Available Technology
Fabrication of nanostructures with versatile geometries and chemical, mechanical, and magnetic properties
Technology:
Nanostructure fabrication
Markets Addressed
The applications for the nanostructures are numerous. They can be used as actuators, hydrophobic surfaces, flow sensors, low-drag pipes, coating for microfluidics, reversible switching of wetting behavior, photonics structure (tunable waveguide, Fresnel zone plates), artificial muscle, fillers in composite materials, templates for cell growth, surfaces for biofouling reduction, super-adhesives (molecular ''Velcro''), particle trapping or particle transport, anisotropic drag reduction and asymmetric actuation and movement.
Innovations and Advantages
This invention describes a novel procedure of replicating high aspect ratio nanostructures in a variety of materials. The original structures can be arrays of nanowires produced by traditional lithography, nanowires grown on a substrate, nanostructured biological/geological materials, or any other nanostructure. The procedure makes it possible to extend the physical and chemical properties of the original surface to produce novel, highly versatile nanostructures that are made of polymers, metals, ceramics and capable of mechanical actuation and assembly. The method not only allows the one-to-one replication of nanostructures in a variety of materials, but also makes it possible to tune the geometry of features to produce nanostructures with cross-sectional shapes, orientations, and 2D lattices that are different from the original master. The mechanical, magnetic, piezoelectric, electric, and wettability properties can be finely regulated.
The great advantage of the invention is the variety of nanostructures that can be fabricated and that one mold can be used for the production of many replicas (at least hundreds of replicas). This will reduce the fabrication cost. The same mold can also be used to form different geometries of the end product replica itself (including curved, distorted, twisted and tilted structures). The invention makes new 3D structures that are IMPOSSIBLE to make by traditional 2D lithography.
Nanostructure's features:
Aspect ratios: .1 – 200 and beyond
Feature dimension/size: 10 – 1000nm and up to cm
Wide range of materials: polymers (Epoxy, PP, PE, PVA, PMMA, different hydrogels), ceramics, metals and alloys (with low melting points).
Geometries: produce anisotropic nanostructures (planar, rhomboid, concave, convex, cylindrical) whose size, tilt, cross-section, pitch, twist and 3D arrangement are different from the original template and can be finely regulated.
Additional Information
Intellectual Property Status: Provisional patent application has been filed by Harvard University.
Publication:
''Fabrication of Bio-Inspired Actuated Nanostructures with Arbitrary Geometry and Stiffness'', B. Pokroy, A. K. Epstein, M. C. M. Gulda Person, J. Aizenberg, Adv. Mater., 2009, in press.
Dr. Aizenberg's web site
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Inventor(s):
Aizenberg, Joanna
Pokroy, Boaz
Categories:
For further information, please contact:
Laura Brass, Director of Business Development
(617) 495-3067
Reference Harvard Case #3161