Kazuhiko Higashi

Micropatterning of Silica Nanoparticles by Electrospray Deposition through a Stencil Mask

This article describes the local deposition, or micropatterning, of silica nanoparticles (NPs) using an electrospray method with a stencil mask. The proposed technique can be carried out in a single step at room temperature and atmospheric pressure under dry conditions, allowing it to be used with water- or vacuum-sensitive materials, and leading to cost reductions and high throughput. An evaluation of the patterning accuracy using a 20 µm thick mask showed that for patterns with line widths greater than 50 µm, the pattern was reproduced with an accuracy greater than 95%. When silver NPs were preferably deposited on the silica NPs using a modified silver mirror reaction, they were found to exhibit strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering effects. The proposed process is readily applicable to the development of high-performance micro total analysis systems.

Development of hydrogel microtubes for microbe culture in open environment

This paper describes a microbe culture system in an open environment using hydrogel microtubes. In recent years, oil production microbes, such as Aurantiochytrium, have been found and are studied to produce fuels of new age instead of fossil fuels. Biomass production by microbes is promising, where scale-up, collection of the products and competition against other microbes are the most important challenges. Here, we propose to use hydrogel microtubes to encapsulate, culture, and protect microbes. The tubes can be micro- and mass-fabricated. They allow oxygen and nutrition to go through while they prevent competitive microbes from intruding inside. The microbes and byproducts can be collected together with the tubes. In this paper, we demonstrate the proof-of-concepts experiments: we fabricated hydrogel micro tubes and cultured Coryne glutamicum which produce lactic acid inside the tubes. The microbes were increased inside the tubes and protected even when competitive microbes existed in the culture media. Furthermore, we demonstrated how to collect microbes inside the tubes.

Electrospray formation of ring-shaped silica nanoparticles

Electrospray is one of the processes employed for the production of silica nanoparticles (NPs). We have experimentally determined that not only spherical but also ring-shaped NPs can be manufactured by electrospray, and that the shape of the NPs is dependent on ambient humidity and the substrate on which the NPs are deposited. Although the effect of humidity that reflects the evaporation characteristics of the suspension during flight has been reported, we have experimentally determined that the affinity of the sol suspension and the substrate play a crucial role in the formation of torus silica NPs.

Hollow Hydrogel Microfiber Encapsulating Microorganisms for Mass-Cultivation in Open Systems

Open cultivation systems to monoculture microorganisms are promising for the commercialization of low-value commodities because they reduce the cultivation cost. However, contamination from biological pollutants frequently impedes the process. Here we propose a cultivation method using hollow hydrogel microfibers encapsulating microorganisms. Due to the pore size, hydrogels allow nutrients and waste to pass through while preventing invading microorganisms from entering the microfiber. Experimental cultivation shows the growth of target bacteria inside the alginate hydrogel microfiber during exposure to invading bacteria. The membrane thickness of the microfiber greatly affects the bacterial growth due to changes in membrane permeability. The enhancement of mechanical toughness is also demonstrated by employing a double-network hydrogel for long-term cultivation. The hollow hydrogel microfiber has the potential to become a mainstream solution for mass-cultivation of microorganisms in an open system.

Microfluidic mass production system for hydrogel microtubes for microbial culture

In this study, we characterize the formation of hydrogel microtubes for microbial culture formed using a mass production system. We demonstrated microbial culture using hydrogel microtubes, which can protect the target microorganism inside from competitive microorganisms outside while they allow oxygen, nutrition, and byproducts to diffuse through. The hydrogel microtubes can be produced using a microfluidic device, but the scale-up of microtube production is crucial for practical applications. We propose and develop a fluidic system that can produce multiple microtubes in parallel. We experimentally characterized the microtube formation using the device and demonstrated microbial culture in the microtubes. Tube thickness was found to be a critical parameter for the culture.

Micro-tube mass production device for microbial culture

This paper describes mass production system of micro-tubes for microbial culture in an open environment. Microbes are used in many fields, such as food, medicine, environmental and energy. We proposed a microbe culture system using hydrogel micro-tubes, which can protect the target microbes inside from competitive microbes outside of the tubes while allow oxygen and nutrition to diffuse through. The hydrogel micro-tubes can be produced by a microfluidic device, which can precisely control the flow and therefore, the tube geometry. For practical applications of the micro-tube-based microbial culture, one of the biggest challenges is the scale-up of the micro-tube-based culture system, or mass production of the tubes. We developed a fluidic system that can produce multiple micro-tubes in parallel. We characterized the mass-produced micro channels and verified the effectiveness of the system.

Microbial production inside microfabricated hydrogel microtubes

Biomass production by microbes is promising, where scale-up, competition against other microbes, and collection of the products are the major challenges. Here, we propose to use microtubes to encapsulate, protect, and culture microbes. Tubes can be micro- and mass-fabricated and prevent competitive microbes from intruding inside. The byproducts can be collected together with the tubes. In this paper, we demonstrate the proof-of-concepts experiments: we fabricated hydrogel microtube and cultured lactic acid producing microbes inside. The microbes increased and produced lactic acid, which was later successfully collected with the microtubes. This concept can be readily further expanded to biomass microbial production.

Triple-coaxial flow for continuous production of microtubes containing microbes for bioremediation

This paper describes a microfluidic device to continuously produce a hydrogel microtube using triple-coaxial flow. In our prior work, double-coaxial flow was used to produce hydrogel microtubes, though continuous and mass production was a challenge. In this work, we also demonstrate bioremediation using the microtubes that encapsulate microbial suspension. The microenvironment created by the microtubes enabled efficient purification of aqueous sample solution and in addition, the microbes are maintained inside the microtube and are easily collected without contaminating the solution. The proposed technology can be applied to any types of microbes and can be of great benefit for various microbial processes.

Development of a Triple-Coaxial Flow Device for Fabricating a Hydrogel Microtube and Its Application to Bioremediation

This paper demonstrates a triple-coaxial flow device to continuously produce a hydrogel microtube using a microfluidic technique. The hydrogel microtube can encapsulate a microbial suspension, while allowing the diffusion of oxygen and nutrients into the microtube and preventing microbes from passing into or out of the microtube. The microtubes also enable the collection of the microbes after task completion without contaminating the environment. In our previous study, we used a double-coaxial flow device to produce the microtubes, but continuous production was a challenge. In the present study, we developed a microfluidic device that fabricates a triple-coaxial flow to enable continuous production of the microtubes. Here, we characterize the production capacity of the microtubes along with their properties and demonstrate bioremediation using microtubes encapsulating a microbial suspension.

Hydrogel Fiber Cultivation Method for Forming Bacterial Cellulose Microspheres

Forming microspheres or microbeads from nanofibrous materials has recently attracted research interest for their applications in various fields, because these structures greatly impact cellular behaviors and functions. However, conventional methods of preparing microspheres or microbeads have limitations, such as limited variety of material. Here, we propose a new fabrication process for forming a nanofibrous microsphere composed of bacterial cellulose (BC), which is synthesized through fermentation by specific bacteria. The process uses a hydrogel fiber containing spherical cavities. The bacteria encapsulated into the cavities produce BC, resulting in the formation of BC microspheres. Because of its simplicity, robustness, and cost-effectiveness, this process is promising for applications, such as in biochemical engineering and cell delivery systems.