New insights into band inversion and topological phase of TiNI monolayer.

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs) hold great promise for future quantum information technologies. Among the 2D-TIs, the TiNI monolayer has recently been proposed as an ideal material for achieving the quantum spin Hall effect at room temperature. Theoretical predictions suggest a sizable bandgap due to the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of the electrons at and near the Fermi level with a nontrivial 2 topology of the electronic states, which is robust under external strain. However, our detailed first-principles calculations reveal that, in contrast to these predictions, the TiNI monolayer has a trivial bandgap in the equilibrium state with no band inversion, despite SOC opening the bandgap. Moreover, we show that electron correlation effects significantly impact the topological and structural stabilities of the system under external strains. We employed a range of density functional theory (DFT) approaches, including HSE06, PBE0, TB-mBJ, and GGA+U, to comprehensively investigate the nontrivial topological properties of this monolayer. Our results demonstrate that using general-purpose functionals such as PBE-GGA for studying TIs can lead to false predictions, potentially misleading experimentalists in their efforts to discover new TIs.

3D construct of hydroxyapatite/zinc oxide/palladium nanocomposite scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

The purpose of this study was to produce and characterize Hydroxyapatite/Zinc Oxide/Palladium (HA/0.05 wt% ZnO/0.1 wt% Pd) nanocomposite scaffolds and study their mechanical and antibacterial properties, biocompatibility and bioactivity. The initial materials were developed using sol-gel and precipitation methods. Scaffolds were characterized using atomic absorption analysis (AA), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Brunauer-EmmeS-Teller (BET) method. Furthermore, the bioactivity of scaffolds in simulated body fluid (SBF) and the interaction of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) with the nanocomposite scaffolds were assessed. Our results showed that the HA/ZnO/Pd (H1), HA/ZnO/Pd coated by 0.125 g chitosan (H2) and HA/ZnO/Pd coated by 0.25 g chitosan (H3) scaffolds possess higher compressive strength and toughness and lower microhardness and density compared to the pure HA (H0) scaffolds. Immersion of samples in SBF showed the deposition of apatite on the surface of the scaffolds. The biocompatibility assay indicated lower cell proliferation on the H1, H2 and H3 in comparison to the H0. The antibacterial results obtained show a significant impact by loading Pd/ZnO on HA in the deactivation of microorganisms in vitro.

Multiplexed microarrays based on optically encoded microbeads.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in optically-encoded or tagged functionalized microbeads as a solid support platform to capture proteins or nucleotides which may serve as biomarkers of various diseases. Multiplexing technologies (suspension array or planar array) based on optically encoded microspheres have made possible the observation of relatively minor changes in biomarkers related to specific diseases. The ability to identify these changes at an early stage may allow the diagnosis of serious diseases (e.g. cancer) at a time-point when curative treatment may still be possible. As the overall accuracy of current diagnostic methods for some diseases is often disappointing, multiplexed assays based on optically encoded microbeads could play an important role to detect biomarkers of diseases in a non-invasive and accurate manner. However, detection systems based on functionalized encoded microbeads are still an emerging technology, and more research needs to be done in the future. This review paper is a preliminary attempt to summarize the state-of-the-art concerning diagnostic microbeads; including microsphere composition, synthesis, encoding technology, detection systems, and applications.

Improvement of in vitro behavior of an Mg alloy using a nanostructured composite bioceramic coating.

Magnesium (Mg) alloys as a new group of biodegradable metal implants are being extensively investigated as a promising selection for biomaterials applications due to their apt mechanical and biological performance. However, as a foremost drawback of Mg alloys, the high degradation in body fluid prevents its clinical applications. In this work, a bioceramic composite coating is developed composed of diopside, bredigite, and fluoridated hydroxyapatite on the AZ91 Mg alloy in order to moderate the degradation rate, while improving its bioactivity, cell compatibility, and mechanical integrity. Microstructural studies were performed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The degradation properties of samples were carried out under two steps, including electrochemical corrosion test and immersion test in simulated body fluid (SBF). Additionally, compression test was performed to evaluate the mechanical integrity of the specimens. L-929 fibroblast cells were cultured on the samples to determine the cell compatibility of the samples, including the cell viability and attachment. The degradation results suggest that the composite coating decreases the degradation and improves the bioactivity of AZ91 Mg alloy substrate. No considerable deterioration in the compression strength was observed for the coated samples compared to the uncoated sample after 4 weeks immersion. Cytotoxicity test indicated that the coatings improve the cell compatibility of AZ91 alloy for L-929 cells.

