M.Sc. projects

Soft robots are a new kind of robots made of elastomers. Most soft robots rely on fluidic actuators, due to their robustness, large deformations and versatility. Current fluidic actuators are driven by an external pump that pushes the fluid.
We are developing a novel class of electrically-driven fluidic actuators: fluidic muscles that contract and expand responding to an applied voltage. Applications are numerous, ranging from mobile soft robots to wearables.
The master project will be focused on developing of the electrostatic actuators in a multi-layer format.

Bioresorbable materials, materials that can safely dissolve and be metabolized in the body, have recently gained interest for the development of medical implants for monitoring, stimulation or regeneration. Indeed, in certain cases, it is desirable for an implant to have only transient operation and disappear in time, for example for post-operative monitoring. In this project, we aim to develop smart transient implants made of soft and conformable materials, to sense physiological signals and detect bioanalytes. To this end, we apply additive manufacturing techniques, i.e. printing, to pattern functional materials, for their processing at low temperature and make the production of personalized implants possible, to address patient-specific needs.

We are currently developing an additive manufacturing platform to produce functional transient electronic devices. The project that is proposed entails the development of biocompatible sensors to detect physiological signals (temperature, pressure, ions and metabolytes concentrations) on degradable substrates. Depending on the interest of the student, focus can be given to materials and printing development for bioresorbable electically films and substrates, fabrication and characterization of electronic and sensing transient devices, design and architectures for deformable implants and their mechanical testing.

Currently, most wireless IoT devices and data loggers used for sensing rely on environmentally-harmful batteries and silicon chips. To bypass the need of those non-recyclable elements, the trend is shifting towards remote power coupling and chipless RFID strategies. In the frame of the SNF-Bridge project GreenSpack, we are developing very low-cost eco-friendly sensing tags made by the additive manufacturing of biodegradable materials on paper. These tags aim at monitoring and ensuring the quality of perishable goods, food, medicine, blood, organs, vaccines, during their transport. At their end of life, these tags could be recycled or safely disposed not being harmful to the environment.

In this student project, work will be performed on developing biodegradable wireless resonating elements for sensing applications. Depending on the interest of the student, the project can include the design and fabrication of the RF and sensing elements, the development and testing of biodegradable and their additive manufacturing, as well as the characterisation of the sensors and the RF resonators. The sensors will be developed for application at high frequency (GHz) with the wireless monitoring of environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity.

We are developing printed single use biosensors that can be disposed in an environmental friendly way by using biodegradable and biocompatible materials. These radio-frequency (RF) sensors are implemented using a chipless configuration (no silicon chip) and are bio-functionalised for the detection of relevant physiological biomarkers in different body fluids, i.e blood, saliva, sweat.

The technology platform is composed of a zinc biodegradable conductive ink that can be patterned to form the RF transducing element on cellulosic (paper) or bio-polymeric substrates. A specific bio-functionalisation needs to be applied for the selective analyte detection. The goal of this project is to apply the technology available to develop eco-friendly disposable biosensors.

Different aspects of the sensor’s development could be addressed in the frame of a semester or master project; Design and fabrication by printing of the transducers on eco-friendly substrates, Bio-functionalisation of the transducers for target analytes, Characterisation of the biosensors, RF design and read-out for a wireless implementation.

As the world moves further into the Internet of Things era, the need for eco-friendly electronics increases. While biodegradable conductors and insulators are well studied, the field of green piezoelectrics is lacking – particularly in the development of eco-friendly processing methods. Filling this gap opens the door for a whole new range of green electronics – printed sensors, actuators, and energy generators that were previously inaccessible. Here we are developing fully biodegradable microsystems fabricated entirely using green additive manufacturing methods.

We are presently developing screen- and inkjet-printable biodegradable functional inks, conducting, insulator, piezoelectric,  working to optimize inks for printability and compatibility with the biodegradable substrate. This includes developing inks that are processed at the low temperatures needed for compatiblity with eco-friendly paper and biopolymers, and developing post-treatments to improve the printed material’s properties.

The student will work at the LMTS laboratory in Neuchâtel to develop the materials and functions needed to achieve a fully green microsystem. The student will work to optimize ink formulations, determine curing conditions, and fabricate appropriate test setups for producing functional devices.

This project consists in the development of flexible and printed biosensors that can be easily interfaced with bio-fluids. These will be fabricated exploiting state-of-the-art printing technologies such as inkjet and aerosol jet printing. The project focuses on the fabrication of highly sensitive biosensors named organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), with specific bio-functionalization (such as enzymes and antibodies) for achieving selectivity in the detection. OECTs are three terminal devices, similar to conventional transistors, with source, drain, gate electrodes, and an organic channel (such as PEDOT:PSS) between source and drain. For operating, an electrolyte solution connecting the gate and the channel should be present. Once a potential between the gate and the source is applied, the current passing in the organic layer is modulated. Developing OECTs on flexible substrates are highly demanding for wearable and implantable biomedical applications. Bio-functionalization of the sensors will be performed for the detection of different biomarkers relevant for health-care and sport applications, such as glucose, lactate, and creatinine. The printed transistors will be tested electrically in presence of the analyte to be detected in solution.