Lifeng Chi

Professor

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Foreign Member of Academia Europaea

College of Nano Science & Technology

Soochow University

China

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Title: to be announced

Harald Fuchs

Professor

Head

Physikalisches Institut and Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech)

Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster

Germany

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Title: Force Mediated Reactivity and Emergence in Low Dimensional Molecular Systems

Abstract: The development of sophisticated mechanical processing strategies laid the foundation in material sciences and technology to control not only the mechanical but also the electronic and optical properties of materials and devices to a previously unimaginable extent. Common to these strategies is the treatment of systems containing very large numbers of atoms or molecules being exposed to energy applied via extrinsic mechanical forces such as in ball mills. In this conventional mechanochemistry, macroscopic forces are used to modify the atomic or molecular arrangement in materials, and to break up or to form new chemical bonds. However, the local control and direct analysis of the reaction pathways and the energy injection at the individual chemical bond level at pre-defined atomic sites is inaccessible in this way. Here, we will focus on the occurrence of local intrinsic mechanical forces occurring at the atomic level by the interplay of individual molecules with metallic surfaces, and in the absence of any extrinsic forces. We found that this strategy can be used to generate emergent molecular properties as observed in the case of autonomously acting 2D swarm-like metal organic molecular systems acting cooperatively and resulting, for example, in the directed transport of nano-objects over mesoscopic distances.

Ricardo Garcia

Professor

Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM)

CSIC

Spain

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Title: Solid-Water Interfaces at the Molecular Scale

Abstract: This contribution introduces some recent advances of atomic force microscopy to imaging with angstrom-scale resolution the properties of several solid-liquid interfaces with relevance in materials for energy and molecular biology. The presentation is devoted to introduce and illustrate the capabilities of 3D-AFM to image with atomic-scale resolution the interfacial structure of surfaces immersed in aqueous solutions. Atomic-scale images of interfacial water on graphite, 2D materials, self-assembled monolayers and collagen nanoribbons will be presented.  

Julia Gorelik

Professor

National Heart and Lung Institute

Imperial College London

UK

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Title: to be announced

Peter Hinterdorfer

Professor

Institute for Biophysik

Group Leader Atomic Force Microscopy

Johannes Kepler University Linz

Austria

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Title: Distinct Binding Mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Variants Leads to Enhanced Infectivity and Viral Transmission

Abstract: Recent waves of COVID-19 correlate with the emergence of the Delta and the Omicron variant. In this study, we combined high-speed atomic force microscopy with single molecule recognition force spectroscopy to investigate, at single molecule resolution, the interaction dynamics of trimeric Spike with its essential entry receptor ACE2. We report that Spike trimer undergoes rapid conformational changes on surfaces, resulting in arc-like movements of the three receptor binding domains (RBDs) that collectively screen a circular range of almost 360° degrees. Acting as a highly dynamic molecular caliper, it thereby forms up to three tight bonds through its RBDs with ACE2 expressed on the cell surface. The Spike of both Delta and Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant enhance and markedly prolong viral attachment to the host cell receptor ACE2, which likely not only increases the rate of viral uptake, but also enhances the resistance of the variants against host-cell detachment by shear forces such as airflow, mucus or blood flow. We uncovered distinct binding mechanisms and strategies employed by circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants to enhance infectivity and viral transmission. The capacity of lectins to block SARS-CoV-2 viral entry holds promise for pan-variant therapeutic interventions. Out of a lectin library, two lectins, Clec4g and CD209c, were identified to strongly bind to the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Multiple bond formations lead to stable complex formation, in which the number of formed bonds enhanced the overall interaction strength and dynamic stability of the lectin/Spike complexes. We also determined the binding capacity of a molecularly engineered lectin cloned from banana, BanLec H84T, which was shown to display broad-spectrum antiviral activity against several RNA viruses. Our studies revealed that H84T-BanLec strongly interacts with the Spike protein of the original viral strain, Wuhan-1 and several variants of concern (Delta, Omicron), which makes it a promising clinical candidate for defeating viral infectivity and transmission.

Gunhee Jang

Professor

Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Hanyang University

Korea

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Title: Robotic Endovascular Intervention Utilizing Magnetic Navigation System and Magnetic Microrobot

Abstract: Robotic endovascular intervention has been actively studied to replace the incomplete conventional endovascular intervention performed by medical doctors. A robotic intervention system consists of a magnetic navigation system that generates an external magnetic field, a robotic feeding device that inserts surgical devices and performs treatment functions such as suction and drug delivery, and magnetic microrobots that includes magnetic catheter or magnetic guidewire. In this talk, I will introduce a robotically assisted magnetic navigation system and a control method that can improve the magnetic flux density and magnetic field gradient. I will also present a separable and recombinable magnetic robot (SRMR) to deliver and retrieve an untethered magnetic microrobot (UMR) to a target vascular lesion safely and effectively for robotic endovascular intervention. The SRMR functions of steering, separation, movement, tunneling, drug delivery, and recombination will be discussed in a mimetic vascular model with a pseudo blood clot. Finally, I will introduce an in vivo experiment of a mini pig’s superficial femoral artery for contrast delivery, separation, movement, and recombination.