A novel electrochemical biosensor based on Fe3O4 nanoparticles-polyvinyl alcohol composite for sensitive detection of glucose.

In this research, a new electrochemical biosensor was constructed for the glucose detection. Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4) were synthesized through co-precipitation method. Polyvinyl alcohol-Fe3O4 nanocomposite was prepared by dispersing synthesized nanoparticles in the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on the PVA-Fe3O4 nanocomposite via physical adsorption. The mixture of PVA, Fe3O4 nanoparticles and GOx was drop cast on a tin (Sn) electrode surface (GOx/PVA-Fe3O4/Sn). The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques were utilized to evaluate the PVA-Fe3O4 and GOx/PVA-Fe3O4 nanocomposites. The electrochemical performance of the modified biosensor was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Presence of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the PVA matrix enhanced the electron transfer between enzyme and electrode surface and the immobilized GOx showed excellent catalytic characteristic toward glucose. The GOx/PVA-Fe3O4/Sn bioelectrode could measure glucose in the range from 5 × 10-3 to 30 mM with a sensitivity of 9.36 µA mM-1 and exhibited a lower detection limit of 8 µM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The value of Michaelis-Menten constant (KM) was calculated as 1.42 mM. The modified biosensor also has good anti-interfering ability during the glucose detection, fast response (10 s), good reproducibility and satisfactory stability. Finally, the results demonstrated that the GOx/PVA-Fe3O4/Sn bioelectrode is promising in biosensor construction.

From solvent-free microspheres to bioactive gradient scaffolds.

A solvent-free microsphere sintering technique was developed to fabricate scaffolds with pore size gradient for tissue engineering applications. Poly(D,L-Lactide) microspheres were fabricated through an emulsification method where TiO2 nanoparticles were employed both as particulate emulsifier in the preparation procedure and as surface modification agent to improve bioactivity of the scaffolds. A fine-tunable pore size gradient was achieved with a pore volume of 30±2.6%. SEM, EDX, XRD and FTIR analyses all confirmed the formation of bone-like apatite at the 14th day of immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) implying the ability of our scaffolds to bond to living bone tissue. In vitro examination of the scaffolds showed progressive activity of the osteoblasts on the scaffold with evidence of increase in its mineral content. The bioactive scaffold developed in this study has the potential to be used as a suitable biomaterial for bone tissue engineering and hard tissue regeneration.

Nanoscale solid-state cooling: a review.

The recent developments in nanoscale solid-state cooling are reviewed. This includes both theoretical and experimental studies of different physical concepts, as well as nanostructured material design and device configurations. We primarily focus on thermoelectric, thermionic and thermo-magnetic coolers. Particular emphasis is given to the concepts based on metal-semiconductor superlattices, graded materials, non-equilibrium thermoelectric devices, Thomson coolers, and photon assisted Peltier coolers as promising methods for efficient solid-state cooling. Thermomagnetic effects such as magneto-Peltier and Nernst-Ettingshausen cooling are briefly described and recent advances and future trends in these areas are reviewed. The ongoing progress in solid-state cooling concepts such as spin-calorimetrics, electrocalorics, non-equilibrium/nonlinear Peltier devices, superconducting junctions and two-dimensional materials are also elucidated and practical achievements are reviewed. We explain the thermoreflectance thermal imaging microscopy and the transient Harman method as two unique techniques developed for characterization of thermoelectric microrefrigerators. The future prospects for solid-state cooling are briefly summarized.

Thioglycolic Acid-Capped CdS Quantum Dots Conjugated to α-Amylase as a Fluorescence Probe for Determination of Starch at Low Concentration.

