title: Micromachined fragment capturer for biomedical applications.
abstract: Due to changes in modern diet, a form of heart disease called chronic total occlusion has become a serious disease to be treated as an emergency. In this study, we propose a micromachined capturer that is designed and fabricated to collect plaque fragments generated during surgery to remove the thrombus. The fragment capturer consists of a plastic body made by rapid prototyping, SU-8 mesh structures using MEMS techniques, and ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators. An array of IPMC actuators combined with the SU-8 net structure was optimized to effectively collect plaque fragments. The evaporation of solvent through the actuator's surface was prevented using a coating of SU-8 and polydimethylsiloxane thin film on the actuator. This approach improved the available operating time of the IPMC, which primarily depends on solvent loss. Our preliminary results demonstrate the possibility of using the capturer for biomedical applications.
authors: MEMS and Nanotechnology Laboratory, School of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbong, Buk, Gwangju 500-757, South Korea.
authors: Young-Soo
authors: YS
authors: Choi
authors: Dong-Weon
authors: DW
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D055616:Microtechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000601:surgery; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D011108:Polymers; C520895:SU-8 compound; C013830:baysilon