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Polydimethylsiloxane films doped with NdFeB powder: magnetic characterization and potential applications in biomedical engineering and microrobotics

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Abstract

This work reports the fabrication, magnetic characterization and controlled navigation of film-shaped microrobots consisting of a polydimethylsiloxane-NdFeB powder composite material. The fabrication process relies on spin-coating deposition, powder orientation and permanent magnetization. Films with different powder concentrations (10 %, 30 %, 50 % and 70 % w/w) were fabricated and characterized in terms of magnetic properties and magnetic navigation performances (by exploiting an electromagnet-based platform). Standardized data are provided, thus enabling the exploitation of these composite materials in a wide range of applications, from MEMS/microrobot development to biomedical systems. Finally, the possibility to microfabricate free-standing polymeric structures and the biocompatibility of the proposed composite materials is demonstrated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Francesca Pignatelli for her support in sample magnetization. This work was supported in part by the GeT Small project (TarGeted Therapy at Small Scale), funded by the Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy) and by the Italian MIUR FIRB project “RINAME” (RBAP114AMK). The authors would also like to thank the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca (Lucca, Italy), for providing financial support for this study, in the framework of the SUAVES project (Artificial Urinary System based on bladder and sphincter endoprostheses).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale R. Piaggio 34, 56025, Pontedera, PI, Italy

    V. Iacovacci, G. Lucarini, P. Dario, L. Ricotti & A. Menciassi

  2. INSTM-LaMM c/o Dip.Chimica, Università di Firenze, via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019, Sesto F.no, FI, Italy

    C. Innocenti

  3. IENI, CNR, corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127, Padova, Italy

    N. Comisso

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  1. V. Iacovacci
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  2. G. Lucarini
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  3. C. Innocenti
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  4. N. Comisso
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  5. P. Dario
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  6. L. Ricotti
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  7. A. Menciassi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. Ricotti.

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V. Iacovacci and G. Lucarini equally contributed to this work.

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Iacovacci, V., Lucarini, G., Innocenti, C. et al. Polydimethylsiloxane films doped with NdFeB powder: magnetic characterization and potential applications in biomedical engineering and microrobotics . Biomed Microdevices 17, 112 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-015-0024-0

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