In the present research, water soluble thioglycolic acid-capped CdS quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. The characteristics of prepared quantum dots were determined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The obtained results revealed that CdS QDs have 5.60 nm crystallite size, hexagonal wurtzite structure and spherical morphology with less than 10 nm diameter. The photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was performed in order to study the effect of the presence of starch solutions. Blue emission peaks were positioned at 488 nm and its intensity quenched by increasing the concentration of starch solutions. The result of PL quenches in range of studied concentrations (0-100 ppm) was best described by Michaelis-Menten model. The amount of Michaelis constant (Km) for immobilized α-amylase in this system was about 68.08 ppm which showed a great tendency of enzyme to hydrolyze the starch as substrate. Finally, the limit of detection (LOD) was found to be about 2.24 ppm.

Type VIII Si based clathrates: prospects for a giant thermoelectric power factor.

Although clathrate materials are known for their small thermal conductivity, they have not shown a large thermoelectric power factor so far. We present the band structures of type VIII Si, Ge, and Sn clathrates as well as the alkali and alkaline-earth intercalated type VIII Si clathrates. Our calculations revealed that this group of materials has potentially large power factors due to the existence of a large number of carrier pockets near their band edges. In particular, we calculated the charge carrier transport properties of Si46-VIII both for n-type and p-type materials. The exceptionally high multi-valley band structure of Si46-VIII near the Fermi energy due to the high crystallographic symmetry resulted in a giant power factor in this material. It was shown that the intercalation of Si46-VIII with alkali and alkaline-earth guest atoms shifts the Fermi energy close to the conduction band edge and, except for Be8Si46 and Mg8Si46, they weakly influence the band structure of Si46. Among these clathrate systems, Ca8Si46, Sr8Si46, and Ba8Si46 showed negative formation energy, which should facilitate their synthesis. Our results imply that the intercalation affects the conduction band of Si46-VIII more than its valence band. Also, interestingly, the type VIII clathrates of Si46 and its derivatives (except Be8Si46 and Mg8Si46), Sn46, and Ge46 all have 26 carrier pockets near their valence band edge. Among the different derivatives of Si46-VIII, Rb8Si46 and Ba8Si46 have the highest number of electron pockets near their band edges. The thermoelectric power factor was predicted using a multiband Boltzmann transport equation linked with parameters extracted from density functional calculations. It was shown that both the increment of charge mobility and the existence of multiple band extrema contribute to the enhancement of the thermoelectric power factor considerably. Such a large power factor along with their inherently low thermal conductivity can make this group of clathrates promising thermoelectric materials.

In vivo biocompatibility of Mg implants surface modified by nanostructured merwinite/PEO.

Magnesium (Mg) alloys have been suggested as biodegradable bone implant materials due to their good intrinsic biocompatibility and great mechanical properties. Although magnesium has attractive properties as an orthopedic implant material, its quick degradation and low bioactivity may lead to the loss of mechanical integrity of the implant during the bone healing process. In this paper, we endeavor to surmount the abovementioned defects using the surface coating technique. We have recently coated AZ91 magnesium implants with merwinite (Ca3MgSi2O8) through the coupling of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and electrophoretic deposition method. In this work, we are specifically focused on the in vivo examinations of the coated implants in comparison with the uncoated one. For the in vivo experiment, the rod samples, including the uncoated and merwinite/PEO coated implants, were imbedded into the greater trochanter of rabbits. The results of the in vivo animal test indicated an improvement in biodegradability including slower implant weight loss, reduction in Mg ion released from the coated implants in the blood plasma, lesser release of hydrogen bubbles and an improvement in biocompatibility including an increase in the amount of bone formation and ultimately a mild bone inflammation after the surgery according to the histological images. In summary, proper surface treatment of magnesium implants such as silicate bioactive ceramics may improve their biocompatibility under physiological conditions to making them suitable and applicable for future clinical applications.

Biomineralization and biocompatibility studies of bone conductive scaffolds containing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS).

