March 23, 2021
Keio University
Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology
A joint research group, including Professor Norihisa Miki of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University; Hiroki Yasuga, then a student in the Doctoral Programs at the Graduate School of Science and Technology at the same university (currently a special researcher at Ochanomizu University and a visiting researcher at Keio University); the Artificial Cell Membrane Systems Group (Group Leader: Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo) of the Research and Development Department at the Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology; and Professor Wouter van der Wijngaart of the Division of Micro and Nanosystems at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, has reported that it is possible to create 3D structures composed of microscale (one-thousandth of a millimeter) microfluids by using the interfacial energy between immiscible fluids (such as water and oil) as a driving force.
Specifically, this phenomenon involves sequentially passing two immiscible fluids through a specific lattice structure, which causes microdroplets to be generated and arranged in a three-dimensional and periodic manner. By utilizing this phenomenon, it is possible to construct materials with an extremely large fluidic interface per unit volume, and the group has demonstrated its application in soft actuator materials, 3D tissue-like materials, and microencapsulation technology for human cells. The phenomenon and technology discovered in this study are expected to contribute to the development of novel materials that can be used in a wide range of fields, including smart materials, photonic crystals, medicine, and biomimetics.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the British scientific journal "Nature Physics" on March 22, 2021 (GMT/UTC+0000).
Please see below for the full press release.