Towards Smart Motile Autonomous Robotic Tubular Systems (S.M.A.R.T.S)

The development of synthetic life once envisioned by Feynman and Flynn many decades ago has stimulated significant research in materials science, biology, neuroscience, robotics, and computer science. The cross-disciplinary effort and advanced technologies in soft miniature robotics have addressed some of the significant challenges of actuation, sensing, and subsystem integration. An ideal Soft motile miniaturised robot (SMMRs) has innovative applications on a small scale, for instance, drug delivery to environmental remediation. Such a system demands smart integration of micro/nano components such as engines, actuators, sensors, controllers, and power supplies, making it possible to implement complex missions controlled wirelessly. Such an autonomous SMMR spans over multiple science and technology disciplines and requires innovative microsystem design and materials. Over the past decade, tremendous efforts have been made towards mastering one of such a SMMR's essential components: micro-engine. Chemical fuels and magnetic fields have been employed to power the micro-engines. However, it was realized seven years ago in work of TU-Chemnitz Professorship of Material Systems in Nanoelectronics and institute of investigative Nanosciences Leibniz IFW Dresden including Chemnitz side. Write explicitly that it is essential to combine the micro-engine with other functional microelectronic components to create an individually addressable smart and motile microsystem. This PhD work summarises the progress in designing and developing a novel flexible and motile soft micro autonomous robotic tubular systems (SMARTS) different from the well-studied single-tube catalytic micro-engines and other reported micromotors. Our systems incorporate polymeric nanomembranes fabricated by photolithography and rolled-up nanotechnology, which provide twin-tube structures and a spacious platform between the engines used to integrate onboard electronics. Energy can be wirelessly transferred to the catalytic tubular engine, allowing control over the SMARTS direction. Furthermore, to have more functionality onboard, a micro-robotic arm was integrated with remote triggering ability by inductive heating. To make the entire system smart, it is necessary to develop an onboard processor. However, the use of conventional Si technology is technically challenging due to the high thermal processes. We developed complex integrated circuits (IC) using novel single crystal-like organic and ZnO-based transistors to overcome this issue. Furthermore, a novel fabrication methodology that combines with six primary components of an autonomous system, namely motion, structure, onboard energy, processor, actuators, and sensors to developing novel SMARTSs, is being pursued and discussed.:List of acronyms 8 Chapter 1. Introduction 12 1.1 Motivation 14 1.2 Objectives 17 1.3 Thesis structure 18 Chapter 2. Building blocks of micro synthetic life 19 2.1 Soft structure 20 2.1.1 Polymorphic adaptability 20 2.1.2 Dynamic reconfigurability 20 2.1.3 Continuous motion 21 2.2 Locomotion 21 2.2.1 Aquatic 22 2.2.2 State-of-the-art aquatic SMMR 24 2.2.3 State-of-the-art terrestrial SMMR 25 2.2.4 State-of-the-art aerial SMMR 27 2.3 Onboard sensing 28 2.3.1 State-of-the-art 3D and flexible sensors systems 28 2.4 Onboard actuation 30 2.4.1 State-of-the-art actuators 30 2.5 Embedded onboard intelligence 32 2.5.1 State-of-the-art flexible integrated circuits 32 2.6 Onboard energy 33 2.6.1 State-of-the-art micro energy storage 34 2.6.2 State-of-the-art onboard energy harvesting SMMR 35 Chapter 3. Technology overview 38 3.1 Structure 38 3.1.1 Self-assembled “swiss-roll” architectures 40 3.1.2 Polymeric “swiss-roll” architectures 41 3.2 Motion: micro tubes as propulsion engines 44 3.2.1 Chemical engines 44 3.3 Embedded onboard intelligence 46 3.3.1 Thin film transistor 46 3.3.2 Basic characteristics of MOSFETs 48 3.4 Growth dynamics of organic single crystal films 51 3.4.1 Thin films growth dynamics 52 3.5 Powering SMARTSs 55 3.5.1 Onboard energy storage 56 3.5.2 Wireless power delivery 59 3.6 Integrable micro-arm 63 3.6.1 Stimuli-responsive actuator 63 3.6.2 Remote activation 64 Chapter 4. Fabrication and characterization 65 4.1 Thin film fabrication technology 65 4.1.1 Photolithography 65 4.1.2 E-beam deposition 68 4.1.3 Sputtering 69 4.1.4 Physical vapour deposition 70 4.1.5 Atomic layer deposition 71 4.1.6 Ion beam etching 72 4.2 Characterization methods 73 4.2.1 Atomic force microscopy 73 4.2.2 Scanning electron microscopy 74 4.2.3 Cyclic voltammetry 75 4.2.4 Galvanic charge discharge 77 4.2.5 Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy 78 Chapter 5. Development of soft micro autonomous robotic tubular systems (SMARTS) 81 5.1 Soft, flexible and robust polymeric platform 82 5.2 Locomotion of SMARTS 84 5.2.1 Assembly of polymeric tubular jet engines 84 5.2.2 Catalytic self-propulsion of soft motile microsystem 85 5.2.3 Propulsion power generated by the catalyst reaction 87 5.3 Onboard energy for SMARTS 89 5.3.1 Onboard wireless energy 90 5.3.2 Onboard ‘zero-pitch’ micro receiver coil 90 5.3.3 Evaluation of the micro receiver coil 91 5.4 Onboard energy storage 92 5.4.1 Fabrication of nano-biosupercapacitors 93 5.4.2 Electrochemical performance of “Swiss-roll” nBSC 97 5.4.3 Self-discharge performance and Bio enhancement: 98 5.4.4 Electrochemical and structural life time performance 100 5.4.5 Performance under physiologically conditions 101 5.4.6 Electrolyte temperature and flow dependent performance 102 5.4.7 Performance under hemodynamic conditions 105 5.4.8 Biocompatibility of nBSCs 105 5.5 Wireless powering and autarkic operation of SMARTS 108 5.5.1 Remote activation of an onboard IR-LED 108 5.5.2 Wireless locomotion of SMARTS 109 5.5.3 Effect of magnetic moment on SMARTS locomotion 111 5.5.4 Full 2D wireless locomotion control of SMARTS 112 5.5.5 Self-powered monolithic pH sensor system 114 5.6 Onboard remote actuation 119 5.6.1 Fabrication of integrable micro-arm 120 5.6.2 Remote actuation of integrable micro-arm 122 5.7 Flexibility of SMARTS 122 5.8 Onboard integrated electronics 123 5.9 Onboard organic electronics 124 5.9.1 Growth of BTBT-T6 as active semiconductor material 125 5.9.2 Confined Growth of BTBT-T6 to form Single-Crystal-Like Domain 128 5.9.3 Fabrication of OFET based on Single-Crystal-Like BTBT-T6 129 5.9.4 Carrier injection optimization 132 5.9.5 Performance of single-crystal-like BTBT-T6-OFET 133 5.10 Onboard flexible metal oxide electronics 136 5.10.1 Fabrication flexible ZnO TFT 138 5.10.2 Performance of ZnO TFT 139 5.10.3 Flexible integrated circuits 140 5.10.4 Logic gates 140 Chapter 6. Summary 142 Chapter 7. Conclusion and outlook 144 References 147 List of Figures & tables 173 Versicherung 177 Acknowledgement 178 Research achievements 180 Research highlight 183 Cover pages 184 Theses 188 Curriculum-vitae 19