Considering the well-known phenomenon of enhancing bone healing by applying electromagnetic stimulation, manufacturing conductive bone scaffolds is on demand to facilitate the delivery of electromagnetic stimulation to the injured region, which in turn significantly expedites the healing procedure in tissue engineering methods. For this purpose, hybrid conductive scaffolds composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(4-styrene sulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS), gelatin (Gel), and bioactive glass (BaG) were produced employing freeze drying technique. Concentration of PEDOT: PSS were optimized to design the most appropriate conductive scaffold in terms of biocompatibility and cell proliferation. More specifically, scaffolds with four different compositions of 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6% (w/w) PEDOT: PSS in the mixture of 10% (w/v) Gel and 30% (w/v) BaG were synthesized. Immersing the scaffolds in simulated body fluid (SBF), we evaluated the bioactivity of samples, and the biomineralization were studied in details using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. By performing cytocompatibility analyses for 21 days using adult human mesenchymal stem cells, we concluded that the scaffolds with 0.3% (w/w) PEDOT: PSS and conductivity of 170 µS/m has the optimized composition and further increasing the PEDOT: PSS content has inverse effect on cell proliferation. Based on our finding, addition of this optimized amount of PEDOT: PSS to our composition can increase the cell viability more than 4 times compared to a nonconductive composition.

Electrospun nanofibers: from filtration membranes to highly specialized tissue engineering scaffolds.

Electrospinning is a widely used technique to produce continuous polymeric fibers ranging from 2 nm to several micrometers. This technique is not only employed in research laboratories, but it is also increasingly being applied in different industrial fields in the last few decades as a highly versatile and cost-effective technology. Compared to conventional techniques for fiber fabrication, electrospinning can fabricate fibers in a more desirable size (e.g., nanoscale). Nanofibers are generated by the application of a strong electric field on polymer solution. Over the years, more than 200 polymers have been electrospun for various applications. In this review, our aim was to present an overview of the electrospinning technique and its potential applications. We covered the basic principles of the electrospinning technique and parameters which significantly affect the fiber morphology. The most recent work on electrospinning nanofibers for blending polymers, filtration, energy, sensing and biomedical applications was also presented in this review.

Long-range interlayer alignment of intralayer domains in stacked lipid bilayers.

Liquid-crystalline phases of stacked lipid bilayers represent a pervasive motif in biomolecular assemblies. Here we report that, in addition to the usual smectic order, multicomponent multilayer membranes can exhibit columnar order arising from the coupling of two-dimensional intralayer phase separation and interlayer smectic ordering. This coupling propagates across hundreds of membrane lamellae, producing long-range alignment of phase-separated domains. Quantitative analysis of real-time dynamical experiments reveals that there is an interplay between intralayer domain growth and interlayer coupling, suggesting the existence of cooperative multilayer epitaxy. We postulate that such long-range epitaxy is solvent-assisted, and that it originates from the surface tension associated with differences in the network of hydrogen-bonded water molecules at the hydrated interfaces between the domains and the surrounding phase. Our findings might inspire the development of self-assembly-based strategies for the long-range alignment of functional lipid domains.

Interlamellar organization of phase separated domains in multi-component lipid multilayers: energetic considerations.

A recent experimental study [1] has demonstrated the alignment of phase separated domains across hundreds of bilayer units in multicomponent stacked lipid bilayers. The origin of this alignment is the interlamellar coupling of laterally phase separated domains. Here, we develop a theoretical model that presents the energetics description of this phenomenon based on the minimization of the free energy of the system. Specifically, we use solution theory to estimate the competition between energy and entropy in different stacking configurations. The model furnishes an elemental phase diagram, which maps the domain distributions in terms of the strength of the intra- and inter-layer interactions and estimates the value of inter-layer coupling for complete alignment of domains in the stacks of five and ten bilayers. The area fraction occupied by co-existing phases was calculated for the system of the minimum free energy, which showed a good agreement with experimental observations.

Microscale Engineering of n-Type Doping in Nanostructured Gallium Antimonide: AC Impedance Spectroscopy Insights on Grain Boundary Characterization and Strategies for Controlled Dopant Distribution.

