Flexible, Penetrating Brain Probes Enabled by Advances in Polymer Microfabrication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahuva Weltman

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The acquisition of high-fidelity, long-term neural recordings in vivo is critically important to advance neuroscience and brain–machine interfaces. For decades, rigid materials such as metal microwires and micromachined silicon shanks were used as invasive electrophysiological interfaces to neurons, providing either single or multiple electrode recording sites. Extensive research has revealed that such rigid interfaces suffer from gradual recording quality degradation, in part stemming from tissue damage and the ensuing immune response arising from mechanical mismatch between the probe and brain. The development of “soft” neural probes constructed from polymer shanks has been enabled by advancements in microfabrication; this alternative has the potential to mitigate mismatch-related side effects and thus improve the quality of recordings. This review examines soft neural probe materials and their associated microfabrication techniques, the resulting soft neural probes, and their implementation including custom implantation and electrical packaging strategies. The use of soft materials necessitates careful consideration of surgical placement, often requiring the use of additional surgical shuttles or biodegradable coatings that impart temporary stiffness. Investigation of surgical implantation mechanics and histological evidence to support the use of soft probes will be presented. The review concludes with a critical discussion of the remaining technical challenges and future outlook.

Microfabricated Silicon Microneedle Array for Transdermal Drug Delivery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, J; Tay, F E; Miao Jianmin; Iliescu, C

2006-01-01

This paper presents developed processes for silicon microneedle arrays microfabrication. Three types of microneedles structures were achieved by isotropic etching in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) using SF 6 /O 2 gases, combination of isotropic etching with deep etching, and wet etching, respectively. A microneedle array with biodegradable porous tips was further developed based on the fabricated microneedles

Microfabricated Silicon Microneedle Array for Transdermal Drug Delivery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, J [Mechanical Engineering National University of Singapore, 119260, Singapore (Singapore); Tay, F E [Mechanical Engineering National University of Singapore, 119260, Singapore (Singapore); Miao Jianmin [MicroMachines Center, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 (Singapore); Iliescu, C [Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, Nanos, 04-01, 138669 (Singapore)

2006-04-01

This paper presents developed processes for silicon microneedle arrays microfabrication. Three types of microneedles structures were achieved by isotropic etching in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) using SF{sub 6}/O{sub 2} gases, combination of isotropic etching with deep etching, and wet etching, respectively. A microneedle array with biodegradable porous tips was further developed based on the fabricated microneedles.

Microtome Sliced Block Copolymers and Nanoporous Polymers as Masks for Nanolithography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shvets, Violetta; Schulte, Lars; Ndoni, Sokol

2014-01-01

Introduction. Block copolymers self-assembling properties are commonly used for creation of very fine nanostructures [1]. Goal of our project is to test new methods of the block-copolymer lithography mask preparation: macroscopic pieces of block-copolymers or nanoporous polymers with cross...... PDMS can be chemically etched from the PB matrix by tetrabutylammonium fluoride in tetrahydrofuran and macroscopic nanoporous PB piece is obtained. Both block-copolymer piece and nanoporous polymer piece were sliced with cryomicrotome perpendicular to the axis of cylinder alignment and flakes...... of etching patterns appear only under the certain parts of thick flakes and are not continuous. Although flakes from block copolymer are thinner and more uniform in thickness than flakes from nanoporous polymer, quality of patterns under nanoporous flakes appeared to be better than under block copolymer...

Microfabrication and Test of a Three-Dimensional Polymer Hydro-focusing Unit for Flow Cytometry Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ren; Feeback, Daniel L.; Wang, Wan-Jun

2005-01-01

This paper details a novel three-dimensional (3D) hydro-focusing micro cell sorter for micro flow cytometry applications. The unit was microfabricated by means of SU-8 3D lithography. The 3D microstructure for coaxial sheathing was designed, microfabricated, and tested. Three-dimensional hydrofocusing capability was demonstrated with an experiment to sort labeled tanned sheep erythrocytes (red blood cells). This polymer hydro-focusing microstructure is easily microfabricated and integrated with other polymer microfluidic structures. Keywords: SU-8, three-dimensional hydro-focusing, microfluidic, microchannel, cytometer

Functional Nanoporous Polymers from Block Copolymer Precursors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Fengxiao

Abstract Self-assembly of block copolymers provides well-defined morphologies with characteristic length scales in the nanometer range. Nanoporous polymers prepared by selective removal of one block from self-assembled block copolymers offer great technological promise due to their many potential...... functionalities remains a great challenge due to the limitation of available polymer synthesis and the nanoscale confinement of the porous cavities. The main topic of this thesis is to develop methods for fabrication of functional nanoporous polymers from block copolymer precursors. A method has been developed......, where living anionic polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are combined to synthesize a polydimethylsiloxane-b-poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-b-polystyrene (PDMS-b-PtBA-b-PS) triblock copolymer precursor. By using either anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or trifluoroacetic acid, PtBA block...

Effect of ultraviolet illumination and ambient gases on the photoluminescence and electrical properties of nanoporous silicon layer for organic vapor sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Atiwongsangthong, Narin

2012-08-01

The purpose of this research, the nanoporous silicon layer were fabricated and investigated the physical properties such as photoluminescence and the electrical properties in order to develop organic vapor sensor by using nanoporous silicon. The Changes in the photoluminescence intensity of nanoporous silicon samples are studied during ultraviolet illumination in various ambient gases such as nitrogen, oxigen and vacuum. In this paper, the nanoporous silicon layer was used as organic vapor adsorption and sensing element. The advantage of this device are simple process compatible in silicon technology and usable in room temperature. The structure of this device consists of nanoporous silicon layer which is formed by anodization of silicon wafer in hydrofluoric acid solution and aluminum electrode which deposited on the top of nanoporous silicon layer by evaporator. The nanoporous silicon sensors were placed in a gas chamber with various organic vapor such as ethanol, methanol and isopropyl alcohol. From studying on electrical characteristics of this device, it is found that the nanoporous silicon layer can detect the different organic vapor. Therefore, the nanoporous silicon is important material for organic vapor sensor and it can develop to other applications about gas sensors in the future.

Fabrication and Modification of Nanoporous Silicon Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Mauro; Liu, Xuewu

2010-01-01

Silicon-based nanoporous particles as biodegradable drug carriers are advantageous in permeation, controlled release, and targeting. The use of biodegradable nanoporous silicon and silicon dioxide, with proper surface treatments, allows sustained drug release within the target site over a period of days, or even weeks, due to selective surface coating. A variety of surface treatment protocols are available for silicon-based particles to be stabilized, functionalized, or modified as required. Coated polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains showed the effective depression of both plasma protein adsorption and cell attachment to the modified surfaces, as well as the advantage of long circulating. Porous silicon particles are micromachined by lithography. Compared to the synthesis route of the nanomaterials, the advantages include: (1) the capability to make different shapes, not only spherical particles but also square, rectangular, or ellipse cross sections, etc.; (2) the capability for very precise dimension control; (3) the capacity for porosity and pore profile control; and (4) allowance of complex surface modification. The particle patterns as small as 60 nm can be fabricated using the state-of-the-art photolithography. The pores in silicon can be fabricated by exposing the silicon in an HF/ethanol solution and then subjecting the pores to an electrical current. The size and shape of the pores inside silicon can be adjusted by the doping of the silicon, electrical current application, the composition of the electrolyte solution, and etching time. The surface of the silicon particles can be modified by many means to provide targeted delivery and on-site permanence for extended release. Multiple active agents can be co-loaded into the particles. Because the surface modification of particles can be done on wafers before the mechanical release, asymmetrical surface modification is feasible. Starting from silicon wafers, a treatment, such as KOH dipping or reactive ion

Amphotericin B channels in phospholipid membrane-coated nanoporous silicon surfaces: implications for photovoltaic driving of ions across membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yilma, Solomon; Liu, Nangou; Samoylov, Alexander; Lo, Ting; Brinker, C Jeffrey; Vodyanoy, Vitaly

2007-03-15

The antimycotic agent amphotericin B (AmB) functions by forming complexes with sterols to form ion channels that cause membrane leakage. When AmB and cholesterol mixed at 2:1 ratio were incorporated into phospholipid bilayer membranes formed on the tip of patch pipettes, ion channel current fluctuations with characteristic open and closed states were observed. These channels were also functional in phospholipid membranes formed on nanoporous silicon surfaces. Electrophysiological studies of AmB-cholesterol mixtures that were incorporated into phospholipid membranes formed on the surface of nanoporous (6.5 nm pore diameter) silicon plates revealed large conductance ion channels ( approximately 300 pS) with distinct open and closed states. Currents through the AmB-cholesterol channels on nanoporous silicon surfaces can be driven by voltage applied via conventional electrical circuits or by photovoltaic electrical potential entirely generated when the nanoporous silicon surface is illuminated with a narrow laser beam. Electrical recordings made during laser illumination of AmB-cholesterol containing membrane-coated nanoporous silicon surfaces revealed very large conductance ion channels with distinct open and closed states. Our findings indicate that nanoporous silicon surfaces can serve as mediums for ion-channel-based biosensors. The photovoltaic properties of nanoporous silicon surfaces show great promise for making such biosensors addressable via optical technologies.

Electrically tunable solid-state silicon nanopore ion filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gracheva Maria

2006-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractWe show that a nanopore in a silicon membrane connected to a voltage source can be used as an electrically tunable ion filter. By applying a voltage between the heavily doped semiconductor and the electrolyte, it is possible to invert the ion population inside the nanopore and vary the conductance for both cations and anions in order to achieve selective conduction of ions even in the presence of significant surface charges in the membrane. Our model based on the solution of the Poisson equation and linear transport theory indicates that in narrow nanopores substantial gain can be achieved by controlling electrically the width of the charge double layer.

Carbon Nanotube Templated Microfabrication of Porous Silicon-Carbon Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jun; Jensen, David; Dadson, Andrew; Vail, Michael; Linford, Matthew; Vanfleet, Richard; Davis, Robert

2010-10-01

Carbon nanotube templated microfabrication (CNT-M) of porous materials is demonstrated. Partial chemical infiltration of three dimensional carbon nanotube structures with silicon resulted in a mechanically robust material, precisely structured from the 10 nm scale to the 100 micron scale. Nanoscale dimensions are determined by the diameter and spacing of the resulting silicon/carbon nanotubes while the microscale dimensions are controlled by lithographic patterning of the CNT growth catalyst. We demonstrate the utility of this hierarchical structuring approach by using CNT-M to fabricate thin layer chromatography (TLC) separations media with precise microscale channels for fluid flow control and nanoscale porosity for high analyte capacity.

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS-Loaded Nanoporous Polymer as Anti-Biofilm Surface Coating Material

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sokol Ndoni

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Biofilms cause extensive damage to industrial settings. Thus, it is important to improve the existing techniques and develop new strategies to prevent bacterial biofilm formation. In the present study, we have prepared nanoporous polymer films from a self-assembled 1,2-polybutadiene-b-polydimethylsiloxane (1,2-PB-b-PDMS block copolymer via chemical cross-linking of the 1,2-PB block followed by quantitative removal of the PDMS block. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS was loaded into the nanoporous 1,2-PB from aqueous solution. The SDS-loaded nanoporous polymer films were shown to block bacterial attachment in short-term (3 h and significantly reduce biofilm formation in long-term (1 week by gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Tuning the thickness or surface morphology of the nanoporous polymer films allowed to extent the anti-biofilm capability.

Microfabricated Formaldehyde Gas Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen C. Cheung

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound that is widely used in textiles, paper, wood composites, and household materials. Formaldehyde will continuously outgas from manufactured wood products such as furniture, with adverse health effects resulting from prolonged low-level exposure. New, microfabricated sensors for formaldehyde have been developed to meet the need for portable, low-power gas detection. This paper reviews recent work including silicon microhotplates for metal oxide-based detection, enzyme-based electrochemical sensors, and nanowire-based sensors. This paper also investigates the promise of polymer-based sensors for low-temperature, low-power operation.

Liquid Core Waveguides by UV Modification of Nanoporous Polymer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Mads Brøkner; Gopalakrishnan, Nimi; Sagar, Kaushal Shashikant

2011-01-01

Liquid core waveguides are fabricated from a self-assembled nanoporous polymer, with a porosity of 40%. The high porosity results in an effective refractive index of 1.26 for visible light, i.e. below the refractive index of aqueous solutions. However, since the polymer is hydrophobic, fluids...

Free energy and scalings for polymer translocation through a nanopore: A molecular dynamics simulation study combined with milestoning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Xiang-Gui; Zhao, Li; Lu, Zhong-Yuan; Li, Ze-Sheng

2012-01-01

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations combined with milestoning method are used to study the stochastic process of polymer chain translocation though a nanopore. We find that the scalings for polymer translocation process (the chain is initialized with the first monomer in the nanopore) and for polymer escape process (the chain is initialized with the middle monomer in the nanopore) are different. The translocation process is mainly controlled by the entropic barrier, while the polymer escape process is driven by the effective force due to free energy difference. -- Highlights: ► We study polymer translocating through a nanopore by CGMD combined with milestoning. ► We find that the scalings for polymer translocation and for polymer escape are different. ► The translocation process is mainly controlled by the entropic barrier. ► The polymer escape process is driven by the effective force due to free energy difference.

Track-etched nanopores in spin-coated polycarbonate films applied as sputtering mask

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, A.-K.; Gehrke, H.-G.; Krauser, J.; Trautmann, C.; Weidinger, A.; Hofsaess, H.

2009-01-01

Thin polycarbonate films were spin-coated on silicon substrates and subsequently irradiated with 1-GeV U ions. The ion tracks in the polymer layer were chemically etched yielding nanopores of about 40 nm diameter. In a second process, the nanoporous polymer film acted as mask for structuring the Si substrate underneath. Sputtering with 5-keV Xe ions produced surface craters of depth ∼150 nm and diameter ∼80 nm. This arrangement can be used for the fabrication of track-based nanostructures with self-aligned apertures.

