientific publications
2. Discovered new electrodes with excellent mechanical integrity
3. Extend our understanding of how to control and tune the frequency of the materials via doping
4. Develop a generic model for 3D numerical simulation of the acoustofluidic device
5. Developed a protocol for fabrication of MEMS-based CGO
6. Discover the relationship between the film thickness and the ability to excite different resonances in the material
7. Designed different new acoustofluidic separation devices