Browsing by Subject "3D printing"
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Item Open Access 3D-printed, implantable alginate/CuS nanoparticle scaffolds for local tumor treatment via synergistic photothermal, photodynamic, and chemodynamic therapy(American Chemical Society, 2023-09-08) Çolak, B.; Cihan, M. C.; Ertaş, Yavuz NuriA promising method for treating cancer is localized therapy, which mainly employs hydrogel-based delivery systems. Recently, the capability of 3D printing techniques has been revealed as a promising tool to tackle cancer. In this work, alginate (Alg)-based 3D-printed implantable scaffolds containing bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles, Alg-CuS/BSA, were fabricated for local breast cancer therapy and applied to inhibit tumor development through utilizing synergistic photothermal, photodynamic, and chemodynamic effects. The Alg-CuS/BSA scaffolds were flexible; however, their modulus was significantly lower than that of human breast tissues. Under 808 nm irradiation, the scaffolds demonstrated efficient photothermal, photodynamic, and chemodynamic effects both in vitro and in vivo via improving photothermal transduction and singlet-oxygen formation, and also as Fenton catalysts, the scaffolds produced hydroxyl radicals in the presence of H2O2 within the tumor microenvironment. Without the use of conventional anticancer drugs, the promising tumor treatment of implanted scaffolds can offer potential applications in local cancer treatment and prevent metastasis after surgical removal of tumors.Item Open Access Compact Ka-band filter applications based on the multiple mode rectangular cavity(Bilkent University, 2017-05) Kelleci, CeyhunFilters based on multiple mode cavity resonator technique have the advantage of realizing a given filter function in a reduced volume and weight with the drawback of increased complexity. In order to decrease the dependence on electromagnetic analysis software and to gain a better insight on the physics of the structure, the multiple mode single rectangular cavityfilter structure is investigated with an analytical approach. Expressions are obtained for the modal frequency shifts and for the intermodal coupling due to various types of corner cuts. An algorithm is proposed predicting the physical dimensions of thefinal structure given the corresponding coupling matrix. Example designs are realized. The algorithm is able to determine the physical dimensions of the second and third-orderfilters within a few percent. The classical triple mode rectangular cavityfilter structure is altered to form a triplet. The new triplet structure can be arranged to result in either a lower or higher sideband transmission zero. An example Ka-Band design is fabricated with both machining and a novel 3D printing technology. The results are in agreement with the expectations. Thefilter structure is further tailored to allow integration to Ka-Band waveguide output microwave modules without significant increase in the module's volume requirement.Item Open Access Design, characterization, and applications of soft 3D printed strain gauges(Bilkent University, 2023-07) Özbek, DoğaThe development of soft sensors for integration into untethered miniature robots is significant for improving their environmental perception in physically challenging scenarios, such as collapsed buildings after an earthquake. The primary objective is to design and manufacture reliable soft sensors that serve as structural and sensing elements within the robots, eliminating the need for post-processing methods like data-driven learning and optimization. The soft sensors employ resistive sensing, similar to strain gauges, and are implemented on a Wheatstone bridge to convert resistive changes into voltage changes under me-chanical actuation or deformation. The study explores two categories of soft sensor designs: sheet-type and 3D shaped sensors. Sheet-type sensors are embedded in the C-legs of a soft quadruped robot (SQuad), enabling gait control, while 3D shaped sensors are structurally integrated into the robots to enhance environmental perception. Manufacturing of the soft sensors is made accessible and efficient through 3D printing technology, using conductive Thermoplastic Polyurethane (cTPU) as the printing material. Challenges arise in integrating the soft sensors into the robots while preserving their soft nature, locomotion, and agility. The thesis addresses these challenges by implementing the soft sensor concept in various robots and their parts, including the C-leg of SQuad, Modular Soft Quadruped (M-SQuad), Suspensionized Soft Quadruped (S-SQuad), Sensorized Collision Resilient Robot (SCoReR), and a tail for Reconfigurable Miniature Modular Robot (ReMBot). The soft sensors enable different functionalities to these robots, such as gait control feedback, obstacle detection, inclination detection, and collision detection, enhancing the adaptability of the robots in physically challenging environments. The thesis highlights the potential of soft 3D printed strain gauges. The ease of manufacturing and cost-efficiency of these sensors make them promising for applications in wearable robots and human-computer interfaces. Future directions are highlighted, emphasizing the need for detailed sensor characterization experiments and the development of detection algorithms to improve reliability. Additionally, a dynamic model of the coil-shaped sensors is proposed to simulate resistance changes, streamlining the design process without repetitive manufacturing iterations. As a result, this thesis presents a reliable soft sensor design, manufacturing, and integration into untethered miniature robots. The outcome of this work demonstrates the effectiveness of soft sensors in enhancing environmental perception, paving the way for innovative solutions in force measurement applications and human-computer interactions.Item Open Access Integration of glass micropipettes with a 3D printed aligner for microfluidic flow cytometer(Elsevier B.V., 2018) Bayram, A.; Serhatlıoğlu, Murat; Ortaç, Bülend; Demic, S.; Elbüken, Çağlar; Sen, M.; Solmaz, M. E.In this study, a facile strategy for fabricating a microfluidic flow cytometer