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News

Institutional |
31 May 2023

The Government promotes the Semiconductor and Chip Alliance of Catalonia to lead its development in Southern Europe

This public-private initiative will aim to attract projects from leading companies in the sector, train, attract and retain specialized talent, promote research and innovation and connect the local ecosystem to the world. The IMB-CNM is part of the governance body of this initiative, the Semiconductor and Chip Alliance, formed by several departments of the Government of Catalonia, companies and agents of the research system.

Outreach |
26 May 2023

The exhibition on microelectronics "La revolució silenciosa" arrives at FAB Casa del Mig until June 28

“La revolució silenciosa”, the itinerant exhibition of the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), moves to the FAB Casa del Mig – Punt Multimedia, located in the Parc de l’Espanya Industrial of the Barcelona neighborhood of Sants. From May 26 to June 28, it will be possible to enjoy a didactic exhibit about microelectronics and learn about the transistor, the small protagonist that has led to the current digital revolution.

Agenda

Highlights

Cartoon of microrobots at cell scale for biomedical applications
Robotic probes at the cell scale
José A. Plaza

The miniaturization of robotic tools and probes enables the fundamental study of mechanical properties of cells and tissues.

Science Robotics, 25 Jan 2023, Vol 8, Issue 74, DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adf9996

FDTD simulations of the near-field interaction between two identical nearly touching plasmonic NPs. Adv. Fun. Mat.
Soft Optomechanical Systems for Sensing, Modulation, and Actuation
Ferran Pujol-Vila, Pau Güell-Grau, Josep Nogués, Mar Alvarez, Borja Sepúlveda

Soft optomechanical systems have the ability to reversibly respond to optical and mechanical external stimuli by changing their own properties (e.g., shape, size, viscosity, stiffness, color or transmittance). These systems typically combine the optical properties of plasmonic, dielectric or carbon-based nanomaterials with the high elasticity and deformability of soft polymers, thus opening the path for the development of new mechanically tunable optical systems, sensors, and actuators for a wide range of applications. This review focuses on the recent progresses in soft optomechanical systems, which are here classified according to their applications and mechanisms of optomechanical response. The first part summarizes the soft optomechanical systems for mechanical sensing and optical modulation based on the variation of their optical response under external mechanical stimuli, thereby inducing mechanochromic or intensity modulation effects. The second part describes the soft optomechanical systems for the development of light induced mechanical actuators based on different actuation mechanisms, such as photothermal effects and phase transitions, among others. The final section provides a critical analysis of the main limitations of current soft optomechanical systems and the progress that is required for future devices.

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202213109

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