Rapid manufacturing of low-noise membranes for nanopore sensors by trans-chip illumination lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janssen, Xander J A; Jonsson, Magnus P; Plesa, Calin; Soni, Gautam V; Dekker, Cees; Dekker, Nynke H

2012-01-01

In recent years, the concept of nanopore sensing has matured from a proof-of-principle method to a widespread, versatile technique for the study of biomolecular properties and interactions. While traditional nanopore devices based on a nanopore in a single layer membrane supported on a silicon chip can be rapidly fabricated using standard microfabrication methods, chips with additional insulating layers beyond the membrane region can provide significantly lower noise levels, but at the expense of requiring more costly and time-consuming fabrication steps. Here we present a novel fabrication protocol that overcomes this issue by enabling rapid and reproducible manufacturing of low-noise membranes for nanopore experiments. The fabrication protocol, termed trans-chip illumination lithography, is based on illuminating a membrane-containing wafer from its backside such that a photoresist (applied on the wafer’s top side) is exposed exclusively in the membrane regions. Trans-chip illumination lithography permits the local modification of membrane regions and hence the fabrication of nanopore chips containing locally patterned insulating layers. This is achieved while maintaining a well-defined area containing a single thin membrane for nanopore drilling. The trans-chip illumination lithography method achieves this without relying on separate masks, thereby eliminating time-consuming alignment steps as well as the need for a mask aligner. Using the presented approach, we demonstrate rapid and reproducible fabrication of nanopore chips that contain small (12 μm × 12 μm) free-standing silicon nitride membranes surrounded by insulating layers. The electrical noise characteristics of these nanopore chips are shown to be superior to those of simpler designs without insulating layers and comparable in quality to more complex designs that are more challenging to fabricate. (paper)

Fabrication of combined-scale nano- and microfluidic polymer systems using a multilevel dry etching, electroplating and molding process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanzi, Simone; Østergaard, Peter Friis; Matteucci, Marco

2012-01-01

Microfabricated single-cell capture and DNA stretching devices have been produced by injection molding. The fabrication scheme employed deep reactive ion etching in a silicon substrate, electroplating in nickel and molding in cyclic olefin polymer. This work proposes technical solutions to fabric......Microfabricated single-cell capture and DNA stretching devices have been produced by injection molding. The fabrication scheme employed deep reactive ion etching in a silicon substrate, electroplating in nickel and molding in cyclic olefin polymer. This work proposes technical solutions...

Structure of poly(di-n-hexylsilane) in nanoporous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korotkova, I.; Sakhno, T.; Drobit'ko, I.; Sakhno, Yu.; Ostapenko, N.

2010-01-01

Graphical abstract: On the basis of theoretical calculations using TD/CEP-31G method we found and interpreted the complexation mechanism of poly(di-n-hexylsilane) incorporated in nanoporous materials. - Abstract: In this work the effects of solvent polarity and conformation changing on the electronic characteristics of poly(di-n-hexylsilane) incorporated in the nanoporous materials are calculated. The dependence of energy levels of electronic-excited states of investigated compounds is analyzed as a function of the Si-Si-Si-Si twist angle and length of Si-Si and Si-C bonds. The possibility of complex formation between silicon atom of polymer and oxygen ions of nanoporous materials is shown.

Electrochromic artificial muscles based on nanoporous metal-polymer composites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Detsi, E.; Onck, P. R.; De Hosson, J. T. M.

2013-01-01

This work shows that a nano-coating of electrochromic polymer grown onto the ligaments of nanoporous gold causes reversible dimensional and color changes during electrochemical actuation. This combination of electromechanical and optical properties opens additional avenues for the applications of

The fabrication of highly ordered block copolymer micellar arrays: control of the separation distances of silicon oxide dots

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Hana; Park, Soojin

2010-06-01

We demonstrate the fabrication of highly ordered silicon oxide dotted arrays prepared from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) filled nanoporous block copolymer (BCP) films and the preparation of nanoporous, flexible Teflon or polyimide films. Polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) films were annealed in toluene vapor to enhance the lateral order of micellar arrays and were subsequently immersed in alcohol to produce nano-sized pores, which can be used as templates for filling a thin layer of PDMS. When a thin layer of PDMS was spin-coated onto nanoporous BCP films and thermally annealed at a certain temperature, the PDMS was drawn into the pores by capillary action. PDMS filled BCP templates were exposed to oxygen plasma environments in order to fabricate silicon oxide dotted arrays. By addition of PS homopolymer to PS-b-P2VP copolymer, the separation distances of micellar arrays were tuned. As-prepared silicon oxide dotted arrays were used as a hard master for fabricating nanoporous Teflon or polyimide films by spin-coating polymer precursor solutions onto silicon patterns and peeling off. This simple process enables us to fabricate highly ordered nanoporous BCP templates, silicon oxide dots, and flexible nanoporous polymer patterns with feature size of sub-20 nm over 5 cm × 5 cm.

The fabrication of highly ordered block copolymer micellar arrays: control of the separation distances of silicon oxide dots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Hana; Park, Soojin, E-mail: spark@unist.ac.kr [Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Banyeon-ri 100, Ulsan 689-798 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-06-18

We demonstrate the fabrication of highly ordered silicon oxide dotted arrays prepared from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) filled nanoporous block copolymer (BCP) films and the preparation of nanoporous, flexible Teflon or polyimide films. Polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) films were annealed in toluene vapor to enhance the lateral order of micellar arrays and were subsequently immersed in alcohol to produce nano-sized pores, which can be used as templates for filling a thin layer of PDMS. When a thin layer of PDMS was spin-coated onto nanoporous BCP films and thermally annealed at a certain temperature, the PDMS was drawn into the pores by capillary action. PDMS filled BCP templates were exposed to oxygen plasma environments in order to fabricate silicon oxide dotted arrays. By addition of PS homopolymer to PS-b-P2VP copolymer, the separation distances of micellar arrays were tuned. As-prepared silicon oxide dotted arrays were used as a hard master for fabricating nanoporous Teflon or polyimide films by spin-coating polymer precursor solutions onto silicon patterns and peeling off. This simple process enables us to fabricate highly ordered nanoporous BCP templates, silicon oxide dots, and flexible nanoporous polymer patterns with feature size of sub-20 nm over 5 cm x 5 cm.

Nanopore arrays in a silicon membrane for parallel single-molecule detection: fabrication

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Torsten; Zhang, Miao; Sychugov, Ilya; Roxhed, Niclas; Linnros, Jan

2015-08-01

Solid state nanopores enable translocation and detection of single bio-molecules such as DNA in buffer solutions. Here, sub-10 nm nanopore arrays in silicon membranes were fabricated by using electron-beam lithography to define etch pits and by using a subsequent electrochemical etching step. This approach effectively decouples positioning of the pores and the control of their size, where the pore size essentially results from the anodizing current and time in the etching cell. Nanopores with diameters as small as 7 nm, fully penetrating 300 nm thick membranes, were obtained. The presented fabrication scheme to form large arrays of nanopores is attractive for parallel bio-molecule sensing and DNA sequencing using optical techniques. In particular the signal-to-noise ratio is improved compared to other alternatives such as nitride membranes suffering from a high-luminescence background.

Initiation of explosive conversions in energy-saturated nanoporous silicon-based compounds with fast semiconductor switches and energy-releasing elements

Science.gov (United States)

Savenkov, G. G.; Kardo-Sysoev, A. F.; Zegrya, A. G.; Os'kin, I. A.; Bragin, V. A.; Zegrya, G. G.

2017-10-01

The first findings concerning the initiation of explosive conversions in energy-saturated nanoporous silicon-based compounds via the electrical explosion of a semiconductor bridge are presented. The obtained results indicate that the energy parameters of an explosive conversion depend on the mass of a combustible agent—namely, nanoporous silicon—and the silicon-doping type.

Fabrication of nanopores in multi-layered silicon-based membranes using focused electron beam induced etching with XeF_2 gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liebes-Peer, Yael; Bandalo, Vedran; Sökmen, Ünsal; Tornow, Marc; Ashkenasy, Nurit

2016-01-01

The emergent technology of using nanopores for stochastic sensing of biomolecules introduces a demand for the development of simple fabrication methodologies of nanopores in solid state membranes. This process becomes particularly challenging when membranes of composite layer architecture are involved. To overcome this challenge we have employed a focused electron beam induced chemical etching process. We present here the fabrication of nanopores in silicon-on-insulator based membranes in a single step process. In this process, chemical etching of the membrane materials by XeF_2 gas is locally accelerated by an electron beam, resulting in local etching, with a top membrane oxide layer preventing delocalized etching of the silicon underneath. Nanopores with a funnel or conical, 3-dimensional (3D) shape can be fabricated, depending on the duration of exposure to XeF_2, and their diameter is dominated by the time of exposure to the electron beam. The demonstrated ability to form high-aspect ratio nanopores in comparably thick, multi-layered silicon based membranes allows for an easy integration into current silicon process technology and hence is attractive for implementation in biosensing lab-on-chip fabrication technologies. (author)

Fabrication of Polymer Microneedle Electrodes Coated with Nanoporous Parylene

Science.gov (United States)

Nishinaka, Yuya; Jun, Rina; Setia Prihandana, Gunawan; Miki, Norihisa

2013-06-01

In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of polymer microneedle electrodes covered with a nanoporous parylene film that can serve as flexible electrodes for a brain-machine interface. In brain wave measurement, the electric impedance of electrodes should be below 10 kΩ at 15 Hz, and the conductive layer needs to be protected to survive its insertion into the stratum corneum. Polymer microneedles can be used as substrates for flexible electrodes, which can compensate for the movement of the skin; however, the adhesion between a conductive metal film, such as a silver film, and a polymer, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), is weak. Therefore, we coated the electrode surface with a nanoporous parylene film, following the vapor deposition of a silver film. When the porosity of the parylene film is appropriate, it protects the silver film while allowing the electrode to have sufficient conductivity. The porosity can be controlled by adjusting the amount of the parylene dimer used for the deposition or the parylene film thickness. We experimentally verified that a conductive membrane was successfully protected while maintaining a conductivity below 10 kΩ when the thickness of the parylene film was between 25 and 38 nm.

Automated and inexpensive method to manufacture solid- state nanopores and micropores in robust silicon wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Vega, M.; Granell, P.; Lasorsa, C.; Lerner, B.; Perez, M.

2016-02-01

In this work an easy, reproducible and inexpensive technique for the production of solid state nanopores and micropores using silicon wafer substrate is proposed. The technique is based on control of pore formation, by neutralization etchant (KOH) with a strong acid (HCl). Thus, a local neutralization is produced around the nanopore, which stops the silicon etching. The etching process was performed with 7M KOH at 80°C, where 1.23µm/min etching speed was obtained, similar to those published in literature. The control of the pore formation with the braking acid method was done using 12M HCl and different extreme conditions: i) at 25°C, ii) at 80°C and iii) at 80°C applying an electric potential. In these studies, it was found that nanopores and micropores can be obtained automatically and at a low cost. Additionally, the process was optimized to obtain clean silicon wafers after the pore fabrication process. This method opens the possibility for an efficient scale-up from laboratory production.

Automated and inexpensive method to manufacture solid- state nanopores and micropores in robust silicon wafers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega, M; Lasorsa, C; Lerner, B; Perez, M; Granell, P

2016-01-01

In this work an easy, reproducible and inexpensive technique for the production of solid state nanopores and micropores using silicon wafer substrate is proposed. The technique is based on control of pore formation, by neutralization etchant (KOH) with a strong acid (HCl). Thus, a local neutralization is produced around the nanopore, which stops the silicon etching. The etching process was performed with 7M KOH at 80°C, where 1.23µm/min etching speed was obtained, similar to those published in literature. The control of the pore formation with the braking acid method was done using 12M HCl and different extreme conditions: i) at 25°C, ii) at 80°C and iii) at 80°C applying an electric potential. In these studies, it was found that nanopores and micropores can be obtained automatically and at a low cost. Additionally, the process was optimized to obtain clean silicon wafers after the pore fabrication process. This method opens the possibility for an efficient scale-up from laboratory production. (paper)

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS)-Loaded Nanoporous Polymer as Anti-Biofilm Surface Coating Material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Li; Molin, Søren; Yang, Liang

2013-01-01

-b-polydimethylsiloxane (1,2-PB-b-PDMS) block copolymer via chemical cross-linking of the 1,2-PB block followed by quantitative removal of the PDMS block. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was loaded into the nanoporous 1,2-PB from aqueous solution. The SDS-loaded nanoporous polymer films were shown to block bacterial attachment...

Highly sensitive detection using microring resonator and nanopores

Science.gov (United States)

Bougot-Robin, K.; Hoste, J. W.; Le Thomas, N.; Bienstman, P.; Edel, J. B.

2016-04-01

One of the most significant challenges facing physical and biological scientists is the accurate detection and identification of single molecules in free-solution environments. The ability to perform such sensitive and selective measurements opens new avenues for a large number of applications in biological, medical and chemical analysis, where small sample volumes and low analyte concentrations are the norm. Access to information at the single or few molecules scale is rendered possible by a fine combination of recent advances in technologies. We propose a novel detection method that combines highly sensitive label-free resonant sensing obtained with high-Q microcavities and position control in nanoscale pores (nanopores). In addition to be label-free and highly sensitive, our technique is immobilization free and does not rely on surface biochemistry to bind probes on a chip. This is a significant advantage, both in term of biology uncertainties and fewer biological preparation steps. Through combination of high-Q photonic structures with translocation through nanopore at the end of a pipette, or through a solid-state membrane, we believe significant advances can be achieved in the field of biosensing. Silicon microrings are highly advantageous in term of sensitivity, multiplexing, and microfabrication and are chosen for this study. In term of nanopores, we both consider nanopore at the end of a nanopipette, with the pore being approach from the pipette with nanoprecise mechanical control. Alternatively, solid state nanopores can be fabricated through a membrane, supporting the ring. Both configuration are discussed in this paper, in term of implementation and sensitivity.

