Dr. Jaeyeon Pyo of the Smart 3D Printing Research Team at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a breakthrough technology that uses light to visualize nanoscale glass microcapillary tips, enabling precise and delicate contact with other objects.
A "'Microcapillary" is a precision tool with a very small aperture (0.1 mm to 0.000010 mm in diameter) fabricated from a glass tube. It is utilized as a vital tool in various fields, from biotechnology to manipulate cells, to micro electroplating and nano 3D printing. Specifically, it is used in biotechnology faor tasks such as injecting sperm into an egg during in vitro fertilization (IVF) or as a tool for penetrating cell membranes to study cellular mechanisms*. In electroplating, it allows metal plating within extremely small areas, which is useful for manufacturing precision electronic circuits or microstructures. It can also be used as a 3D printing nozzle to print ultra-fine structures in three dimensions.
* Mechanism: The basis that causes the physiological function of an organism.