Kostadin Kostadinov

Professor

Institute of Mechanics

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Bulgaria

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Title: SpiCy-MiNT Robotic Technology for Micro and Nano Biomedical Applications

Abstract: The subject of this presentation is the enabling robot technologies for innovative micro &nano biomedical applications. This SpiCy-MiNT technology is combining the self-assembly technology with high performance robotic tools such as precise manipulators with submicron resolution and mechatronic handling or feeding devices, innovative vision to detect either micro objects or the tip of the technological end-effector, force sensing and robot system control.  

The SpiCy-MiNT robot technology includes web application for facilitation of the synthesis of closed structures for micro- and nano-applications, utilizing the advantages tense piezo-actuators and closed robot kinematical structures. The robot for desired biomedical technology task requested micro and micro motions is constructing as a combination of a regional and local robot structures. The kinematic schemes for local robot structure utilize either stack piezo actuators or piezo structured ceramics with tense closed kinematic structure. For this purpose it is developed a methodology for synthesis of closed structures for micro- and nano-applications, utilizing the advantages of tense piezo-actuators, structured piezo-ceramics and closed robot kinematics structures. A force sensor for sub μN force range has been developed providing the robot control system with desired resolution feedback which is appropriate for biological micro- and nano technological operations. Appropriate optical system is developed to provide high-resolution imaging of the injection pipette over the working area defined by the cells holder dimensions, i.e. resolution of 4 µm and field of view 1 x 1 mm2. Demonstrator systems with accent on manipulation and processing of micro objects with dimensions below 1 mm such as biocells, bacteria etc. are chosen to validate the SpiCy -MiNT technology developed. A SpiCy-MiNa robot developed with 7 DoF  performs injections of single Xenopus oocyte and hard to transfer cells (HTC) with size of 10-15 microns. Another robot Microna developed for  automation of ICSI procedure  has been verified and demonstrated that it is realizing automated ICSI procedure for a less than one minute.

Serena Margadonna

Fellow of Royal Society Industry

Professor

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Swansea University

UK

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Title: to be announced

James Morris

Emeritus Professor

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Portland State University

IEEE Life Fellow

President (2020-2021), IEEE Nanotechnology Council

USA

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Title: Applications of Discontinuous Metal Thin Films to Electronics Packaging

Abstract: When a metal is deposited on insulating substrate, e.g., Au on glass in vacuo, it initially grows as discrete nanoscale metal islands separated by nm gaps. Such films conduct charge by interisland tunnelling with an electrostatic activation energy. The presentation will briefly cover the widely accepted conduction model and a revised contact injection version which explains most of the former’s problems as an introduction. There is a large body of literature on discontinuous metal thin film (DMTF) applications as strain gauges and hydrogen sensors which both have potential applications as reliability sensors in electronics packaging, but the presentation will cover a much wider range of less developed technologies, especially one suggested by a recent analysis of AC data. Early interest in these DMTFs was frustrated by a lack of reproducibility in their fabrication and subsequent drift in properties and the presentation will briefly survey some suggestions to solve both the reproducibility and reliability problems. It will conclude with the description of a fabrication technique which holds the promise of manufacturability and commercial applications.

Valentin Popov

Professor

Director of Institute of Mechanics

Department System Dynamics and Friction Physics

Technical University of Berlin

Germany

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Title: Mechanics of Adhesive Viscoelastic Contacts

Abtract: Adhesion plays a key role in a very wide variety of natural systems and technological applications. First, among them are biology and medicine. Cell adhesion controls growth, differentiation, and proliferation of cells. It plays a vital role in medical technologies ranging from simple plasters to drug delivery systems involving liposomes and other nanoparticle-based carriers. Typically, high adhesion is observed in contacts of easily deformable bodies (soft matter), which in praxis are viscoelastic media. For long time, it was believed that “first-principle” criteria like Griffith’ energetic criterion cannot be applied to viscoelastic contacts due to their dissipative nature. In the present paper, we argue that it might be possible to apply the energy balance principle in a pure and exact way to viscoelastic adhesive contacts too. This new approach sheds a new light to many well-known phenomena in adhesion of viscoelastic bodies which had no clear theoretical explanation so far. The modified energetic approach to adhesion of viscoelastic bodies provides a simple tool for analyzing, designing and controlling adhesion of soft matter.