Controlling and Exploiting Self-Assembly of Micro/ Nanosystems using Microdroplets

Grégory Mermoud, Swarm-Intelligent Systems Group, EPFL/IC/ISC/GR-MA, Lausanne

Abstract: Fabrication of nano- to millimeter-sized devices holds great promise for the future of integrated systems with an unprecedented degree of complexity and miniaturization. However, manipulation and assembly of very small objects pose a series of challenges owing to the nature of the interactions involved at these length scales. Although self-assembly of nonmolecular components is a promising approach to the fabrication of future integrated systems, there have been only a few investigations toward this direction. In this project, we focus on the "rooms in the middle", i.e. self-assembly of components ranging from 5 nanometers to 5 micrometers in size. In particular, we endeavor to investigate the mechanisms offered by micrometer-sized liquid droplets for mediating and controlling self-assembly across scales.

About the speaker: Grégory Mermoud received M.Sc. (2006) degree in Computer Science from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). His research interests include self-assembly and self-organization in complex multi-unit systems, with a particular emphasis on methodological and modeling frameworks for controlling such systems. In his master thesis, he investigated agent-based modeling of chemical self-assembling systems under the joint supervision of Prof. Alcherio Martinoli, head of the Swarm Intelligent Systems Group (SWIS), and Prof. Kay Severin, head of the Laboratory of Supramolecular Chemistry (LCS). Then, he started to work on a multidisciplinary project entitled "A Methodology for Controlling and Exploiting Self-Assembly Across Length-Scales", funded by the Centre SI at EPFL, under the joint supervision of Prof. Alcherio Martinoli and Prof. Juergen Brugger, head of the Laboratory of Microsystems and Nanoengineering.

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