A pico calorimeter with a highly sensitive sensor for detecting heat from a biological cell is developed and evaluated, and also the heat detection of a single brown fat cell has been demonstrated. The measurement principle relies on resonant frequency tracking of a resonator in temperature variation due to the heat from the sample; the resonator is placed in vacuum, and heat is conducted from the sample in the microfluidic channel via a heat guide. This configuration can prevent heat loss from the resonator to the surroundings and damping in water. The heat resolution of the fabricated sensor is 5.2 pJ. Heat emissions from single cells are detected as pulsed or continuous in the absence and presence of stimulation, respectively.

This paper presents the results of the synthesis and evaluation of thick thermoelectric films that may be used for such applications as thermoelectric power generators. Two types of electrochemical deposition methods, constant and pulsed deposition with improved techniques for both N-type bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) and P-type antimony telluride (Sb₂Te₃), are performed and compared. As a result, highly oriented Bi₂Te₃ and Sb₂Te₃ thick films with a bulk-like structure are successfully synthesized with high Seebeck coefficients and low electrical resistivities. Six hundred-micrometer-thick Bi₂Te₃ and 500-µm-thick Sb₂Te₃ films are obtained. The Seebeck coefficients for the Bi₂Te₃ and Sb₂Te₃ films are −150 ± 20 and 170 ± 20 µV/K, respectively. Additionally, the electrical resistivity for the Bi₂Te₃ is 15 ± 5 µΩm and is 25 ± 5 µΩm for the Sb₂Te₃. The power factors of each thermoelectric material can reach 15 × 10⁻⁴ W/mK² for Bi₂Te₃ and 11.2 × 10⁻⁴ W/mK² for Sb₂Te₃.

Electric current has been used to send electricity to far distant places. On the other hand, spin current, a flow of electron spin, can in principle also send angular momentum to distant places. In a magnet, there is a universal spin carrier called a spin wave, a wave-type excitation of magnetization. Since spin waves exhibit a long propagation length, it should be able to send angular momentum that can generate torque and force at a distant place: a new function of magnets. Here we observe mechanical angular momentum transmission and force generation due to spin waves injected into Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ by the spin-Seebeck effect. The spin-wave current, transmitted through a Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ micro cantilever, was found to create a mechanical force on the cantilever as a non-local reaction of the spin-Seebeck effect. Spin-wave current can be generated remotely even in open circuits, and it can be used to drive micro mechanical devices.