Transparent Nanoporous Glass-Polymer Composite for U.S. Army Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2008-10-01

material is created by infiltrating nanoporous glass (Vycor, Corning Inc.) with different polymers. The Vycor pores (4–6 nm) are much smaller than the...glass-polymer composite to a carbon-silica composite through pyrolysis . Sotomayor et al. (12) used polyanaline-infused Vycor to produce a pH sensor...Vycor is a registered trademark of Corning , Inc., Corning , NY. 3 In this report, we will explore the processing and mechanical behavior of

End-functional silicone coupling agent modified PEO/P(VDF-HFP)/SiO2 nanocomposite polymer electrolyte DSSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jing; Yang Ying; Wu Sujuan; Xu Sheng; Zhou Conghua; Hu Hao; Chen Bolei; Xiong Xiaodong; Sebo, Bobby; Han Hongwei; Zhao Xingzhong

2008-01-01

The end-functional silicone coupling agent (dodecyl-trimethoxysilane, DTMS for short) was used to modify the PEO/P(VDF-HFP)/SiO 2 nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (CPE) and the different amounts of DTMS modification effects were studied. The experiments showed the silicone coupling agent with hydrophobic alkyl chains (-C 12 H 25 ) chemically engineered on the SiO 2 nanoparticles, and formed a Si-O-Si cross-linked network in the new nanocomposite polymer electrolyte. Proper content of DTMS modified CPE exhibited improved ionic conductivity and the connection with the photoanode and counter electrode. However, much higher content of the DTMS modification changed the conformation of the polymer network and reduced the ionic movement. Compared with the performance (3.84%) of the original DSSC, the DSSC with functional silicone coupling agent modified CPE (DTMS:SiO 2 = 2:1, mol ratio) exhibited improved J sc (7.94 mA cm -2 ), V oc (0.624 V) and optimal efficiency (5.2%) (measured at AM1.5, light intensity of 58.4 mW cm -2 ). The V oc of the silicone coupling agent modified polymer electrolyte DSSC is obviously improved, which is mainly due to that the hydrophobic alkyl chain end groups formed an insulating layer that retarded the electron recombination at the TiO 2 nanoporous photoanode/polymer electrolyte interface. The DTMS:SiO 2 = 2:1 modified CPE type DSSC exhibited a performance of 6.42% at a light intensity of 32.1 mW cm -2 and 4.94% at 99.2 mW cm -2

Nanoporous materials modified with biodegradable polymers as models for drug delivery applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gruber, Mathias F; Schulte, Lars; Ndoni, Sokol

2013-01-01

of principle for a system combining these two encapsulation methods and consisting of a nanoporous polymer (NP) with the pores filled with a degradable polymer mixed with a drug model. Rhodamine 6G (R6G) mixed with Poly(l-Lactic Acid) (PLLA) were confined within the 14nm pores of a NP with gyroid morphology...

Effects of rotational symmetry breaking in polymer-coated nanopores

Science.gov (United States)

Osmanović, D.; Kerr-Winter, M.; Eccleston, R. C.; Hoogenboom, B. W.; Ford, I. J.

2015-01-01

The statistical theory of polymers tethered around the inner surface of a cylindrical channel has traditionally employed the assumption that the equilibrium density of the polymers is independent of the azimuthal coordinate. However, simulations have shown that this rotational symmetry can be broken when there are attractive interactions between the polymers. We investigate the phases that emerge in these circumstances, and we quantify the effect of the symmetry assumption on the phase behavior of the system. In the absence of this assumption, one can observe large differences in the equilibrium densities between the rotationally symmetric case and the non-rotationally symmetric case. A simple analytical model is developed that illustrates the driving thermodynamic forces responsible for this symmetry breaking. Our results have implications for the current understanding of the behavior of polymers in cylindrical nanopores.

Effects of rotational symmetry breaking in polymer-coated nanopores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osmanović, D.; Hoogenboom, B. W.; Ford, I. J. [London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Kerr-Winter, M.; Eccleston, R. C. [Centre for Mathematics, Physics and Engineering in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2015-01-21

The statistical theory of polymers tethered around the inner surface of a cylindrical channel has traditionally employed the assumption that the equilibrium density of the polymers is independent of the azimuthal coordinate. However, simulations have shown that this rotational symmetry can be broken when there are attractive interactions between the polymers. We investigate the phases that emerge in these circumstances, and we quantify the effect of the symmetry assumption on the phase behavior of the system. In the absence of this assumption, one can observe large differences in the equilibrium densities between the rotationally symmetric case and the non-rotationally symmetric case. A simple analytical model is developed that illustrates the driving thermodynamic forces responsible for this symmetry breaking. Our results have implications for the current understanding of the behavior of polymers in cylindrical nanopores.

Nanotopography effects on astrocyte attachment to nanoporous gold surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurtulus, Ozge; Seker, Erkin

2012-01-01

Nanoporous gold, synthesized by a self-assembly process, is a new biomaterial with desirable attributes, including tunable nanotopography, drug delivery potential, electrical conductivity, and compatibility with conventional microfabrication techniques. This study reports on the effect of nanotopography in guiding cellular attachment on nanoporous gold surfaces. While the changes in topography do not affect adherent cell density, average cell area displays a non-monotonic dependence on nanotopography.

Periodic arrays of deep nanopores made in silicon with reactive ion etching and deep UV lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woldering, Leon A; Tjerkstra, R Willem; Vos, Willem L; Jansen, Henri V; Setija, Irwan D

2008-01-01

We report on the fabrication of periodic arrays of deep nanopores with high aspect ratios in crystalline silicon. The radii and pitches of the pores were defined in a chromium mask by means of deep UV scan and step technology. The pores were etched with a reactive ion etching process with SF 6 , optimized for the formation of deep nanopores. We have realized structures with pitches between 440 and 750 nm, pore diameters between 310 and 515 nm, and depth to diameter aspect ratios up to 16. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest aspect ratio ever reported for arrays of nanopores in silicon made with a reactive ion etching process. Our experimental results show that the etching rate of the nanopores is aspect-ratio-dependent, and is mostly influenced by the angular distribution of the etching ions. Furthermore we show both experimentally and theoretically that, for sub-micrometer structures, reducing the sidewall erosion is the best way to maximize the aspect ratio of the pores. Our structures have potential applications in chemical sensors, in the control of liquid wetting of surfaces, and as capacitors in high-frequency electronics. We demonstrate by means of optical reflectivity that our high-quality structures are very well suited as photonic crystals. Since the process studied is compatible with existing CMOS semiconductor fabrication, it allows for the incorporation of the etched arrays in silicon chips

Synthesis of a nanoporous molecularly imprinted polymers for dibutyl Phthalate extracted from Trichoderma Harzianum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maede Shahiri Tabarestani

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In this study, molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized for dibutyl phthalate as a bioactive chemical compound with antifungal activity which produced by Trichoderma Harzianum (JX1738521. The molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized via precipitation polymerization method from methacrylic acid, dibutyl phthalate and trimetylolpropantrimethacrylate as a functional monomer, template and cross-linker, respectively. After removal of the template by the eluent from the MIPs, the leached nanoparticles of the MIPs had a good binding capacity as equal 830 mg/g. The polymer particles have been evaluated by field emission scan electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller  techniques. The excellent specific surface area in the molecularly imprinted polymers as equal to 690.301 m2/g comparatively to non-imprinted polymers (ca. 89.894 m2/g, confirms that the nanoporous MIPs were synthesized, successfully. The results indicated that the nanoporous MIPs can be used in solid phase extraction. This is a novel method for separation of the bioactive compounds from fungi secondary metabolites in biological control.

Three dimensional analysis of nanoporous silicon particles for Li-ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roiban, Lucian, E-mail: lucian.roiban@insa-lyon.fr [Université de Lyon, Insa-Lyon, MATEIS, UMR5510 CNRS, 7 Avenue Jean Capelle, 69621, Villeurbanne cedex (France); Koneti, Siddardha [Université de Lyon, Insa-Lyon, MATEIS, UMR5510 CNRS, 7 Avenue Jean Capelle, 69621, Villeurbanne cedex (France); Wada, Takeshi, E-mail: wada-t@imr.tohoku.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Kato, Hidemi [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Cadete Santos Aires, Francisco J. [Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, IRCELYON, UMR5256 CNRS, 2 Avenue Albert Einstein, 69626 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Laboratory of Catalytic Research, National Research Tomsk State University, 36 Lenin Avenue, 634050 Tomsk (Russian Federation); Curelea, Sergiu; Epicier, Thierry; Maire, Eric [Université de Lyon, Insa-Lyon, MATEIS, UMR5510 CNRS, 7 Avenue Jean Capelle, 69621, Villeurbanne cedex (France)

2017-02-15

Bulk nanoporous silicon prepared by top-down method form Li-ion batteries was investigated combining different conventional technique such as nitrogen physisorption and high resolution electron microscopy with electron tomography. It was found that the Si nanorods are forming porous aggregates with a half of the volume of the particle occupied by pores. The nanorods are preferentially oriented along the main axis of the aggregate. The porosity and the lack of compaction between the aggregates provide space for the Si expansion during the lithiation process. It was found that the Si nanorods mainly expose the (111) family plane as an external faces. The size distributions of the porous and solid phases in a granule were found to be similar. The pores represent 50% of the total volume of an aggregate. The shape orientation of the particles was quantified and it was found to exhibit a narrow distribution. - Highlights: •Bulk nanoporous silicon for Li-ion batteries is studied by HRTEM and electron tomography. •The crystalline facets of Si nanorods are formed by (111) plains. •The lack of compactness between Si nanorods provides 50% of porous volume. •The Si nanorods are oriented along a preferential axis.

Ceramic silicon-boron-carbon fibers from organic silicon-boron-polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Riccitiello, Salvatore R. (Inventor); Hsu, Ming-Ta S. (Inventor); Chen, Timothy S. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Novel high strength ceramic fibers derived from boron, silicon, and carbon organic precursor polymers are discussed. The ceramic fibers are thermally stable up to and beyond 1200 C in air. The method of preparation of the boron-silicon-carbon fibers from a low oxygen content organosilicon boron precursor polymer of the general formula Si(R2)BR(sup 1) includes melt-spinning, crosslinking, and pyrolysis. Specifically, the crosslinked (or cured) precursor organic polymer fibers do not melt or deform during pyrolysis to form the silicon-boron-carbon ceramic fiber. These novel silicon-boron-carbon ceramic fibers are useful in high temperature applications because they retain tensile and other properties up to 1200 C, from 1200 to 1300 C, and in some cases higher than 1300 C.

Morphology dependent field emission characteristics of ZnS/silicon nanoporous pillar array

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ling Li; Zhao, Cheng Zhou; Kang, Li Ping; Liu, De Wei; Zhao, Hui Chun; Hao, Shan Peng; Zhang, Yuan Kai; Chen, Zhen Ping; Li, Xin Jian

2016-10-01

Through depositing zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanoparticals on silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) and crater-shaped silicon nanoporous pillar array (c-Si-NPA) by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method, ZnS/Si-NPA and c-ZnS/Si-NPA were prepared and the field emission (FE) properties of them were investigated. The turn-on electric fields of were 3.8 V/mm for ZnS/Si-NPA and 5.0 V/mm for c-ZnS/Si-NPA, respectively. The lower turn-on electric fields of ZnS/Si-NPA than that of c-ZnS/Si-NPA were attributed to the different electric distribution of the field emitters causing by the different surface morphology of the two samples, which was further demonstrated via the simulated results by finite element modeling. The FN curves for the ZnS/Si-NPA showed two-slope behavior. All the results indicate that the morphology play an important role in the FE properties and designing an appropriate top morphology for the emitter is a very efficient way to improve the FE performance.

Bistable collective behavior of polymers tethered in a nanopore

Science.gov (United States)

Osmanovic, Dino; Bailey, Joe; Harker, Anthony H.; Fassati, Ariberto; Hoogenboom, Bart W.; Ford, Ian J.

2012-06-01

Polymer-coated pores play a crucial role in nucleo-cytoplasmic transport and in a number of biomimetic and nanotechnological applications. Here we present Monte Carlo and Density Functional Theory approaches to identify different collective phases of end-grafted polymers in a nanopore and to study their relative stability as a function of intermolecular interactions. Over a range of system parameters that is relevant for nuclear pore complexes, we observe two distinct phases: one with the bulk of the polymers condensed at the wall of the pore, and the other with the polymers condensed along its central axis. The relative stability of these two phases depends on the interpolymer interactions. The existence the two phases suggests a mechanism in which marginal changes in these interactions, possibly induced by nuclear transport receptors, cause the pore to transform between open and closed configurations, which will influence transport through the pore.

Microfabricated hydrogen sensitive membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naddaf, A.; Kraetz, L. [Lehrstuhl fuer Thermische Verfahrenstechnik, Technische Universitaet Kaiserslautern (Germany); Detemple, P.; Schmitt, S.; Hessel, V. [Institut fuer Mikrotechnik Mainz GmbH, Mainz (Germany); Faqir, N. [University of Jordan, Amman (Jordan); Bart, H.J.

2009-01-15

Thin, defect-free palladium, palladium/copper and palladium/silver hydrogen absorbing membranes were microfabricated. A dual sputtering technique was used to deposit the palladium alloy membranes of only 1 {mu}m thickness on a nonporous silicon substrate. Advanced silicon etching (ASE) was applied on the backside to create a mechanically stable support structure for the thin films. Performance evaluation was carried out for different gases in a temperature range of 20 C to 298 C at a constant differential pressure of 110 kPa at the two sides of the membrane. The composite membranes show an excellent permeation rate of hydrogen, which appears to be 0.05 Pa m{sup 3} s{sup -1} and 0.01.10{sup -3} Pa m{sup 3} s{sup -1} at 20 C for the microfabricated 23 % silver and the 53 % copper composite membranes, respectively. The selectivity to hydrogen over a gas mixture containing, in addition to hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen was measured. The mass spectrometer did not detect any CO{sub 2} or CO, showing that the membrane is completely hydrogen selective. The microfabricated membranes exhibit both high mechanical strength (they easily withstand pressures up to 4 bar) and high thermal stability (up to 650 C). (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Micro-fabricated silicon devices for advanced thermal management and integration of particle tracking detectors

CERN Document Server

Romagnoli, Giulia; Gambaro, Carla

Since their first studies targeting the cooling of high-power computing chips, micro-channel devices are proven to provide a very efficient cooling system. In the last years micro-channel cooling has been successfully applied to the cooling of particle detectors at CERN. Thanks to their high thermal efficiency, they can guarantee a good heat sink for the cooling of silicon trackers, fundamental for the reduction of the radiation damage caused by the beam interactions. The radiation damage on the silicon detector is increasing with temperature and furthermore the detectors are producing heat that should be dissipated in the supporting structure. Micro-channels guarantee a distributed and uniform thermal exchange, thanks to the high flexibility of the micro-fabrication process that allows a large variety of channel designs. The thin nature of the micro-channels etched inside silicon wafers, is fulfilling the physics requirement of minimization of the material crossed by the particle beam. Furthermore micro-chan...

