Youngsu Lee

Tactile-direction-sensitive and stretchable electronic skins based on human-skin-inspired interlocked microstructures.

Stretchable electronic skins with multidirectional force-sensing capabilities are of great importance in robotics, prosthetics, and rehabilitation devices. Inspired by the interlocked microstructures found in epidermal-dermal ridges in human skin, piezoresistive interlocked microdome arrays are employed for stress-direction-sensitive, stretchable electronic skins. Here we show that these arrays possess highly sensitive detection capability of various mechanical stimuli including normal, shear, stretching, bending, and twisting forces. Furthermore, the unique geometry of interlocked microdome arrays enables the differentiation of various mechanical stimuli because the arrays exhibit different levels of deformation depending on the direction of applied forces, thus providing different sensory output patterns. In addition, we show that the electronic skins attached on human skin in the arm and wrist areas are able to distinguish various mechanical stimuli applied in different directions and can selectively monitor different intensities and directions of air flows and vibrations.

Large-Area Cross-Aligned Silver Nanowire Electrodes for Flexible, Transparent, and Force-Sensitive Mechanochromic Touch Screens

Silver nanowire (AgNW) networks are considered to be promising structures for use as flexible transparent electrodes for various optoelectronic devices. One important application of AgNW transparent electrodes is the flexible touch screens. However, the performances of flexible touch screens are still limited by the large surface roughness and low electrical to optical conductivity ratio of random network AgNW electrodes. In addition, although the perception of writing force on the touch screen enables a variety of different functions, the current technology still relies on the complicated capacitive force touch sensors. This paper demonstrates a simple and high-throughput bar-coating assembly technique for the fabrication of large-area (>20 × 20 cm2), highly cross-aligned AgNW networks for transparent electrodes with the sheet resistance of 21.0 Ω sq-1 at 95.0% of optical transmittance, which compares favorably with that of random AgNW networks (sheet resistance of 21.0 Ω sq-1 at 90.4% of optical transmittance). As a proof of concept demonstration, we fabricate flexible, transparent, and force-sensitive touch screens using cross-aligned AgNW electrodes integrated with mechanochromic spiropyran-polydimethylsiloxane composite film. Our force-sensitive touch screens enable the precise monitoring of dynamic writings, tracing and drawing of underneath pictures, and perception of handwriting patterns with locally different writing forces. The suggested technique provides a robust and powerful platform for the controllable assembly of nanowires beyond the scale of conventional fabrication techniques, which can find diverse applications in multifunctional flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Octopus-Inspired Smart Adhesive Pads for Transfer Printing of Semiconducting Nanomembranes

By mimicking muscle actuation to control cavity-pressure-induced adhesion of octopus suckers, smart adhesive pads are developed in which the thermoresponsive actuation of a hydrogel layer on elastomeric microcavity pads enables excellent switchable adhesion in response to a thermal stimulus (maximum adhesive strength: 94 kPa, adhesion switching ratio: ≈293 for temperature change between 22 and 61 °C).

Broadband omnidirectional light detection in flexible and hierarchical ZnO/Si heterojunction photodiodes

The development of flexible photodetectors has received great attention for future optoelectronic applications including flexible image sensors, biomedical imaging, and smart, wearable systems. Previously, omnidirectional photodetectors were only achievable by integration of a hemispherical microlens assembly on multiple photodetectors. Herein, a hierarchical photodiode design of ZnO nanowires (NWs) on honeycomb-structured Si (H-Si) membranes is demonstrated to exhibit excellent omnidirectional light-absorption ability and thus maintain high photocurrents over broad spectral ranges (365 to 1,100 nm) for wide incident angles (0° to 70°), which enabled broadband omnidirectional light detection in flexible photodetectors. Furthermore, the stress-relieving honeycomb pattern within the photodiode micromembranes provided photodetectors with excellent mechanical flexibility (10% decrease in photocurrent at a bending radius of 3 mm) and durability (minimal change in photocurrent over 10,000 bending cycles). When employed in semiconductor thin films, the hierarchical NW/honeycomb heterostructure design acts as an efficient platform for various optoelectronic devices requiring mechanical flexibility and broadband omnidirectional light detection.

Vacuum-induced wrinkle arrays of InGaAs semiconductor nanomembranes on polydimethylsiloxane microwell arrays.

Tunable surface morphology in III-V semiconductor nanomembranes provides opportunities to modulate electronic structures and light interactions of semiconductors. Here, we introduce a vacuum-induced wrinkling method for the formation of ordered wrinkles in InGaAs nanomembranes (thickness, 42 nm) on PDMS microwell arrays as a strategy for deterministic and multidirectional wrinkle engineering of semiconductor nanomembranes. In this approach, a vacuum-induced pressure difference between the outer and inner sides of the microwell patterns covered with nanomembranes leads to bulging of the nanomembranes at the predefined microwells, which, in turn, results in stretch-induced wrinkle formation of the nanomembranes between the microwells. The direction and geometry of the nanomembrane wrinkles are well controlled by varying the PDMS modulus, depth, and shape of microwells, and the temperature during the transfer printing of nanomembrane onto heterogeneous substrates. The wrinkling method shown here can be applied to other semiconductor nanomembranes and may create an important platform to realize unconventional electronic devices with tunable electronic properties.

Occurrence of Sweet-potato Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Its Response to Insecticide in Gyeonggi Area

This study investigated the occurrence of sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci affecting cucumber, eggplant and red pepper, as well as sweet potato species, and its response to insecticides in Gyeonggi province from 2010 to 2011. Sweet potato whitefly is widespread throughout the southern part of Gyeonggi province. Most regional populations of B. tabaci belong to biotype Q having been reported in the south Korea since 2005, but in Goyang mixed populations of two biotypes (B and Q) were found. Survey results of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) disease that was vectored by B. tabaci indicated that this virus disease was not spread throughout the Gyeonggi province. Biotype Q of B. tabaci was found to be resistant to neonicotinoid insecticides, whereas biotype B was highly susceptible to them.

Spin injection and detection in In0.53Ga0.47As nanomembrane channels transferred onto Si substrates

We investigate the electrical spin injection and detection in In0.53Ga0.47As nanomembranes, which are originally grown on InP substrates and subsequently heterogeneously integrated on SiO2/Si substrates via a transfer printing technique. Through local and nonlocal spin valve measurements employing the In0.53Ga0.47As nanomembrane channels on SiO2/Si substrates, we successfully observe the electrical detection of spin injection from Ni81Fe19 ferromagnetic metal electrodes into the channels. Furthermore, nonlocal spin valve signals are detected up to T = 300 K without mixing with anisotropic magnetoresistance, which is evidently verified by observing a memory effect.

Economic Injury Level of the Striped Cabbage Flea Beetle, Phyllotreta striolata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on Chinese Cabbage

This study was conducted to determine the economic injury levels and control thresholds for the striped cabbage flea beetle, Phyllotreta striolata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on Chinese cabbage at two different planting times. The number of inoculated adults per 10 cabbages was 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 at the early developmental stage of the cabbage5 days after planting) and 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 at the middle developmental stage (30 days after planting). Damages to the leaves at the first inoculation were 2.5-21.1% and at the second inoculation were 1.8-26.3% after harvesting. The linear relationships between population density and yield reduction were as follows: Y