This paper investigates the microscale engineering aspects of n-type doped GaSb to address the challenges associated with achieving high electrical conductivity and precise dopant distribution in this semiconductor material. AC impedance spectroscopy is employed as a reliable technique to characterize the microstructural and electrical properties of GaSb, providing valuable insights into the impact of grain boundaries on overall electrical performance. The uneven distribution of dopants, caused by diffusion, and the incomplete activation of introduced dopants pose significant obstacles in achieving consistent material properties. To overcome these challenges, a careful selection of alloying elements, such as bismuth, is explored to suppress the formation of native acceptor defects and modulate band structures, thereby influencing the doping and compensator formation processes. Additionally, the paper examines the effect of microwave annealing as a potential solution for enhancing dopant activation, minimizing diffusion, and reducing precipitate formation. Microwave annealing shows promise due to its rapid heating and shorter processing times, making it a viable alternative to traditional annealing methods. The study underscores the need for a stable grain boundary passivation strategy to achieve significant improvements in GaSb material performance. Simple grain size reduction strategies alone do not result in better thermoelectric performance, for example, and increasing the grain boundary area per unit volume exacerbates the issue of free carrier compensation. These findings highlight the complexity of achieving optimal doping in GaSb materials and the importance of innovative analytical techniques and controlled doping processes. The comprehensive exploration of n-type doped GaSb presented in this research provides valuable insights for future advancements in the synthesis and optimization of high-conductivity nanostructured n-type GaSb, with potential applications in thermoelectric devices and other electronic systems.

Exploring the Enhancement of Exchange Bias in Innovative Core/Shell/Shell Structures: Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Co-Oxide/Co and Co-Oxide/Co/Co-Oxide Inverted Nanostructures.

In this study, we investigate the enhancement of exchange bias in core/shell/shell structures by synthesizing single inverted core/shell (Co-oxide/Co) and core/shell/shell (Co-oxide/Co/Co-oxide) nanostructures through a two-step reduction and oxidation method. We evaluate the magnetic properties of the structures and study the effect of shell thickness on the exchange bias by synthesizing various shell thicknesses of Co-oxide/Co/Co-oxide nanostructures. The extra exchange coupling formed at the shell-shell interface in the core/shell/shell structure leads to a remarkable increase in the coercivity and the strength of the exchange bias by three and four orders, respectively. The strongest exchange bias is achieved for the sample comprising the thinnest outer Co-oxide shell. Despite the general declining trend of the exchange bias with Co-oxide shell thickness, we also observe a nonmonotonic behavior in which the exchange bias oscillates slightly as the shell thickness increases. This phenomenon is ascribed to the dependence of the antiferromagnetic outer shell thickness variation at the expense of the simultaneous opposite variation in the ferromagnetic inner shell.

Room-Temperature Thermoelectric Performance of n-Type Multiphase Pseudobinary Bi2Te3-Bi2S3 Compounds: Synergic Effects of Phonon Scattering and Energy Filtering.

Bismuth telluride-based alloys possess the highest efficiencies for the low-temperature-range (<500 K) applications among thermoelectric materials. Despite significant advances in the efficiency of p-type Bi2Te3-based materials through engineering the electronic band structure by convergence of multiple bands, the n-type pair still suffers from poor efficiency due to a lower number of electron pockets near the conduction band edge than the valence band. To overcome the persistent low efficiency of n-type Bi2Te3-based materials, we have fabricated multiphase pseudobinary Bi2Te3-Bi2S3 compounds to take advantages of phonon scattering and energy filtering at interfaces, enhancing the efficiency of these materials. The energy barrier generated at the interface of the secondary phase of Bi14Te13S8 in the Bi2Te3 matrix resulted in a higher Seebeck coefficient and consequently a higher power factor in multiphase compounds than the single-phase alloys. This effect was combined with low thermal conductivity achieved through phonon scattering at the interfaces of finely structured multiphase compounds and resulted in a relatively high thermoelectric figure of merit of ∼0.7 over the 300-550 K temperature range for the multiphase sample of n-type Bi2Te2.75S0.25, double the efficiency of single-phase Bi2Te3. Our results inform an alternative alloy design to enhance the performance of thermoelectric materials.

