Eniko T Enikov

Eniko T Enikov

Professor, Aerospace-Mechanical Engineering
Associate Professor, BIO5 Institute
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-4506

Work Summary

Dr. Enikov's area of expertise is the design of micro-actuators, MEMS devices, and sensors. Ongoing projects include the production of Inflatable Drug-Delivery Stents through the process of Dynamic Stabilization of Electro-Spinning. The research will examine theoretically the feasibility of trapping charged fibers and will establish the required trapping parameters.

Research Interest

Dr. Enikov's area of expertise is the design of micro-actuators, MEMS devices, and sensors. After completion of his training, he established the Advanced Micro- and Nanosystems Laboratory at the University of Arizona, where they have carried out numerous research projects involving precision assembly of micro-systems under optical feedback, development of wet actuators using ion-exchange polymers, pressure sensors, and accelerometers. In the last 8-years, his research has applied micro-technology to the development of medical devices. More specifically, they have developed a through-the-eye lid tactile tonometer capable of estimating intraocular pressure using an array of MEMS sensors. A second invention pertains to the development of an implantable ventricular peritoneal shunt with flow sensing capabilities. The present project represents a major focus of his laboratory. They have completed several early-stage studies on tactile tonometery supporting the present application. Given Dr. Enikov's technical background and prior effort in the area of tactile tonometery, he believes he is uniquely qualified to lead the proposed effort.

Publications

Kyselica, R., & Enikov, E. T. (2017). DYNAMIC FOCUSING OF ELECTROSPINNING PROCESS WITH QUADRUPOLE TRAPS. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASME INTERNATIONAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS AND EXPOSITION, 2016, VOL. 4A.
Enikov, E., & Stepan, G. (1995). Micro-chaotic behavior of digitally controlled machines. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Design Engineering Division (Publication) DE, 84(3 Pt A/1), 399-406.

Abstract:

The desired stationary motions of machines are often unstable. Human operator or computer control may be needed to stabilize these machines. An important common feature of both analog and digital controllers, is the time delay which is introduced into the system. Even when these delayed systems should be stable, the experiments show small stochastic oscillations around the desired motion. In case of the stabilization of an inverted pendulum, the analysis of the equation of motion shows that chaotic vibrations occur around the equilibrium even when stochastic effects related to human control are not present. In advanced design work of digitally controlled machines, it is vital to know the characteristics of this chaotic behavior. The estimation of the distribution of vibration amplitudes and the frequency range should be available at the design stage. This initiates the analysis of the so-called micro-chaos or μ-chaos.

Enikov, E. T., & Seo, G. S. (2005). Analysis of water and proton fluxes in ion-exchange polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators subjected to large external potentials. Sensors and Actuators, A: Physical, 122(2), 264-272.

Abstract:

An analysis is conducted of a novel ion-exchange polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuator under large external voltage. The model is simplified to a three-component system comprised of a fixed negatively charged polymeric matrix, protons, and free water molecules within the polymer matrix. The proposed coupled model includes mass transport in the membrane, chemical reactions at boundaries, and deformation as a function of a concentration of water molecules. The electrochemical process occurring at both electrodes are the boundary conditions analyzed during the deformation of the actuator in a regime of large voltage (over 1.2 V). This coupled model successfully captures the stress relaxation phenomenon due to water redistribution governed by diffusion. The fabrication process and testing apparatus are also described. Comparison of simulations and experimental data showed good agreement. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deng, K., Enikov, E. T., & Zhang, H. (2007). Development of a pulsed electromagnetic micro-actuator for 3D tactile displays. IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, AIM.

Abstract:

We propose an electromagnetic micro-actuator for tactile displays based on magnetization of the solenoid by a sharp current pulse. By applying DC to the solenoid, the force-current relation in a static configuration of the actuator is determined. An experiment to produce vibrating stimulation on human fingertip is presented using a single actuator unit. Four frequencies (10, 50, 100, and 150Hz) were used to test the perception limit of two volunteer subjects. The results indicated that the perception is not strongly dependent on frequency in the test range. The working frequency of the device was, therefore, limited to 50Hz to allow the use of relative high charge storing capacitor and larger heat dissipation intervals. The actuator was then actuated as a function of its real-time position to "display" several virtual shapes. The results showed that five out of six simple geometries were perceived correctly. ©2007 IEEE.

Enikov, E. T., & Nelson, B. J. (2000). Three-dimensional microfabrication for a multi-degree-of-freedom capacitive force sensor using fibre-chip coupling. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 10(4), 492-497.

Abstract:

The design and fabrication of a novel multi-degree-of-freedom force sensor is described. The three-dimensional structure of the sensor is a result of combining several microfabrication techniques: wet bulk micromachining, fusion bonding, chemical mechanical polishing, deep RIE, LPCVD, PECVD and thermally evaporated thin films. The sensor is designed to operate in the 0-500 μN force range and the 0-10 μNm torque range. The flexibility of the process to create overhanging structures with arbitrary lengths and heights is illustrated by the integration of micro-tweezers directly onto the force sensor. Among other advantages of the developed process is a dicing-free self-release of wafer structures. This allows very fragile structures, such as micromirrors and other optical components, to be individually packaged.