Porous silicon-cyclodextrin based polymer composites for drug delivery applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez-Montelongo, J; Naveas, N; Degoutin, S; Tabary, N; Chai, F; Spampinato, V; Ceccone, G; Rossi, F; Torres-Costa, V; Manso-Silvan, M; Martel, B

2014-09-22

One of the main applications of porous silicon (PSi) in biomedicine is drug release, either as a single material or as a part of a composite. PSi composites are attractive candidates for drug delivery systems because they can display new chemical and physical characteristics, which are not exhibited by the individual constituents alone. Since cyclodextrin-based polymers have been proven efficient materials for drug delivery, in this work β-cyclodextrin-citric acid in-situ polymerization was used to functionalize two kinds of PSi (nanoporous and macroporous). The synthesized composites were characterized by microscopy techniques (SEM and AFM), physicochemical methods (ATR-FTIR, XPS, water contact angle, TGA and TBO titration) and a preliminary biological assay was performed. Both systems were tested as drug delivery platforms with two different model drugs, namely, ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic) and prednisolone (an anti-inflammatory), in two different media: pure water and PBS solution. Results show that both kinds of PSi/β-cyclodextrin-citric acid polymer composites, nano- and macro-, provide enhanced release control for drug delivery applications than non-functionalized PSi samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrophilic nanoporous materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

The present application discloses a method for preparing and rendering hydrophilic a nanoporous material of a polymer matrix which has a porosity of 0.1-90 percent (v/v), such that the ratio between the final water absorption (percent (w/w)) and the porosity (percent (v/v)) is at least 0.05, the ......The present application discloses a method for preparing and rendering hydrophilic a nanoporous material of a polymer matrix which has a porosity of 0.1-90 percent (v/v), such that the ratio between the final water absorption (percent (w/w)) and the porosity (percent (v/v)) is at least 0.......05, the method comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a precursor material comprising at least one polymeric component and having a first phase and a second phase; (b) removal of at least a part of the first phase of the precursor material prepared in step (a) so as to leave behind a nanoporous material...... of the polymer matrix; (c) irradiating at least a part of said nanoporous material with light of a wave length of in the range of 250-400 nm (or 200-700 nm) in the presence of oxygen and/or ozone. Corresponding hydrophilic nanoporous materials are also disclosed. L...

Microfabricated Multianalyte Sensor Arrays for Metabolite Monitoring

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Pishko, Michael V; Mugweru, Amos

2005-01-01

.... In this work we have taken advantage of silicon micro-fabrication technologies to develop implantable redundant microsensor arrays with glucose oxidase molecules immobilized in photopolymerized...

The Effect of Polymer Char on Nitridation Kinetics of Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Rickmond C.; Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.

1994-01-01

Effects of polymer char on nitridation kinetics of attrition milled silicon powder have been investigated from 1200 to 1350 C. Results indicate that at and above 1250 C, the silicon compacts containing 3.5 wt percent polymer char were fully converted to Si3N4 after 24 hr exposure in nitrogen. In contrast, the silicon compacts without polymer char could not be fully converted to Si3N4 at 1350 C under similar exposure conditions. At 1250 and 1350 C, the silicon compacts with polymer char showed faster nitridation kinetics than those without the polymer char. As the polymer char content is increased, the amount of SiC in the nitrided material is also increased. By adding small amounts (approx. 2.5 wt percent) of NiO, the silicon compacts containing polymer char can be completely nitrided at 1200 C. The probable mechanism for the accelerated nitridation of silicon containing polymer char is discussed.

Translocation of "rod-coil" polymers: probing the structure of single molecules within nanopores.

Science.gov (United States)

de Haan, Hendrick W; Slater, Gary W

2013-01-25

Using simulation and analytical techniques, we demonstrate that it is possible to extract structural information about biological molecules by monitoring the dynamics as they translocate through nanopores. From Langevin dynamics simulations of polymers exhibiting discrete changes in flexibility (rod-coil polymers), distinct plateaus are observed in the progression towards complete translocation. Characterizing these dynamics via an incremental mean first passage approach, the large steps are shown to correspond to local barriers preventing the passage of the coils while the rods translocate relatively easily. Analytical replication of the results provides insight into the corrugated nature of the free energy landscape as well as the dependence of the effective barrier heights on the length of the coil sections. Narrowing the width of the pore or decreasing the charge on either the rod or the coil segments are both shown to enhance the resolution of structural details. The special case of a single rod confined within a nanopore is also studied. Here, sufficiently long flexible sections attached to either end are demonstrated to act as entropic anchors which can effectively trap the rod within the pore for an extended period of time. Both sets of results suggest new experimental approaches for the control and study of biological molecules within nanopores.

Fabrication of silicon molds for polymer optics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nilsson, Daniel; Jensen, Søren; Menon, Aric Kumaran

2003-01-01

A silicon mold used for structuring polymer microcavities for optical applications is fabricated, using a combination of DRIE (deep reactive ion etching) and anisotropic chemical wet etching with KOH + IPA. For polymer optical microcavities, low surface roughness and vertical sidewalls are often ...... and KOH + IPA etch have been optimized. To reduce stiction between the silicon mold and the polymers used for molding, the mold is coated with a teflon-like material using the DRIE system. Released polymer microstructures characterized with AFM and SEM are also presented....

Nature of microscopic heat carriers in nanoporous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Antidormi, Aleandro; Cartoixà, Xavier; Colombo, Luciano

2018-05-01

We performed a systematic analysis of the vibrational modes in nanoporous silicon for different values of porosity, separating them into extended modes (diffusons and propagons) and localized vibrations (locons). By calculating the density of states, the participation ratio, and the systems' dispersion curves, the spatial character of each mode as well as the effect of porosity on the thermal conductivity have been investigated. An increase of porosity is shown to promote the existence of increasingly localized modes on one side, and the progressive transformation of propagons to diffusons on the other. Finally, we provide evidence of the sizable contribution of locons to thermal transport found in large porosity samples and discuss the mechanism of energy transfer in terms of mode-mode autocorrelations and cross-correlations.

Sensitivity of energy-packed compounds based on superfine and nanoporous silicon to pulsed electrical treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zegrya, G. G. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical–Technical Institute (Russian Federation); Savenkov, G. G. [Saint-Petersburg State Engineering Institute (Technical University) (Russian Federation); Morozov, V. A. [Saint-Petersburg State University (Russian Federation); Zegrya, A. G.; Ulin, N. V., E-mail: Ulin@mail.ioffe.ru; Ulin, V. P. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical–Technical Institute (Russian Federation); Lukin, A. A. [Saint-Petersburg State Engineering Institute (Technical University) (Russian Federation); Bragin, V. A.; Oskin, I. A. [AO Scientific Production Association Poisk (Russian Federation); Mikhailov, Yu. M. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics (Russian Federation)

2017-04-15

The sensitivity of an energy-packed compound based on nanoporous silicon and calcium perchlorate to a high-current electron beam is studied. The initiation of explosive transformations in a mixture of potassium picrate with a highly dispersed powder of boron-doped silicon by means of a high-voltage discharge is examined. It is shown that explosive transformation modes (combustion and explosion) appear in the energy-packed compound under study upon its treatment with an electron beam. A relationship is established between the explosive transformation modes and the density of the energy-packed compound and between the breakdown (initiation) voltage and the mass fraction of the silicon powder.

Nucleate pool boiling investigation on a silicon test section with micro-fabricated cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanna, A.; Kenning, D.B.R.; Karayiannis, T.G.; Hutter, C.; Sefiane, K.; Nelson, R.A.

2009-01-01

The basic mechanisms of nucleate boiling are still not completely understood, in spite of the many numerical and experimental studies dedicated to the topic. The use of a hybrid code allows reasonable computational times for simulations of a solid plate with a large population of artificial micro-cavities with fixed distribution. This paper analyses the guidelines for the design, through numerical simulations, of the location and sizes of micro-fabricated cavities on a new silicon test section immersed in FC-72 at the saturation temperature for different pressures with an imposed heat flux applied at the back of the plate. Particular focus is on variations of wall temperature around nucleation sites. (author)

Forced Translocation of Polymer through Nanopore: Deterministic Model and Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanqian; Panyukov, Sergey; Liao, Qi; Rubinstein, Michael

2012-02-01

We propose a new theoretical model of forced translocation of a polymer chain through a nanopore. We assume that DNA translocation at high fields proceeds too fast for the chain to relax, and thus the chain unravels loop by loop in an almost deterministic way. So the distribution of translocation times of a given monomer is controlled by the initial conformation of the chain (the distribution of its loops). Our model predicts the translocation time of each monomer as an explicit function of initial polymer conformation. We refer to this concept as ``fingerprinting''. The width of the translocation time distribution is determined by the loop distribution in initial conformation as well as by the thermal fluctuations of the polymer chain during the translocation process. We show that the conformational broadening δt of translocation times of m-th monomer δtm^1.5 is stronger than the thermal broadening δtm^1.25 The predictions of our deterministic model were verified by extensive molecular dynamics simulations

Ultra-thin silicon/electro-optic polymer hybrid waveguide modulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu, Feng; Spring, Andrew M. [Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Sato, Hiromu [Department of Molecular and Material Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Maeda, Daisuke; Ozawa, Masa-aki; Odoi, Keisuke [Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd., 2-10-1 Tuboi Nishi, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8507 (Japan); Aoki, Isao; Otomo, Akira [National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2492 (Japan); Yokoyama, Shiyoshi, E-mail: s-yokoyama@cm.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Department of Molecular and Material Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2015-09-21

Ultra-thin silicon and electro-optic (EO) polymer hybrid waveguide modulators have been designed and fabricated. The waveguide consists of a silicon core with a thickness of 30 nm and a width of 2 μm. The cladding is an EO polymer. Optical mode calculation reveals that 55% of the optical field around the silicon extends into the EO polymer in the TE mode. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulator was prepared using common coplanar electrodes. The measured half-wave voltage of the MZI with 7 μm spacing and 1.3 cm long electrodes is 4.6 V at 1550 nm. The evaluated EO coefficient is 70 pm/V, which is comparable to that of the bulk EO polymer film. Using ultra-thin silicon is beneficial in order to reduce the side-wall scattering loss, yielding a propagation loss of 4.0 dB/cm. We also investigated a mode converter which couples light from the hybrid EO waveguide into a strip silicon waveguide. The calculation indicates that the coupling loss between these two devices is small enough to exploit the potential fusion of a hybrid EO polymer modulator together with a silicon micro-photonics device.

Silicon-on-insulator based nanopore cavity arrays for lipid membrane investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchholz, K; Tinazli, A; Kleefen, A; Dorfner, D; Pedone, D; Rant, U; Tampé, R; Abstreiter, G; Tornow, M

2008-11-05

We present the fabrication and characterization of nanopore microcavities for the investigation of transport processes in suspended lipid membranes. The cavities are situated below the surface of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. Single cavities and large area arrays were prepared using high resolution electron-beam lithography in combination with reactive ion etching (RIE) and wet chemical sacrificial underetching. The locally separated compartments have a circular shape and allow the enclosure of picoliter volume aqueous solutions. They are sealed at their top by a 250 nm thin Si membrane featuring pores with diameters from 2 µm down to 220 nm. The Si surface exhibits excellent smoothness and homogeneity as verified by AFM analysis. As biophysical test system we deposited lipid membranes by vesicle fusion, and demonstrated their fluid-like properties by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. As clearly indicated by AFM measurements in aqueous buffer solution, intact lipid membranes successfully spanned the pores. The nanopore cavity arrays have potential applications in diagnostics and pharmaceutical research on transmembrane proteins.

Preparation and characterization of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide with silicon-rich stoichiometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masuda, Takashi, E-mail: mtakashi@jaist.ac.jp [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Iwasaka, Akira [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Takagishi, Hideyuki [Faculty of Symbiotic System Science, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1296 (Japan); Shimoda, Tatsuya [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

2016-08-01

Polydihydrosilane with pendant hexyl groups was synthesized to obtain silicon-rich amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) films via the solution route. Unlike conventional polymeric precursors, this polymer requires neither catalysts nor oxidation for its synthesis and cross-linkage. Therefore, the polymer provides sufficient purity for the fabrication of semiconducting a-SiC. Here, we investigated the correlation of Si/C stoichiometry between the polymer and the resultant a-SiC film. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films with various carbon contents were also explored. Experimental results suggested that the excess carbon that did not participate in Si−C configurations was decomposed and was evaporated during polymer-to-SiC conversion. Consequently, the upper limit of the carbon in resultant a-SiC film was < 50 at.%; namely, the polymer provided silicon-rich a-SiC, whereas the conventionally used polycarbosilane inevitably provides carbon-rich one. These features of this unusual polymer open up a frontier of polymer-derived SiC and solution-processed SiC electronics. - Highlights: • Polymeric precursor solution for silicon carbide (SiC) is synthesized. • Semiconducting amorphous SiC is prepared via solution route. • The excess carbon is decomposed during cross-linking resulting in Si-rich SiC films. • The grown SiC films contain substantial amount of hydrogen atoms as SiH{sub n}/CH{sub n} entities. • Presence of CH{sub n} entities induces dangling bonds, causing poor electrical properties.

Photoluminescence studies on porous silicon/polymer heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, J.K.; Bhunia, S.; Banerjee, S.; Banerji, P.

2008-01-01

Hybrid devices formed by filling porous silicon with MEH-PPV or poly [2-methoxy-5(2-ethylhexyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene)] have been investigated in this work. Analyses of the structures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the porous silicon layer was filled by the polymer with no significant change of the structures except that the polymer was infiltrated in the pores. The photoluminescence (PL) of the structures at 300 K showed that the emission intensity was very high as compared with that of the MEH-PPV films on different substrates such as crystalline silicon (c-Si) and indium tin oxide (ITO). The PL peak in the MEH-PPV/porous silicon composite structure is found to be shifted towards higher energy in comparison with porous silicon PL. A number of possibilities are discussed to explain the observations

On the specific surface area of nanoporous materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Detsi, E.; De Jong, E.; Zinchenko, A.; Vukovic, Z.; Vukovic, I.; Punzhin, S.; Loos, K.; ten Brinke, G.; De Raedt, H. A.; Onck, P. R.; De Hosson, J. T. M.