Stability of uni- and multillamellar spherical vesicles.

Lipid molecules in water form uni- or multilamellar vesicles in polydisperse form. Herein, we present energetic considerations for their equilibrium morphological organization. Our formulation provides elemental energy diagrams, which explain the polydispersity and account for the structural diversity. These energy diagrams describe the ranges of core radius (r(c)) and number of lamellae (N) that result in the formation of stable vesicles under specific conditions, thus providing prescriptions for the design of vesicles tailored for specific properties, including stability, cargo capacity, and resistance to deformation by osmotic stress. We deduced key design criteria as follows: 1) designing highly stable unilamellar vesicles requires low bending rigidity lipids and dimensions exceeding a few hundred nm in radii; 2) very large unilamellar vesicles (r(c)>several tens of microns) are not stable for typical lipids; lipids with higher bending rigidity are required; 3) the distribution of the stable size of vesicles is proportional to the bending rigidity; 4) for the case of multilamellar vesicles, vesicles with more than a few hundred layers usually exhibit greater structural integrity than those with lower degrees of lamellarity, especially when the core radii are small (<100 nm); 5) for osmotically stressed vesicles, the energy contributed by even a small concentration gradient (>mM) is the most dominant factor in the free energy, suggesting active response by vesicles (e.g., poration) to release osmotic stress; and 6) vesicles with a core radius of a few hundred nm and more than hundred lamellae are more resistant to deformation by osmotic stress, thus making them more suited to applications involving osmotic pressure gradients, such as in drug delivery.

A critical stress model for cell motility.

A detailed theoretical model that combines the conventional viscoelastic continuum description of cell motion with a dynamic active stress is presented. The model describes the ameboid cells movement comprising of protrusion and adhesion of the front edge followed by detachment and movement of the tail. Unlike the previous viscoelastic descriptions in which the cell movement is steady, the presented model describes the "walking" of the cell in response to specific active stress components acting separately on the front and rear of the cell. In this locomotive model first the tail of the cell is attached to the substrate and active stress is applied to the front of the cell. Consequently, the stress in the tail increases. When the stress in the tail exceeds a critical value, namely critical stress, the conditions are updated so that the front is fixed and the tail of the cell is detached from the substrate and moves towards the front. Consequently, the stress in the tail decreases. When the stress goes to zero, the starting conditions become active and the process continues. At start the cell is stretched and its length is increased as the front of cell migrates more than the rear. However, after several steps the front and rear move equally and the cell length stays constant during the movement. In this manuscript we analyzed such cell dynamics including the length variation and moving velocity. Finally, by considering this fact that at the single-cell level, interactions with the extracellular environment occur on a nanometer length scale, the value of critical stress was estimated.

Development of MEMS Process Compatible (Bi,Sb)2(Se,Te)3-Based Thin Films for Scalable Fabrication of Planar Micro-Thermoelectric Generators.

Bismuth telluride-based thin films have been investigated as the active material in flexible and micro thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for near room-temperature energy harvesting applications. The latter is a class of compact printed circuit board compatible devices conceptualized for operation at low-temperature gradients to generate power for wireless sensor nodes (WSNs), the fundamental units of the Internet-of-Things (IoT). CMOS and MEMS compatible micro-TEGs require thin films that can be integrated into the fabrication flow without compromising their thermoelectric properties. We present results on the thermoelectric properties of (Bi,Sb)2(Se,Te)3 thin films deposited via thermal evaporation of ternary compound pellets on four-inch SiO2 substrates at room temperature. Thin-film compositions and post-deposition annealing parameters are optimized to achieve power factors of 2.75 mW m-1 K-2 and 0.59 mW m-1 K-2 for p-type and n-type thin films. The measurement setup is optimized to characterize the thin-film properties accurately. Thin-film adhesion is further tested and optimized on several substrates. Successful lift-off of p-type and n-type thin films is completed on the same wafer to create thermocouple patterns as per the target device design proving compatibility with the standard MEMS fabrication process.