Jae Sung Yoon

Automated lipid membrane formation using a polydimethylsiloxane film for ion channel measurements.

A black lipid membrane (BLM) is a powerful platform for studying the electrophysiology of cell membranes as well as transmembrane proteins. However, BLMs have disadvantages in terms of stability, accessibility, and transportability, which preclude their industrial applications. To resolve these issues, frozen membrane precursor (MP) was devised to improve the transportability and storability of BLMs. As described previously, MP is a storable and transportable platform that can be delivered to the point-of-use, where BLMs are automatically formed upon thawing at room temperature. However, MP has an inconsistent thinning-out time, ranging from 30 min to 24 h, as well as a low success rate of BLM formation (~27%), which make it undesirable for practical use. In our study, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was introduced as a replacement for conventionally used Teflon film to control thinning-out time. As such, we used a PDMS thin-film, a porous-structured hydrophobic polymer, and squalene, a high viscosity solvent, to facilitate membrane formation, whereas the absorption rates of solvents were controlled to achieve consistent BLM formation time. We successfully reduced thinning-out time down to <1 h as well as enhanced the success rate of BLM formation to greater than 80%. Moreover, we demonstrated the feasibility of our platform for use in drug screening using gramicidin A and guanidine.

Nano sand filter with functionalized nanoparticles embedded in anodic aluminum oxide templates

Since the ancient Egyptians had used sand as filter media for water purification, its principle has been inherited through generations and it is still being used now in industries. The sand filter consists of sand literally, and the voids within the sand bed are the pores for filtration. Here we present a filtration principle using nanoparticles, so that the voids between the nanoparticles can be considered as effective pores in nanoscale dimension. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane has been used as the working template, and the nanoparticles have been injected and embedded within the pores of the AAO template. Nanoparticles with multiple sizes have been used in order to obtain smaller voids. Moreover, the nanoparticles have been functionalized, or electrically charged, with arginine/phenylalanine (RF) peptide group. In this way, filtration performance for charged particles or molecules, such as methylene blue, has been enhanced. Consequently, this study is expected to provide a new principle for fabrication of nano voids, or nano pores, and for filtration in nanoscale dimension.

A study on arrangement characteristics of microparticles in sedimentation on flat and round substrates

Recent advances of microfabrication techniques have enabled diverse structures and devices on the microscale. This fabrication method using microparticles is one of the most promising technologies because it can provide a cost effective process for large areas. So, many researchers are studying modulation and manipulation of the microparticles in solution to obtain a proper arrangement. However, the microparticles are in sedimentation status during the process in many cases, which makes it difficult to control their arrangement. In this study, droplets containing microparticles were placed on a substrate with minimal force and we investigated the arrangement of these microparticles after evaporation of the liquid. Experiments have been performed with upward and downward substrates to change the direction of gravity. The geometry of substrates was also changed, which were flat or round. The results show that the arrangement depends on the size of particles and gravity and geometry of the substrate. The arr...

Wetting characteristics of the anodic aluminum oxide template and fabrication of cracks using ultraviolet curable resin solution

We have investigated the wetting characteristics of the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template with ultraviolet curable polymer resin. The wettability of the template depends on the pore size on the surface, where it is improved with smaller pores and vice versa. Plasma treatment on the surface of the template is used to improve the wettability and the adhesion of the cured polymer to the template. And we also introduce the cracks on the polymer layer for possible application as nano-sized cavities. The resin within the pore is cleaved during the curing process so that cavities or cracks could be made which are much smaller than the original pores of the AAO template.

An Experimental Investigation on the Fabrication of Microlens Array Using Meniscus of Photoresist

This study investigates a fabrication process for microlens and its array. This process is based on the capillary attraction of liquid photoresist, which is trapped within the round holes on the silicon substrate. When the photoresist is spin-coated on the surface of silicon wafer, where round holes or pits have been made in advance, concave meniscuses are made in the holes or pits. Therefore, microlens array can be made by replication of the surface of the photoresist after it is solidified. The geometry of the microlens depends on the spin speed, viscosity of the photoresist and the size of the holes. In this study, the variation of the geometry of the microlens is investigated with various diameters of the holes for different spin speed.© 2013 ASME

Fabrication of curved micro structures on photoresist layer

A novel fabrication process for micro patterns with curvature was introduced. The curved structures were made by compensating rectangular micro structures with liquid photoresist layer. Because of the surface tension of the liquid in micro scale, various shapes of meniscus can be made on the micro channels. The micro channels were made on the silicon substrate in advance, and then the liquid layer was coated on the micro channels. From the nature of liquid behavior, the curved patterns with smooth surface are obtained, which cannot be made easily with the conventional mechanical machining, as well as with the microfabrication processes, such as wet and dry etching. With this principle, it is expected that the smooth and curved surfaces can be made by simple processes and the results can be applied widely, such as optical patterns.