2011-01-01

A proper quantification of the specific surface area of nanoporous materials is necessary for a better understanding of the properties that are affected by the high surface-area-to-volume ratio of nanoporous metals, nanoporous polymers and nanoporous ceramics. In this paper we derive an analytical

Wettability transition induced transformation and entrapment of polymer nanostructures in cylindrical nanopores.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Xunda; Mei, Shilin; Jin, Zhaoxia

2011-12-06

We apply the concept of wettability transition to manipulate the morphology and entrapment of polymer nanostructures inside cylindrical nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. When AAO/polystyrene (PS) hybrids, i.e., AAO/PS nanorods or AAO/PS nanotubes, are immersed into a polyethylene glycol (PEG) reservoir above the glass transition temperature of PS, a wettability transition from wetting to nonwetting of PS can be triggered due to the invasion of the more wettable PEG melt. The wettability transition enables us to develop a nondestructive method to entrap hemispherically capped nanorods inside nanopores. Moreover, we can obtain single nanorods with the desired aspect ratio by further dissolving the AAO template, in contrast to the drawbacks of nonuniformity or destructiveness from the conventional ultrasonication method. In the case of AAO/PS nanotubes, the wettability transition induced dewetting of PS nanotube walls results in the disconnection and entrapment of nonwetting PS domains (i.e., nanospheres, nanocapsules, or capped nanorods). Moreover, PEG is then washed to recover the pristine wettability of PS on the alumina surface; further annealing of the PS nanospheres inside AAO nanopores under vacuum can generate some unique nanostructures, particularly semicylindrical nanorods. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Micro-fabricated Liquid Encapsulated Energy Harvester with Polymer Barrier Layer as Liquid Electret Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bu, L; Xu, H Y; Xu, B J; Song, L

2014-01-01

This paper addresses the electret discharge issue for liquid based electret energy harvesters. An interface structure of PDMS/PTFE polymer barrier layer between liquid and electrets is introduced, achieving 75% charge retain rate over 100h, compared with 0% without the proposed layer over 100h. Further, the PDMS/PTFE layer is introduced into liquid encapsulated energy harvester (LEEH) and is compatible with micro-fabrication process. The retain rate of device voltage is about 47%∼65% over 100h. At 100h after corona charging, the device generates maximally 3.7V, 0.55μW @1Hz rotation

Silicon nanopore membrane (SNM) for islet encapsulation and immunoisolation under convective transport

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Shang; Faleo, Gaetano; Yeung, Raymond; Kant, Rishi; Posselt, Andrew M.; Desai, Tejal A.; Tang, Qizhi; Roy, Shuvo

2016-03-01

Problems associated with islet transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) such as shortage of donor cells, use of immunosuppressive drugs remain as major challenges. Immune isolation using encapsulation may circumvent the use of immunosuppressants and prolong the longevity of transplanted islets. The encapsulating membrane must block the passage of host’s immune components while providing sufficient exchange of glucose, insulin and other small molecules. We report the development and characterization of a new generation of semipermeable ultrafiltration membrane, the silicon nanopore membrane (SNM), designed with approximately 7 nm-wide slit-pores to provide middle molecule selectivity by limiting passage of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, the use of convective transport with a pressure differential across the SNM overcomes the mass transfer limitations associated with diffusion through nanometer-scale pores. The SNM exhibited a hydraulic permeability of 130 ml/hr/m2/mmHg, which is more than 3 fold greater than existing polymer membranes. Analysis of sieving coefficients revealed 80% reduction in cytokines passage through SNM under convective transport. SNM protected encapsulated islets from infiltrating cytokines and retained islet viability over 6 hours and remained responsive to changes in glucose levels unlike non-encapsulated controls. Together, these data demonstrate the novel membrane exhibiting unprecedented hydraulic permeability and immune-protection for islet transplantation therapy.

Novel photodefined polymer-embedded vias for silicon interposers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thadesar, Paragkumar A; Bakir, Muhannad S

2013-01-01

This paper describes the fabrication and characterization of novel photodefined polymer-embedded vias for silicon interposers. The fabricated polymer-embedded vias can help obtain ∼3.8× reduction in via-to-via capacitance as well as a reduction in insertion loss compared to TSVs with a silicon dioxide liner. Polymer-embedded vias 100 μm in diameter, 270 μm tall and at 250 μm pitch were fabricated. Resistance and leakage measurements were performed for the fabricated polymer-embedded vias. The average value of the measured resistance for 20 polymer-embedded vias is 2.54 mΩ and the maximum measured via-to-via leakage current for 10 pairs of polymer-embedded vias is 80.8 pA for an applied voltage of 200 V. (paper)

The correlation of blue shift of photoluminescence and morphology of silicon nanoporous

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Jumaili, Batool E. B., E-mail: batooleneaze@gmail.com [Department of Physics, (UPM), Serdang, Selangor 43400 (Malaysia); Department of Physics, Anbar University (Iraq); Talib, Zainal A.; Josephine, L.Y.; Paiman, Suriati B.; Muh’d, Ibrahim B.; Mofdal, Manahil E. E. [Department of Physics, (UPM), Serdang, Selangor 43400 (Malaysia); Ahmed, Naser M.; Abdulateef, Sinan A. [School of Physics, USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Al-Jumaily, Abdulmajeed H. J. [Department of Computer and Communication Systems Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor 43400 (Malaysia); Ramizy, Asmiet [Department of Physics, Anbar University (Iraq)

2016-07-06

Porous silicon with diameters ranging from 6.41 to 7.12 nm were synthesized via electrochemical etching by varied anodization current density in ethanoic solutions containing aqueous hydrofluoric acid up to 65 mA/cm{sup 2}.The luminescence properties of the nanoporous at room temperature were analyzed via photoluminescence spectroscopy. Photoluminescence PL spectra exhibit a broad emission band in the range of 360-700 nm photon energy. The PL spectrum has a blue shift in varied anodization current density; the blue shift incremented as the existing of anodization although the intensity decreased. The current blue shift is owning to alteration of silicon nanocrystal structure at the superficies. The superficial morphology of the PS layers consists of unified and orderly distribution of nanocrystalline Si structures, have high porosity around (93.75%) and high thickness 39.52 µm.

Nanoporous Polymeric Grating-Based Biosensors

KAUST Repository

Gao, Tieyu; Hsiao, Vincent; Zheng, Yue Bing; Huang, Tony Jun

2012-01-01

We demonstrate the utilization of an interferometrically created nanoporous polymeric gratings as a platform for biosensing applications. Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized nanoporous polymeric gratings was fabricated by combining holographic interference patterning and APTES-functionalization of pre-polymer syrup. The successful detection of multiple biomolecules indicates that the biofunctionalized nanoporous polymeric gratings can act as biosensing platforms which are label-free, inexpensive, and applicable as high-throughput assays. Copyright © 2010 by ASME.

Nanoporous Polymeric Grating-Based Biosensors

KAUST Repository

Gao, Tieyu

2012-05-02

We demonstrate the utilization of an interferometrically created nanoporous polymeric gratings as a platform for biosensing applications. Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized nanoporous polymeric gratings was fabricated by combining holographic interference patterning and APTES-functionalization of pre-polymer syrup. The successful detection of multiple biomolecules indicates that the biofunctionalized nanoporous polymeric gratings can act as biosensing platforms which are label-free, inexpensive, and applicable as high-throughput assays. Copyright © 2010 by ASME.

Thermal conductivity model for nanoporous thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Congliang; Zhao, Xinpeng; Regner, Keith; Yang, Ronggui

2018-03-01

Nanoporous thin films have attracted great interest because of their extremely low thermal conductivity and potential applications in thin thermal insulators and thermoelectrics. Although there are some numerical and experimental studies about the thermal conductivity of nanoporous thin films, a simplified model is still needed to provide a straightforward prediction. In this paper, by including the phonon scattering lifetimes due to film thickness boundary scattering, nanopore scattering and the frequency-dependent intrinsic phonon-phonon scattering, a fitting-parameter-free model based on the kinetic theory of phonon transport is developed to predict both the in-plane and the cross-plane thermal conductivities of nanoporous thin films. With input parameters such as the lattice constants, thermal conductivity, and the group velocity of acoustic phonons of bulk silicon, our model shows a good agreement with available experimental and numerical results of nanoporous silicon thin films. It illustrates that the size effect of film thickness boundary scattering not only depends on the film thickness but also on the size of nanopores, and a larger nanopore leads to a stronger size effect of the film thickness. Our model also reveals that there are different optimal structures for getting the lowest in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities.

Fabrication and optical characterization of light trapping silicon nanopore and nanoscrew devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Hyunjong; Logan Liu, G

2012-01-01

We have fabricated nanotextured Si substrates that exhibit controllable optical reflection intensities and colors. Si nanopore has a photon trapping nanostructure but has abrupt changes in the index of refraction displaying a darkened specular reflection. Nanoscrew Si shows graded refractive-index photon trapping structures that enable diffuse reflection to be as low as 2.2% over the visible wavelengths. By tuning the 3D nanoscale silicon structure, the optical reflection peak wavelength and intensity are changed in the wavelength range of 300–800 nm, making the surface have different reflectivity and apparent colors. The relation between the surface optical properties with the spatial features of the photon trapping nanostructures is examined. Integration of photon trapping structures with planar Si structure on the same substrate is also demonstrated. The tunable photon trapping silicon structures have potential applications in enhancing the performance of semiconductor photoelectric devices. (paper)

Silicon-Based Nanoscale Composite Energetic Materials

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

1193-1211. 9. Krishnamohan, G., E.M. Kurian, and H.R. Rao, Thermal Analysis and Inverse Burning Rate Studies on Silicon-Potassium Nitrate System...reported in a journal paper and appears in the Appendix. Multiscale Nanoporous Silicon Combustion Introduction for nanoporous silicon effort While

Controlling the role of nanopore morphology in capillary condensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Casanova, Fèlix; Chiang, Casey E; Ruminski, Anne M; Sailor, Michael J; Schuller, Ivan K

2012-05-01

The effect of pore morphology on capillary condensation and evaporation in nanoporous silicon is studied experimentally. A variety of cooperative and local effects are observed in tailored nanopores with well-defined regions by directly probing gas adsorption in each region using optical interferometry. All observations are ascribed to the ability of the nanopore region to access the gas reservoir directly and the nucleation of liquid bridges at local heterogeneities within the nanopore region. These assumptions, consistent with recent simulations, can be extended to any real nanoporous system.

UV Defined Nanoporous Liquid Core Waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Mads Brøkner; Gopalakrishnan, Nimi; Ndoni, Sokol

2011-01-01

Nanoporous liquid core waveguides, where both core and cladding are made from the same material, are presented. The nanoporous polymer used is intrinsically hydrophobic, but selective UV exposure enables it to infiltrate with an aqueous solution, thus raising the refractive index from 1.26 to 1...

Fabrication and Optimization of a Nanoporous Platinum Electrode and a Non-enzymatic Glucose Micro-sensor on Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Younghun Kim

2008-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, optimal conditions for fabrication of nanoporous platinum (Pt were investigated in order to use it as a sensitive sensing electrode for silicon CMOS integrable non-enzymatic glucose micro-sensor applications. Applied charges, voltages, and temperatures were varied during the electroplating of Pt into the formed nonionic surfactant C16EO8 nano-scaled molds in order to fabricate nanoporous Pt electrodes with large surface roughness factor (RF, uniformity, and reproducibility. The fabricated nanoporous Pt electrodes were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM and electrochemical cyclic voltammograms. Optimal electroplating conditions were determined to be an applied charge of 35 mC/mm2, a voltage of -0.12 V, and a temperature of 25 °C, respectively. The optimized nanoporous Pt electrode had an electrochemical RF of 375 and excellent reproducibility. The optimized nanoporous Pt electrode was applied to fabricate non-enzymatic glucose micro-sensor with three electrode systems. The fabricated sensor had a size of 3 mm x 3 mm, air gap of 10 µm, working electrode (WE area of 4.4 mm2, and sensitivity of 37.5 µA•L/mmol•cm2. In addition, it showed large detection range from 0.05 to 30 mmolL-1 and stable recovery responsive to the step changes in glucose concentration.

Nanopores creation in boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene: A molecular dynamics study

Science.gov (United States)

Izadifar, Mohammadreza; Abadi, Rouzbeh; Nezhad Shirazi, Ali Hossein; Alajlan, Naif; Rabczuk, Timon

2018-05-01

In the present paper, molecular dynamic simulations have been conducted to investigate the nanopores creation on 10% of boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene by silicon and diamond nanoclusters. Two types of nanoclusters based on silicon and diamond are used to investigate their effect for the fabrication of nanopores. Therefore, three different diameter sizes of the clusters with five kinetic energies of 10, 50, 100, 300 and 500 eV/atom at four different locations in boron or nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene nanosheets have been perused. We also study the effect of 3% and 6% of boron doped polycrystalline graphene with the best outcome from 10% of doping. Our results reveal that the diamond cluster with diameter of 2 and 2.5 nm fabricates the largest nanopore areas on boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene, respectively. Furthermore, the kinetic energies of 10 and 50 eV/atom can not fabricate nanopores in some cases for silicon and diamond clusters on boron doped polycrystalline graphene nanosheets. On the other hand, silicon and diamond clusters fabricate nanopores for all locations and all tested energies on nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene. The area sizes of nanopores fabricated by silicon and diamond clusters with diameter of 2 and 2.5 nm are close to the actual area size of the related clusters for the kinetic energy of 300 eV/atom in all locations on boron doped polycrystalline graphene. The maximum area and the average maximum area of nanopores are fabricated by the kinetic energy of 500 eV/atom inside the grain boundary at the center of the nanosheet and in the corner of nanosheet with diameters of 2 and 3 nm for silicon and diamond clusters on boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene.

Ion transport by gating voltage to nanopores produced via metal-assisted chemical etching method

Science.gov (United States)

Van Toan, Nguyen; Inomata, Naoki; Toda, Masaya; Ono, Takahito

2018-05-01

In this work, we report a simple and low-cost way to create nanopores that can be employed for various applications in nanofluidics. Nano sized Ag particles in the range from 1 to 20 nm are formed on a silicon substrate with a de-wetting method. Then the silicon nanopores with an approximate 15 nm average diameter and 200 μm height are successfully produced by the metal-assisted chemical etching method. In addition, electrically driven ion transport in the nanopores is demonstrated for nanofluidic applications. Ion transport through the nanopores is observed and could be controlled by an application of a gating voltage to the nanopores.

A proof of concept of a BioMEMS glucose biosensor using microfabricated SU-8 films

OpenAIRE

Psoma, Sotiria D.

2009-01-01

The present project investigated and proved the concept of developing a novel BioMEMS glucose micro-biosensor using a simple one-step microfabrication process of the widely used SU-8 polymer. More specifically, the study focused on the investigation of the suitability of the SU-8 polymer as a matrix for enzyme immobilisation that is carried out during the microfabrication process. A comparative study between commercially available SU-8 and “customised” SU-8 solutions showed tha...

