Preface

It remains an especially daunting challenge for micro/nanoscale engineering to engineer ultra-fast and ultra-scale devices for implementation. Modeling and control play an essential role in advanced engineering and have contributed to many breakthroughs in modern technology revolutions. The need for modeling and control for micro/nanoscale devices and systems is fast emerging. We thus hope that our book on modeling and control will address the long-term challenge to advanced engineering for micro/nanoscale sensors, energy devices, and cellular and molecular systems. Unfortunately, few books in the literature offer an integrated view from theory to practice of this fast emerging subject. This book aims to provide an integrated view of this emerging field with a focus on theories and practices for practical implementation. The applications of the discussions are modeling and control over biosensors, energy devices, and molecular and cellular systems.

This book consists of nine chapters contributed by leading researchers in modeling and control for micro/nano devices and systems. Chapter 1 introduces the fundamental principles in modeling and design methods in quantum control theory as well as the major results obtained in physics, chemistry, and control sciences, and perspectives on future directions in this field. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on energy devices. Chapter 2 presents a modeling and simulation study of biosensors made of single nanowires for detecting biomolecules. Chapter 3 provides both continuous and statistical approaches for modeling and simulation of organic solar cells made of bulk heterojunctions in nanoscale. Chapter 4 discusses the optimization design of organic solar cells via multiscale simulation. Beginning with Chapter 5, the book shifts its focus to biological systems and bio-inspired systems. Chapter 5 discusses the viscoelastic property of the human epidermoid carcinoma cell line and investigates the cell modeling of the dynamic signaling pathway induced after epidermal growth factor simulation. Chapter 6 studies the cell tensegrity model by considering the cell body as an inhomogeneous structure, which consists of force-bearing elements, the cytoskeleton that is bounded by the cell membrane. Chapter 7 deals with modeling of swimming micro/nano-systems in a low Reynolds number with the goal of engineering micro/nanoscale propulsion systems for controlled drug delivery. Chapter 8 proposes integration of mathematical modeling and experimental techniques to connect local and systemic dynamics associated with cellular functions while affording alternative methods for uncovering the fundamental mechanisms behind the complex biological processes. Chapter 9 presents a hybrid control strategy for micro/nanoscale devices and systems that can be employed in broader applications.

We see the emergence of many theories and techniques in this rapidly growing field. It is difficult for any single book to capture all the essential developments. We hope this book can serve as a starting point for more case studies. Interested readers may benefit from learning about new concepts and techniques to model micro/nanoscale devices and systems and employing the techniques in their research. In the long term, we believe we will witness significant growth in the subject by integrating expertise from different fields.

The editors would like to express their sincere thanks to the National Science Foundation and Naval Research Office for providing financial support for the research efforts reported in this book.

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