Robotic-Based Selection, Manipulation and Characterization of 3D Microscale Particles with Complex Structures in SEM

Abstract

This article explores the challenges and solutions in the physical characterization of materials on the microscale using robots, with a specific focus on manipulating and characterizing micrometer-sized particles with different and complex 3D shapes and internal sub-micrometer structures. Particles considered as case-study in this paper are made of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\text{MoS}_{2}$</tex> based materials generated within the contact interface during friction. These particles are of high interest for friction reduction and energy saving but they are dispersed randomly inside the contact and have complex sub-micrometer structures. Characterization hence demands precise manipulation techniques in an in-situ SEM environment. To address these challenges, existing commercial micro and nanomanipulation tools are integrated within a vacuum SEM chamber, and robotics strategies are investigated to enable the whole process from particle preparation, and manipulation setup definition, to effective <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\text{MoS}_{2}$</tex> particles characterization all in-situ SEM. A set of several complementary experimental investigations are done and involve force measurement and deformation estimation studies, leading to the first quantified results on <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\text{MoS}_{2}$</tex> particles. The work contributes to advancements in microscale manipulation and characterization and has implications for lubrication research.