Microfabrication on a curved surface using 3D microlens array projection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Lei; Yi, Allen Y

2009-01-01

Accurate three-dimensional microstructures on silicon or other substrates are becoming increasingly important for optical, electronic, biomedical and medical applications. Traditional microfabrication processes based on cleanroom lithography and dry or wet etching processes are essentially two-dimensional methods. In the past, complicated procedures were designed to create some three-dimensional microstructures; however, these processes were mainly used to create features on planar silicon wafer substrates using the bulk silicon machining technique. In a major departure from previous micromachining processes, a microfabrication process based on microlens projection is presented in this paper. The proposed microfabrication system will have the capabilities of a typical conventional micromachining process plus the unique true three-dimensional replication features based on microlenses that were created on a steep curved substrate. These microlenses were precisely fabricated with a specific pattern on the curved surface that can be used to create microstructures on a pre-defined nonplanar substrate where a layer of photoresist was spin coated. After proper exposure and development, the desired micro patterns are created on the photoresist layer. These micro features can eventually be replicated on the substrate via wet or dry etching processes. The results show that the fabricated three-dimensional microlens array has very high dimensional accuracy and the profile error is less than 6 µm over the entire surface

1/f noise in graphene nanopores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heerema, S J; Schneider, G F; Rozemuller, M; Vicarelli, L; Zandbergen, H W; Dekker, C

2015-01-01

Graphene nanopores are receiving great attention due to their atomically thin membranes and intrinsic electrical properties that appear greatly beneficial for biosensing and DNA sequencing. Here, we present an extensive study of the low-frequency 1/f noise in the ionic current through graphene nanopores and compare it to noise levels in silicon nitride pore currents. We find that the 1/f noise magnitude is very high for graphene nanopores: typically two orders of magnitude higher than for silicon nitride pores. This is a drawback as it significantly lowers the signal-to-noise ratio in DNA translocation experiments. We evaluate possible explanations for these exceptionally high noise levels in graphene pores. From examining the noise for pores of different diameters and at various salt concentrations, we find that in contrast to silicon nitride pores, the 1/f noise in graphene pores does not follow Hooge’s relation. In addition, from studying the dependence on the buffer pH, we show that the increased noise cannot be explained by charge fluctuations of chemical groups on the pore rim. Finally, we compare single and bilayer graphene to few-layer and multi-layer graphene and boron nitride (h-BN), and we find that the noise reduces with layer thickness for both materials, which suggests that mechanical fluctuations may be the underlying cause of the high 1/f noise levels in monolayer graphene nanopore devices. (paper)

UV patterned nanoporous solid-liquid core waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gopalakrishnan, Nimi; Sagar, Kaushal Shashikant; Christiansen, Mads Brøkner

2010-01-01

Nanoporous Solid-Liquid core waveguides were prepared by UV induced surface modification of hydrophobic nanoporous polymers. With this method, the index contrast (delta n = 0.20) is a result of selective water infiltration. The waveguide core is defined by UV light, rendering the exposed part...

Nanopore sensors : From hybrid to abiotic systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kocer, Armagan; Tauk, Lara; Dejardin, Philippe

2012-01-01

The use of nanopores of well controlled geometry for sensing molecules in solution is reviewed. Focus is concentrated especially on synthetic track-etch pores in polymer foils and on biological nanopores, i.e. ion channels. After a brief section about multipore sensors, specific attention is

Dry-film polymer waveguide for silicon photonics chip packaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Hsiang-Han; Nakagawa, Shigeru

2014-09-22

Polymer waveguide made by dry film process is demonstrated for silicon photonics chip packaging. With 8 μm × 11.5 μm core waveguide, little penalty is observed up to 25 Gbps before or after the light propagate through a 10-km long single-mode fiber (SMF). Coupling loss to SMF is 0.24 dB and 1.31 dB at the polymer waveguide input and output ends, respectively. Alignment tolerance for 0.5 dB loss increase is +/- 1.0 μm along both vertical and horizontal directions for the coupling from the polymer waveguide to SMF. The dry-film polymer waveguide demonstrates promising performance for silicon photonics chip packaging used in next generation optical multi-chip module.

Soft matter in hard confinement: phase transition thermodynamics, structure, texture, diffusion and flow in nanoporous media

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Patrick

2015-03-01

Spatial confinement in nanoporous media affects the structure, thermodynamics and mobility of molecular soft matter often markedly. This article reviews thermodynamic equilibrium phenomena, such as physisorption, capillary condensation, crystallisation, self-diffusion, and structural phase transitions as well as selected aspects of the emerging field of spatially confined, non-equilibrium physics, i.e. the rheology of liquids, capillarity-driven flow phenomena, and imbibition front broadening in nanoporous materials. The observations in the nanoscale systems are related to the corresponding bulk phenomenologies. The complexity of the confined molecular species is varied from simple building blocks, like noble gas atoms, normal alkanes and alcohols to liquid crystals, polymers, ionic liquids, proteins and water. Mostly, experiments with mesoporous solids of alumina, gold, carbon, silica, and silicon with pore diameters ranging from a few up to 50 nm are presented. The observed peculiarities of nanopore-confined condensed matter are also discussed with regard to applications. A particular emphasis is put on texture formation upon crystallisation in nanoporous media, a topic both of high fundamental interest and of increasing nanotechnological importance, e.g. for the synthesis of organic/inorganic hybrid materials by melt infiltration, the usage of nanoporous solids in crystal nucleation or in template-assisted electrochemical deposition of nano structures.

Physisorption of SDS in a Hydrocarbon Nanoporous Polymer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Li; Wang, Yanwei; Vigild, Martin Etchells

2010-01-01

Surface modification of nanoporous 1,2-polybutadiene of pore diameter similar to 15 nm was accomplished by physisorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in water. Loading of the aqueous solution and the accompanying physisorption of SDS into the hydrophobic nanoporous films were investigated in a...

Microfabrication of air core power inductors with metal-encapsulated polymer vias

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jungkwun; Herrault, Florian; Yu, Xuehong; Kim, Minsoo; Shafer, Richard H; Allen, Mark G

2013-01-01

This paper reports three-dimensional (3-D) microfabricated toroidal inductors intended for power electronics applications. A key fabrication advance is the exploitation of thick metal encapsulation of polymer pillars to form a vertical via interconnections. The radial conductors of the toroidal inductor are formed by conventional plating-through-mold techniques, while the vertical windings (up to 650 µm in height) are formed by polymer cores with metal plated on their external surfaces. This encapsulated polymer approach not only significantly reduces the required plating time but also exploits the relative ease of fabricating high-aspect-ratio SU-8 pillars. To form the top radial conductors, non-photopatternable SU-8 is introduced as a thick sacrificial layer. Two toroidal inductor geometries were fabricated and tested. The first inductor had an inner diameter of 2 mm, an outer diameter of 6 mm, 25 turns and a vertical via height of 650 µm. The second inductor had an inner diameter of 4 mm, an outer diameter of 8 mm, 50 turns and a vertical via height of 650 µm. Both inductor geometries were successfully fabricated and characterized in the frequency range of 0.1−100 MHz. Characterization results of the 25- and 50-turn inductors showed an average inductance of 76 and 200 nH, a low frequency (0.1 MHz) resistance of 0.2 and 1 Ω and a quality factor of 35 and 24 at 100 MHz, respectively. Finite-element simulations of the inductors were performed and agreed with the measured results to within 8%. The turn-to-turn breakdown voltage was measured to be in excess of 800 V and currents as high as 0.5 A could be successfully carried by the inductor windings. (paper)

DNA Physical Mapping via the Controlled Translocation of Single Molecules through a 5-10nm Silicon Nitride Nanopore

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Derek; Reisner, Walter; Jiang, Zhijun; Hagerty, Nick; Wood, Charles; Chan, Jason

2009-03-01

The ability to map the binding position of sequence-specific markers, including transcription-factors, protein-nucleic acids (PNAs) or deactivated restriction enzymes, along a single DNA molecule in a nanofluidic device would be of key importance for the life-sciences. Such markers could give an indication of the active genes at particular stage in a cell's transcriptional cycle, pinpoint the location of mutations or even provide a DNA barcode that could aid in genomics applications. We have developed a setup consisting of a 5-10 nm nanopore in a 20nm thick silicon nitride film coupled to an optical tweezer setup. The translocation of DNA across the nanopore can be detected via blockades in the electrical current through the pore. By anchoring one end of the translocating DNA to an optically trapped microsphere, we hope to stretch out the molecule in the nanopore and control the translocation speed, enabling us to slowly scan across the genome and detect changes in the baseline current due to the presence of bound markers.

Microfabricated Chemical Sensors for Safety and Emission Control Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, G. W.; Neudeck, P. G.; Chen, L.-Y.; Knight, D.; Liu, C. C.; Wu, Q. H.

1998-01-01

Chemical sensor technology is being developed for leak detection, emission monitoring, and fire safety applications. The development of these sensors is based on progress in two types of technology: 1) Micromachining and microfabrication (MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS)-based) technology to fabricate miniaturized sensors. 2) The development of high temperature semiconductors, especially silicon carbide. Using these technologies, sensors to measure hydrogen, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are being developed. A description is given of each sensor type and its present stage of development. It is concluded that microfabricated sensor technology has significant potential for use in a range of aerospace applications.

A review of piezoelectric polymers as functional materials for electromechanical transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramadan, Khaled S; Evoy, S; Sameoto, D

2014-01-01

Polymer based MEMS and microfluidic devices have the advantages of mechanical flexibility, lower fabrication cost and faster processing over silicon based ones. Also, many polymer materials are considered biocompatible and can be used in biological applications. A valuable class of polymers for microfabricated devices is piezoelectric functional polymers. In addition to the normal advantages of polymers, piezoelectric polymers can be directly used as an active material in different transduction applications. This paper gives an overview of piezoelectric polymers based on their operating principle. This includes three main categories: bulk piezoelectric polymers, piezocomposites and voided charged polymers. State-of-the-art piezopolymers of each category are presented with a focus on fabrication techniques and material properties. A comparison between the different piezoelectric polymers and common inorganic piezoelectric materials (PZT, ZnO, AlN and PMN–PT) is also provided in terms of piezoelectric properties. The use of piezopolymers in different electromechanical devices is also presented. This includes tactile sensors, energy harvesters, acoustic transducers and inertial sensors. (topical review)

Nanoporous capsules of block co-polymers of [(MeO-PEG-NH)-b-(L-GluA)]-PCL for the controlled release of anticancer drugs for therapeutic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Amgoth, Chander; Dharmapuri, Gangappa; Kalle, Arunasree M.; Paik, Pradip

2016-03-01

Herein, new nanoporous capsules of the block co-polymers of MeO-PEG-NH-(L-GluA)10 and polycaprolactone (PCL) have been synthesized through a surfactant-free cost-effective self-assembled soft-templating approach for the controlled release of drugs and for therapeutic applications. The nanoporous polymer capsules are designed to be biocompatible and are capable of encapsulating anticancer drugs (e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and imatinib mesylate (ITM)) with a high extent (˜279 and ˜480 ng μg-1, respectively). We have developed a nanoformulation of porous MeO-PEG-NH-(L-GluA)10-PCL capsules with DOX and ITM. The porous polymer nanoformulations have been programmed in terms of the release of anticancer drugs with a desired dose to treat the leukemia (K562) and human carcinoma cells (HepG2) in vitro and show promising IC50 values with a very high mortality of cancer cells (up to ˜96.6%). Our nanoformulation arrests the cell divisions due to ‘cellular scenescence’ and kills the cancer cells specifically. The present findings could enrich the effectiveness of idiosyncratic nanoporous polymer capsules for use in various other nanomedicinal and biomedical applications, such as for killing cancer cells, immune therapy, and gene delivery.

Nanoporous capsules of block co-polymers of [(MeO-PEG-NH)-b-(L-GluA)]-PCL for the controlled release of anticancer drugs for therapeutic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amgoth, Chander; Paik, Pradip; Dharmapuri, Gangappa; Kalle, Arunasree M

2016-01-01

Herein, new nanoporous capsules of the block co-polymers of MeO-PEG-NH-(L-GluA) 10 and polycaprolactone (PCL) have been synthesized through a surfactant-free cost-effective self-assembled soft-templating approach for the controlled release of drugs and for therapeutic applications. The nanoporous polymer capsules are designed to be biocompatible and are capable of encapsulating anticancer drugs (e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and imatinib mesylate (ITM)) with a high extent (∼279 and ∼480 ng μg −1 , respectively). We have developed a nanoformulation of porous MeO-PEG-NH-(L-GluA) 10 -PCL capsules with DOX and ITM. The porous polymer nanoformulations have been programmed in terms of the release of anticancer drugs with a desired dose to treat the leukemia (K562) and human carcinoma cells (HepG2) in vitro and show promising IC 50 values with a very high mortality of cancer cells (up to ∼96.6%). Our nanoformulation arrests the cell divisions due to ‘cellular scenescence’ and kills the cancer cells specifically. The present findings could enrich the effectiveness of idiosyncratic nanoporous polymer capsules for use in various other nanomedicinal and biomedical applications, such as for killing cancer cells, immune therapy, and gene delivery. (paper)

Probe DNA-Cisplatin Interaction with Solid-State Nanopores

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhi; Hu, Ying; Li, Wei; Xu, Zhi; Wang, Pengye; Bai, Xuedong; Shan, Xinyan; Lu, Xinghua; Nanopore Collaboration

2014-03-01

Understanding the mechanism of DNA-cisplatin interaction is essential for clinical application and novel drug design. As an emerging single-molecule technology, solid-state nanopore has been employed in biomolecule detection and probing DNA-molecule interactions. Herein, we reported a real-time monitoring of DNA-cisplatin interaction by employing solid-state SiN nanopores. The DNA-cisplatin interacting process is clearly classified into three stages by measuring the capture rate of DNA-cisplatin adducts. In the first stage, the negative charged DNA molecules were partially discharged due to the bonding of positive charged cisplatin and forming of mono-adducts. In the second stage, forming of DNA-cisplatin di-adducts with the adjacent bases results in DNA bending and softening. The capture rate increases since the softened bi-adducts experience a lower barrier to thread into the nanopores. In the third stage, complex structures, such as micro-loop, are formed and the DNA-cisplatin adducts are aggregated. The capture rate decreases to zero as the aggregated adduct grows to the size of the pore. The characteristic time of this stage was found to be linear with the diameter of the nanopore and this dynamic process can be described with a second-order reaction model. We are grateful to Laboratory of Microfabrication, Dr. Y. Yao, and Prof. R.C. Yu (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for technical assistance.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane monolayer as a nanoporous interlayer for preparation of low-k dielectric films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Y-L; Liu, C-S; Cho, C-I; Hwu, M-J

2007-01-01

Polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane (POSS) monomer was fixed to a silicon surface by reacting octakis(glycidyldimethylsiloxy)octasilsesquioxane (OG-POSS) with the OH-terminated silicon surface in the presence of tin (II) chloride. The POSS cage layer then served as a nanoporous interlayer to reduce the dielectric constants of polyimide films on silicon surfaces. The chemical structure and surface morphology of OG-POSS modified silicon surfaces were characterized with XPS. With the introduction of a POSS nanopored interlayer, the dielectric constants of polyimide films were reduced

Polymeric microsieves via phase separation microfabrication: Process and design optimization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bikel, M.; Culfaz, P.Z.; Bolhuis-Versteeg, Lydia A.M.; Perez, J. Garduno; Lammertink, Rob G.H.; Wessling, Matthias

2010-01-01

Phase separation microfabrication (PSμF) is a fabrication method that allows the preparation of membranes having micropattern surface topologies. PSμF has been successfully used for manufacturing polymeric microsieves. The technique benefits from the vertical shrinkage of polymer solutions to ensure

Single qubit manipulation in a microfabricated surface electrode ion trap

Science.gov (United States)

Mount, Emily; Baek, So-Young; Blain, Matthew; Stick, Daniel; Gaultney, Daniel; Crain, Stephen; Noek, Rachel; Kim, Taehyun; Maunz, Peter; Kim, Jungsang

2013-09-01

We trap individual 171Yb+ ions in a surface trap microfabricated on a silicon substrate, and demonstrate a complete set of high fidelity single qubit operations for the hyperfine qubit. Trapping times exceeding 20 min without laser cooling, and heating rates as low as 0.8 quanta ms-1, indicate stable trapping conditions in these microtraps. A coherence time of more than 1 s, high fidelity qubit state detection and single qubit rotations are demonstrated. The observation of low heating rates and demonstration of high quality single qubit gates at room temperature are critical steps toward scalable quantum information processing in microfabricated surface traps.

