MMC Activities..............1TOPICS.......................6Members’ Profiles .........7Worldwide R&D ............8

MMC Activities

Research Subjects for the 9th Micromachine Technology Research Grants
Center reported on the selection results, after which a list of thegrants was presented to each of the nine selected researchers.
Associate Professor Ryo Yoshida of the University of Tokyo
spoke on behalf of the grant recipients. Later, each of the threeresearchers in charge of the new research subjects that wereselected, gave a brief summary of their research plans. After theceremony, an informal gathering was held to allow attendees tocongratulate and chat with the grant recipients in a relaxedatmosphere.
This research grant program will be ending this year.

Subjects for the 9th Micromachine Technology ResearchGrants for FY 2001 were determined at the board of directors
meeting held in March 2002. As a result of a rigorous
examination process, three new research subjects and six
ongoing research subjects in their second year were selectedfrom a large number of applications. A total of ¥ 10.6 million in
financial assistance grants will be presented.
The research grant program was started in FY 1993 as anindependent activity of the Micromachine Center intended toprovide financial assistance to researchers engaged in basic
research on various aspects of micromachine technologies. The
grants are aimed at promoting both advances in micromachinetechnologies and increased exchange and cooperation between
industry and academia.
On March 27, 2002, a ceremony to award the research
grants was held at the Chuo University Surugadai Memorial Hall.
Mr. Toshiro Shimoyama, Chairman of the Micromachine Center,gave the sponsor's greeting. Mr. Nobuhiko Sasaki, Director ofthe Industrial Machinery Division, METI, appeared as the guest
speaker, and Prof. Yoji Umetani, Chairman of the IndustryAcademia Joint Research Committee of the Micromachine

Outline of the New Subjects for the 9th Micromachine Technology Research Grant
Basic Study on Microactuators Produced through Wettability Control andSurface-Tension-Driven Convection at the Liquid-Liquid-Gas Interface
Izumi Hirasawa, professor, Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Waseda University
Masato Sakurai, National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan
While wettability has conventionally been treated passively as a natural phenomenon, this study is aimed at developing
a basic microreactor technology, wherein a hydraulic circuit is formed by actively controlling the dominant wettability on amicroscale. The drive sources in this technique are interfacial tension-driven flows caused by temperature differences andthe recently discovered liquid-liquid-gas surface-tension-driven convection in a silicone oil/fluorinert system. It is hopedthat these technologies will serve as basic technologies for fluid handling systems used in space.
Liquid-liquid-gas
Marangoni convection
Hot

Silicone oil drop
Silicone oil drop

Cool
Hermeticallysealed vessel

Fluorinert
Fluorinert
Scale

Path of flow is controlled by wettabilitydistribution.
Fluid is driven by Marangoni convection.

Internet Home Page : http://www.mmc.or.jp/

The mechanism of Marangoni
convection was found in a silicone oilfluorinert system accommodated in ahermetically sealed vessel.

Rotation and other mechanical forces
obtained from Marangoni convection in
the silicone oil-fluorinert system.