using two glass micropipettes with different sizes and a 3D printed millifluidic aligner was presented. Particle confinement was achieved by hydrodynamic focusing using a single sample and sheath flow. Device performance was extracted using the forward and side-scattered optical signals obtained using fiber-coupled laser and photodetectors. The 3-D printing assisted glass capillary microfluidic device is ultra-low-cost, not labor-intensive and takes less than 10 min to fabricate. The present device offers a great alternative to conventional benchtop flow cytometers in terms of optofluidic configuration.Item Open Access Reconfigurable MRI coil technology can substantially reduce RF heating of deep brain stimulation implants: First in-vitro study of RF heating reduction in bilateral DBS leads at 1.5 T(Public Library of Science, 2019-08) Golestanirad, L.; Kazemivalipour, Ehsan; Keil, B.; Downs, S.; Kirsch, J.; Elahi, B.; Pilitsis, J.; Wald, L. L.Patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants can significantly benefit from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however access to MRI is restricted in these patients because of safety concerns due to RF heating of the leads. Recently we introduced a patient-adjustable reconfigurable transmit coil for low-SAR imaging of DBS at 1.5T. A previous simulation study demonstrated a substantial reduction in the local SAR around single DBS leads in 9 unilateral lead models. This work reports the first experimental results of temperature measurement at the tips of bilateral DBS leads with realistic trajectories extracted from postoperative CT images of 10 patients (20 leads in total). A total of 200 measurements were performed to record temperature rise at the tips of the leads during 2 minutes of scanning with the coil rotated to cover all accessible rotation angles. In all patients, we were able to find an optimum coil rotation angle and reduced the heating of both left and right leads to a level below the heating produced by the body coil. An average heat reduction of 65% was achieved for bilateral leads. When considering each lead alone, an average heat reduction of 80% was achieved. Our results suggest that reconfigurable coil technology introduces a promising approach for imaging of patients with DBS implants.Item Open Access Self-powered disposable prothrombin time measurement device with an integrated effervescent pump(Elsevier B.V., 2018) Güler, M. T.; Işıksaçan, Ziya; Serhatlıoğlu, Murat; Elbüken, ÇağlarCoagulation is an essential physiological activity initiated by the interaction of blood components for clot formation. Prothrombin time (PT) measurement is a clinical test for the assessment of the extrinsic/common pathways of coagulation cascade. Periodic measurement of PT is required under numerous conditions including cardiovascular disorders. We present a self-powered microfluidic device for quantitative PT measurement from 50 μl whole blood. The entire platform is disposable and does not require any external pumping, power, or readout units. It consists of a 3D-printed effervescent pump for CO2 generation from a chemical reaction, a cartridge for two-channel fluid flow (blood and water), and a grid for the quantification of fluid migration distance. Following the introduction of the fluids to the corresponding channel inlets, marking the coagulation start, an acid-base reaction is triggered for gas generation that drives the fluids within the channels. When the blood coagulates, its flow in the channel is halted. At that point, the distance water has travelled is measured using the grid. This distance correlates with PT as demonstrated through clinical tests with patient samples. This single-unit device has a potential for rapid evaluation and periodic monitoring of PT in the clinical settings and at the point-of-care.Item Open Access The universality of self-organisation: a path to an atom printer?(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023-04-07) Ilday, S.; Ilday, F. ÖmerMore than 30 years ago, Donald Eigler and Erhard Schweizer spelt the letters IBM by positioning 35 individual xenon atoms at 4 K temperature using a scanning tunnelling microscope. The arrangement took approximately 22 h. This was an outstanding demonstration of control over individual atoms. Since then, 3D printers developed into a near-ubiquitous technology. Nevertheless, with typical resolutions in the micrometres, they are far from the atomic scale of control that the IBM demonstration seemed to herald. Even the highest resolution achieved with ultrafast lasers driving two-photon polymerisation barely reaches 100 nm, three orders of magnitude distant from the atomic scale. Here, we adopt a long-term view when we ask about the possibility of a 3D atom printer, which can build an arbitrarily shaped object of macroscopic dimensions with control over its atomic structure at room temperature and within a reasonable amount of time. After discussing the state-of-the-art technology based on direct laser writing, we identify three fundamental challenges to overcome. The first is the fat fingers problem, which refers to laser wavelengths being much larger than the size of the atoms. The second one is complexity explosion, namely, the number of processing step scales with the inverse cube of the resolution, leading to prohibitively long processing times. The third challenge is the increasing strength of random fluctuations as the size of the smallest volume element to be printed approaches the atomic scale. This requires control over the fluctuations, which we call mischief of fluctuations. Although direct-writing techniques offer sufficient resolution, speed, and excellent flexibility for the mesoscopic scale, each of the three fundamental problems above appears enough to render the atomic scale unreachable. Each of these arise out of a need to control each atom individually and with precision. In contrast, the three challenges of direct writing are not fundamental limitations to self-organisation, this chapter proposes a potential path to a 3D atom printer, where laser-driven self-organisation can complement direct-writing techniques by bridging the atomic and mesoscopic scales.