Single qubit manipulation in a microfabricated surface electrode ion trap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mount, Emily; Baek, So-Young; Gaultney, Daniel; Crain, Stephen; Noek, Rachel; Kim, Taehyun; Maunz, Peter; Kim, Jungsang; Blain, Matthew; Stick, Daniel

2013-01-01

We trap individual 171 Yb + ions in a surface trap microfabricated on a silicon substrate, and demonstrate a complete set of high fidelity single qubit operations for the hyperfine qubit. Trapping times exceeding 20 min without laser cooling, and heating rates as low as 0.8 quanta ms −1 , indicate stable trapping conditions in these microtraps. A coherence time of more than 1 s, high fidelity qubit state detection and single qubit rotations are demonstrated. The observation of low heating rates and demonstration of high quality single qubit gates at room temperature are critical steps toward scalable quantum information processing in microfabricated surface traps. (paper)

Polymer translocation through a nanopore: a showcase of anomalous diffusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Milchev, A; Dubbeldam, Johan L A; Rostiashvili, Vakhtang G; Vilgis, Thomas A

2009-04-01

We investigate the translocation dynamics of a polymer chain threaded through a membrane nanopore by a chemical potential gradient that acts on the chain segments inside the pore. By means of diverse methods (scaling theory, fractional calculus, and Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations), we demonstrate that the relevant dynamic variable, the transported number of polymer segments, s(t), displays an anomalous diffusive behavior, both with and without an external driving force being present. We show that in the absence of drag force the time tau, needed for a macromolecule of length N to thread from the cis into the trans side of a cell membrane, scales as tauN(2/alpha) with the chain length. The anomalous dynamics of the translocation process is governed by a universal exponent alpha= 2/(2nu + 2 - gamma(1)), which contains the basic universal exponents of polymer physics, nu (the Flory exponent) and gamma(1) (the surface entropic exponent). A closed analytic expression for the probability to find s translocated segments at time t in terms of chain length N and applied drag force f is derived from the fractional Fokker-Planck equation, and shown to provide analytic results for the time variation of the statistical moments and . It turns out that the average translocation time scales as tau proportional, f(-1)N(2/alpha-1). These results are tested and found to be in perfect agreement with extensive Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics computer simulations.

A nanoporous gold membrane for sensing applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swe Zin Oo

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Design and fabrication of three-dimensionally structured, gold membranes containing hexagonally close-packed microcavities with nanopores in the base, are described. Our aim is to create a nanoporous structure with localized enhancement of the fluorescence or Raman scattering at, and in the nanopore when excited with light of approximately 600 nm, with a view to provide sensitive detection of biomolecules. A range of geometries of the nanopore integrated into hexagonally close-packed assemblies of gold micro-cavities was first evaluated theoretically. The optimal size and shape of the nanopore in a single microcavity were then considered to provide the highest localized plasmon enhancement (of fluorescence or Raman scattering at the very center of the nanopore for a bioanalyte traversing through. The optimized design was established to be a 1200 nm diameter cavity of 600 nm depth with a 50 nm square nanopore with rounded corners in the base. A gold 3D-structured membrane containing these sized microcavities with the integrated nanopore was successfully fabricated and ‘proof of concept’ Raman scattering experiments are described. Keywords: Nanopore, Polymer sphere, Gold membrane, Plasmons, Sensing, SERS

From the Cover: Microfabricated needles for transdermal delivery of macromolecules and nanoparticles: Fabrication methods and transport studies

Science.gov (United States)

McAllister, Devin V.; Wang, Ping M.; Davis, Shawn P.; Park, Jung-Hwan; Canatella, Paul J.; Allen, Mark G.; Prausnitz, Mark R.

2003-11-01

Arrays of micrometer-scale needles could be used to deliver drugs, proteins, and particles across skin in a minimally invasive manner. We therefore developed microfabrication techniques for silicon, metal, and biodegradable polymer microneedle arrays having solid and hollow bores with tapered and beveled tips and feature sizes from 1 to 1,000 μm. When solid microneedles were used, skin permeability was increased in vitro by orders of magnitude for macromolecules and particles up to 50 nm in radius. Intracellular delivery of molecules into viable cells was also achieved with high efficiency. Hollow microneedles permitted flow of microliter quantities into skin in vivo, including microinjection of insulin to reduce blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. transdermal drug delivery | skin | microelectromechanical systems | solid microneedle | hollow needle injection

Effect of Nanopore Length on the Translocation Process of a Biopolymer: Numerical Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Kweon Suh

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, we simulate the electrophoretic motion of a bio-polymer through a synthetic nanopore in the presence of an external bias voltage by considering the hydrodynamic interactions between the polymer and the fluid explicitly. The motion of the polymer is simulated by 3D Langevin dynamics technique by modeling the polymer as a worm-like-chain, while the hydrodynamic interactions are incorporated by the lattice Boltzmann equation. We report the simulation results for three different lengths of the nanopore. The translocation time increases with the pore length even though the electrophoretic force on the polymer is the same irrespective of the pore length. This is attributed to the fact that the translocation velocity of each bead inside the nanopore decreases with the pore length due to the increased fluid resistance force caused by the increase in the straightened portion of the polymer. We confirmed this using a theoretical formula.

Increasing the efficiency of polymer solar cells by silicon nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eisenhawer, B; Sivakov, V; Pietsch, M; Andrae, G; Falk, F [Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, 07743 Jena (Germany); Sensfuss, S, E-mail: bjoern.eisenhawer@ipht-jena.de [Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research, Breitscheidstrasse 97, 07407 Rudolstadt (Germany)

2011-08-05

Silicon nanowires have been introduced into P3HT:[60]PCBM solar cells, resulting in hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells. A cell efficiency of 4.2% has been achieved, which is a relative improvement of 10% compared to a reference cell produced without nanowires. This increase in cell performance is possibly due to an enhancement of the electron transport properties imposed by the silicon nanowires. In this paper, we present a novel approach for introducing the nanowires by mixing them into the polymer blend and subsequently coating the polymer/nanowire blend onto a substrate. This new onset may represent a viable pathway to producing nanowire-enhanced polymer solar cells in a reel to reel process.

Increasing the efficiency of polymer solar cells by silicon nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenhawer, B; Sivakov, V; Pietsch, M; Andrae, G; Falk, F; Sensfuss, S

2011-01-01

Silicon nanowires have been introduced into P3HT:[60]PCBM solar cells, resulting in hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells. A cell efficiency of 4.2% has been achieved, which is a relative improvement of 10% compared to a reference cell produced without nanowires. This increase in cell performance is possibly due to an enhancement of the electron transport properties imposed by the silicon nanowires. In this paper, we present a novel approach for introducing the nanowires by mixing them into the polymer blend and subsequently coating the polymer/nanowire blend onto a substrate. This new onset may represent a viable pathway to producing nanowire-enhanced polymer solar cells in a reel to reel process.

Precise control of polymer coated nanopores by nanoparticle additives: Insights from computational modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eskandari Nasrabad, Afshin; Coalson, Rob D. [Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States); Jasnow, David [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States); Zilman, Anton [Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7 (Canada)

2016-08-14

Polymer-nanoparticle composites are a promising new class of materials for creation of controllable nano-patterned surfaces and nanopores. We use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations augmented with analytical theory to study the structural transitions of surface grafted polymer layers (brushes) induced by infiltration of nanoparticles that are attracted to the polymers in the layer. We systematically compare two different polymer brush geometries: one where the polymer chains are grafted to a planar surface and the other where the chains are grafted to the inside of a cylindrical nanochannel. We perform a comprehensive study of the effects of the material parameters such as the polymer chain length, chain grafting density, nanoparticle size, strength of attraction between nanoparticles and polymer monomers, and, in the case of the cylindrically grafted brush, the radius of the cylinder. We find a very general behavioral motif for all geometries and parameter values: the height of the polymer brush is non-monotonic in the nanoparticle concentration in solution. As the nanoparticle concentration increases, the brush height first decreases and after passing through a minimum value begins to increase, resulting in the swelling of the nanoparticle infused brush. These morphological features may be useful for devising tunable “smart” nano-devices whose effective dimensions can be reversibly and precisely adjusted by changing the nanoparticle concentration in solution. The results of approximate Self-Consistent Field Theory (SCFT) calculations, applicable in the regime of strong brush stretching, are compared to the simulation results. The SCFT calculations are found to be qualitatively, even semi-quantitatively, accurate when applied within their intended regime of validity, and provide a useful and efficient tool for modeling such materials.

Grafting of functionalized polymer on porous silicon surface using Grignard reagent

Science.gov (United States)

Tighilt, F.-Z.; Belhousse, S.; Sam, S.; Hamdani, K.; Lasmi, K.; Chazalviel, J. N.; Gabouze, N.

2017-11-01

Recently, considerable attention has been paid to the manipulation and the control of the physicochemical properties of porous silicon surfaces because of their crucial importance to the modern microelectronics industry. Hybrid structures consisting of deposited polymer on porous silicon surfaces are important to applications in microelectronics, photovoltaics and sensors (Ensafi et al., 2016; Kashyout et al., 2015; Osorio et al.; 2015; Hejjo et al., 2002) [1-4]. In many cases, the polymer can provide excellent mechanical and chemical protection of the substrate, changes the electrochemical interface characteristics of the substrate, and provides new ways to the functionalization of porous silicon surfaces for molecular recognition and sensing. In this work, porous silicon surface was modified by anodic treatment in ethynylmagnesium bromide electrolyte leading to the formation of a polymeric layer bearing some bromine substituents. Subsequently, the formed polymer is functionalized with amine molecules containing functional groups (carboxylic acid or pyridine) by a substitution reaction between bromine sites and amine groups (Hofmann reaction). The chemical composition of the modified porous silicon surfaces was investigated and the grafting of polymeric chains and functional groups on the porous silicon surface was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) which displayed the principal characteristic peaks attributed to the different functional groups. Furthermore, the surface of the material was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Introduction to microfabrication

CERN Document Server

Franssila, Sami

2005-01-01

Microfabrication is the key technology behind integrated circuits, microsensors, photonic crystals, ink jet printers, solar cells and flat panel displays. Microsystems can be complex, but the basic microstructures and processes of microfabrication are fairly simple. Introduction to Microfabrication shows how the common microfabrication concepts can be applied over and over again to create devices with a wide variety of structures and functions.Featuring:* A comprehensive presentation of basic fabrication processes* An emphasis on materials and microstructures, rather than devic

Nanoporous Polymeric Grating-Based Optical Biosensors (Preprint)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hsiao, Vincent K; Waldeisen, John R; Lloyd, Pamela F; Bunning, Timothy J; Huang, Tony J

2007-01-01

.... The fabrication process of the nanoporous polymeric grating involves holographic interference patterning and a functionalized pre-polymer syrup that facilitates the immobilization of biomolecules...

Computational and experimental study of nanoporous membranes for water desalination and decontamination.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hickner, Michael A. (Penn State University, University Park, PA); Chinn, Douglas Alan (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Adalsteinsson, Helgi; Long, Kevin R. (Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX); Kent, Michael Stuart (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Debusschere, Bert J.; Zendejas, Frank J.; Tran, Huu M.; Najm, Habib N.; Simmons, Blake Alexander

2008-11-01

Fundamentals of ion transport in nanopores were studied through a joint experimental and computational effort. The study evaluated both nanoporous polymer membranes and track-etched nanoporous polycarbonate membranes. The track-etched membranes provide a geometrically well characterized platform, while the polymer membranes are more closely related to ion exchange systems currently deployed in RO and ED applications. The experimental effort explored transport properties of the different membrane materials. Poly(aniline) membranes showed that flux could be controlled by templating with molecules of defined size. Track-etched polycarbonate membranes were modified using oxygen plasma treatments, UV-ozone exposure, and UV-ozone with thermal grafting, providing an avenue to functionalized membranes, increased wettability, and improved surface characteristic lifetimes. The modeling effort resulted in a novel multiphysics multiscale simulation model for field-driven transport in nanopores. This model was applied to a parametric study of the effects of pore charge and field strength on ion transport and charge exclusion in a nanopore representative of a track-etched polycarbonate membrane. The goal of this research was to uncover the factors that control the flux of ions through a nanoporous material and to develop tools and capabilities for further studies. Continuation studies will build toward more specific applications, such as polymers with attached sulfonate groups, and complex modeling methods and geometries.

Modification of silicon nitride and silicon carbide surfaces for food and biosensor applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosso, M.

2009-01-01

Silicon-rich silicon nitride (SixN4, x > 3) is a robust insulating material widely used for the coating of microdevices: its high chemical and mechanical inertness make it a material of choice for the reinforcement of fragile microstructures (e.g. suspended microcantilevers, micro-fabricated

Exploring novel silicon-containing polymers---From preceramic polymers to conducting polymers with nonlinear optical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pang, Yi.

1991-10-07

Several new types of silicon-containing preceramic polymers, i.e., poly(diorganosilacetylene) and poly(diorganosilvinylene) have been synthesized with molecular weights from 10,000 to 120,000. These polymers could be thermally converted to SiC with a moderate to high char yields. Ready solubility and good processability made these types of polymers attractive in their applications to ceramics. The thermal polymerization of diethynyldiphenyl-silane, which was reported in 1968 to afford poly(diphenylsilyldiacetylene) via dehydrogenation, was reinvestigated. Spectroscopic studies showed that the polymer had a structure of polyacetylene type not diacetylene. Diphenyldiethynylgermane and a series of diorganodiethynylsilances were synthesized. These could be polymerized in the presence of MoCl{sub 5} or WCl{sub 6} to afford a soluble, violet material with Mw as high as 108,000. 100 refs., 56 figs., 16 tabs.

Near-field microscopy with a microfabricated solid immersion lens

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Daniel Alden

2001-07-01

Diffraction of focused light prevents optical microscopes from resolving features in air smaller than half the wavelength, λ Spatial resolution can be improved by passing light through a sub-wavelength metal aperture scanned close to a sample, but aperture-based probes suffer from low optical throughput, typically below 10-4. An alternate and more efficient technique is solid immersion microscopy in which light is focused through a high refractive index Solid Immersion Lens (SIL). This work describes the fabrication, modeling, and use of a microfabricated SIL to obtain spatial resolution better than the diffraction limit in air with high optical throughput for infrared applications. SILs on the order of 10 μm in diameter are fabricated from single-crystal silicon and integrated onto silicon cantilevers with tips for scanning. We measure a focused spot size of λ/5 with optical throughput better than 10-1 at a wavelength of λ = 9.3 μm. Spatial resolution is improved to λ/10 with metal apertures fabricated directly on the tip of the silicon SIL. Microlenses have reduced spherical aberration and better transparency than large lenses but cannot be made arbitrarily small and still focus. We model the advantages and limitations of focusing in lenses close to the wavelength in diameter using an extension of Mie theory. We also investigate a new contrast mechanism unique to microlenses resulting from the decrease in field-of-view with lens diameter. This technique is shown to achieve λ/4 spatial resolution. We explore applications of the microfabricated silicon SIL for high spatial resolution thermal microscopy and biological spectroscopy. Thermal radiation is collected through the SIL from a heated surface with spatial resolution four times better than that of a diffraction- limited infrared microscope. Using a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer, we observe absorption peaks in bacteria cells positioned at the focus of the silicon SIL.

A tunable sub-100 nm silicon nanopore array with an AAO membrane mask: reducing unwanted surface etching by introducing a PMMA interlayer

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Namsoo; Pak, Yusin; Kim, Jin Tae; Hwang, Youngkyu; Lee, Ryeri; Kumaresan, Yogeenth; Myoung, Nosoung; Ko, Heung Cho; Jung, Gun Young

2015-08-01

Highly ordered silicon (Si) nanopores with a tunable sub-100 nm diameter were fabricated by a CF4 plasma etching process using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as an etching mask. To enhance the conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the underlying Si substrate, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was spin-coated on top of the Si substrate prior to the transfer of the AAO membrane. The AAO membrane mask was fabricated by two-step anodization and subsequent removal of the aluminum support and the barrier layer, which was then transferred to the PMMA-coated Si substrate. Contact printing was performed on the sample with a pressure of 50 psi and a temperature of 120 °C to make a conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the Si substrate. The CF4 plasma etching was conducted to transfer nanopores onto the Si substrate through the PMMA interlayer. The introduced PMMA interlayer prevented unwanted surface etching of the Si substrate by eliminating the etching ions and radicals bouncing at the gap between the mask and the substrate, resulting in a smooth Si nanopore array.Highly ordered silicon (Si) nanopores with a tunable sub-100 nm diameter were fabricated by a CF4 plasma etching process using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as an etching mask. To enhance the conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the underlying Si substrate, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was spin-coated on top of the Si substrate prior to the transfer of the AAO membrane. The AAO membrane mask was fabricated by two-step anodization and subsequent removal of the aluminum support and the barrier layer, which was then transferred to the PMMA-coated Si substrate. Contact printing was performed on the sample with a pressure of 50 psi and a temperature of 120 °C to make a conformal contact of the AAO membrane mask to the Si substrate. The CF4 plasma etching was conducted to transfer nanopores onto the Si substrate through the PMMA interlayer. The introduced PMMA interlayer

Quantitation of buried contamination by use of solvents. [degradation of silicone polymers by amine solvents

Science.gov (United States)

Pappas, S. P.; Hsiao, Y. C.; Hill, L. W.

1973-01-01

Spore recovery form cured silicone potting compounds using amine solvents to degrade the cured polymers was investigated. A complete list of solvents and a description of the effect of each on two different silicone polymers is provided.

The controlled fabrication of nanopores by focused electron-beam-induced etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yemini, M; Ashkenasy, N; Hadad, B; Goldner, A; Liebes, Y

2009-01-01

The fabrication of nanometric holes within thin silicon-based membranes is of great importance for various nanotechnology applications. The preparation of such holes with accurate control over their size and shape is, thus, gaining a lot of interest. In this work we demonstrate the use of a focused electron-beam-induced etching (FEBIE) process as a promising tool for the fabrication of such nanopores in silicon nitride membranes and study the process parameters. The reduction of silicon nitride by the electron beam followed by chemical etching of the residual elemental silicon results in a linear dependence of pore diameter on electron beam exposure time, enabling accurate control of nanopore size in the range of 17-200 nm in diameter. An optimal pressure of 5.3 x 10 -6 Torr for the production of smaller pores with faster process rates, as a result of mass transport effects, was found. The pore formation process is also shown to be dependent on the details of the pulsed process cycle, which control the rate of the pore extension, and its minimal and maximal size. Our results suggest that the FEBIE process may play a key role in the fabrication of nanopores for future devices both in sensing and nano-electronics applications.

Novel silicone-based polymer containing active methylene designed for the removal of indoor formaldehyde

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niu, Song, E-mail: niusong84@163.com; Yan, Hongxia, E-mail: hongxiayan@nwpu.edu.cn

2015-04-28

Highlights: • A novel silicone-based polymer with active methylene was explored. • Surface tension of liquid paints could be lowered using the polymer. • The polymer was easy to migrate toward the air-coating interface. • Free HCHO could effectively be removed using the polymer. • A lights on HCHO reduction without complicated preparation procedure was shielded. - Abstract: Indoor air pollution is caused inevitably due to complicated home decoration, in which formaldehyde is one of the most typical pollutants. It will be a convenient, economical and effective strategy to remove indoor formaldehyde if imparting a feature of formaldehyde removal to decorative coatings. We have successfully explored a novel silicone-based polymer containing active methylene used as a formaldehyde absorbent in coatings via a straightforward transesterification process using inexpensive and easily available chemicals. The polymer has been characterized by {sup 13}C NMR, FTIR, GC and GPC. Formaldehyde removal capacity of the coating films containing different contents of the polymer has been investigated. The results indicated that coatings incorporating 4 wt% of the polymer could make the coating films exhibit significant improvement on formaldehyde removal including purificatory performance (>85%) and durability of purificatory effect (>60%), compared to those consisting of absorbents without any silicon, and improve yellowing resistance performance, while other properties, such as gloss, adhesion, pencil hardness, flexibility and impact resistance, were kept almost unaffected. The chemical absorption process of the silicone-based polymer filled in interior decorative coatings is demonstrated as a promising technology to purify indoor formaldehyde and thus can reduce the harm to individuals.

Microfabricated BTU monitoring device for system-wide natural gas monitoring.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Einfeld, Wayne; Manginell, Ronald Paul; Robinson, Alex Lockwood; Moorman, Matthew Wallace

2005-11-01

The natural gas industry seeks inexpensive sensors and instrumentation to rapidly measure gas heating value in widely distributed locations. For gas pipelines, this will improve gas quality during transfer and blending, and will expedite accurate financial accounting. Industrial endusers will benefit through continuous feedback of physical gas properties to improve combustion efficiency during use. To meet this need, Sandia has developed a natural gas heating value monitoring instrument using existing and modified microfabricated components. The instrument consists of a silicon micro-fabricated gas chromatography column in conjunction with a catalytic micro-calorimeter sensor. A reference thermal conductivity sensor provides diagnostics and surety. This combination allows for continuous calorimetric determination with a 1 minute analysis time and 1.5 minute cycle time using air as a carrier gas. This system will find application at remote natural gas mining stations, pipeline switching and metering stations, turbine generators, and other industrial user sites. Microfabrication techniques will allow the analytical components to be manufactured in production quantities at a low per-unit cost.

Synchrotron radiation total reflection x-ray fluorescence analysis; of polymer coated silicon wafers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brehm, L.; Kregsamer, P.; Pianetta, P.

2000-01-01

It is well known that total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) provides an efficient method for analyzing trace metal contamination on silicon wafer surfaces. New polymeric materials used as interlayer dielectrics in microprocessors are applied to the surface of silicon wafers by a spin-coating process. Analysis of these polymer coated wafers present a new challenge for TXRF analysis. Polymer solutions are typically analyzed for bulk metal contamination prior to application on the wafer using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Questions have arisen about how to relate results of surface contamination analysis (TXRF) of a polymer coated wafer to bulk trace analysis (ICP-MS) of the polymer solutions. Experiments were done to explore this issue using synchrotron radiation (SR) TXRF. Polymer solutions were spiked with several different concentrations of metals. These solutions were applied to silicon wafers using the normal spin-coating process. The polymer coated wafers were then measured using the SR-TXRF instrument set-up at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL). Several methods of quantitation were evaluated. The best results were obtained by developing calibration curves (intensity versus ppb) using the spiked polymer coated wafers as standards. Conversion of SR-TXRF surface analysis results (atoms/cm 2 ) to a volume related concentration was also investigated. (author)

Solid-state nanopores of controlled geometry fabricated in a transmission electron microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Hui; Egerton, Ray F.

2017-11-01

Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography were applied to in situ studies of the formation, shape, and diameter of nanopores formed in a silicon nitride membrane in a transmission electron microscope. The nanopore geometry was observed in three dimensions by electron tomography. Drilling conditions, such as probe current, beam convergence angle, and probe position, affect the formation rate and the geometry of the pores. With a beam convergence semi-angle of α = 22 mrad, a conical shaped nanopore is formed but at α = 45 mrad, double-cone (hourglass-shaped) nanopores were produced. Nanopores with an effective diameter between 10 nm and 1.8 nm were fabricated by controlling the drilling time.

Hydrophilic nanoporous polystyrenes and 1,2-polybutadienes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Fengxiao; Jankova Atanasova, Katja; Vigild, Martin Etchells

2008-01-01

Nanoporous polymers from ordered block copolymers having hydrophilic cavity surfaces were successfully prepared by two methodologies: ' 1. Nanoporous polystyrenes fromPtBA-b-PS diblock or PDMS-b-PtBA-b-PS triblock copolymer precursors by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), or combination...... of living anionic polymerization~ and ATRP r~spectively. The one, PtBA block, can be modified to the hydrophilic PAA, where the dther, polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) block, can be fully degraded. Deprotection of the tert-butyl groups in PtBA and the selective etching of PDMS· chains were accomplished...... by applying HF or TFA in one step. Thus both the di- and triblock copolymers after such a treatment resulted. in nanoporous polystyrenes with hexagonal cavities of different nanosizes (6-11 nm, Figure 1). 2. Nanoporous I,2-polybutadienes (I,2-PB) by grafting various acrylic monomers onto the pore. surfaces...

Microfabrication of hard x-ray lenses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stöhr, Frederik

This thesis deals with the development of silicon compound refractive lenses (Si-CRLs) for shaping hard x-ray beams. The CRLs are to be fabricated using state of the art microfabrication techniques. The primary goal of the thesis work is to produce Si-CRLs with considerably increased structure...... and characterized with respect to their shape. Their optical performances were tested at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Two 1D-focusing Si-CRLs suitable as condensers in hard-XRM were developed utilizing the aforementioned two different strategies. The first Si-condenser showed focusing of a 56...... of space for sample surroundings and ensure low-divergent and wide x-ray beams with narrow waists. Both results are substantial improvements to what was available at the start of this thesis work. The challenge of making x-ray objectives in silicon by interdigitation of lenslets alternately focusing...

Functionalization of silicon nanowires by conductive and non-conductive polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Belhousse, S.; Tighilt, F.-Z.; Sam, S.; Lasmi, K.; Hamdani, K.; Tahanout, L.; Megherbi, F.; Gabouze, N.

2017-11-01

The work reports on the development of hybrid devices based on silicon nanowires (SiNW) with polymers and the difference obtained when using conductive and non-conductive polymers. SiNW have attracted much attention due to their importance in understanding the fundamental properties at low dimensionality as well as their potential application in nanoscale devices as in field effect transistors, chemical or biological sensors, battery electrodes and photovoltaics. SiNW arrays were formed using metal assisted chemical etching method. This process is simple, fast and allows obtaining a wide range of silicon nanostructures. Hydrogen-passivated SiNW surfaces show relatively poor stability. Surface modification with organic species confers the desired stability and enhances the surface properties. For this reason, this work proposes a covalent grafting of organic material onto SiNW surface. We have chosen a non-conductive polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and conductive polymers polythiophene (PTh) and polypyrrole (PPy), in order to evaluate the electric effect of the polymers on the obtained materials. The hybrid structures were elaborated by the polymerization of the corresponding conjugated monomers by electrochemical route; this electropolymerization offers several advantages such as simplicity and rapidity. SiNW functionalization by conductive polymers has shown to have a huge effect on the electrical mobility. Hybrid surface morphologies were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and contact angle measurements.

Loading of Drug-Polymer Matrices in Microreservoirs for Oral Drug Delivery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Ritika Singh; Keller, Stephan Sylvest; Boisen, Anja

2017-01-01

loading in microfabricated DDS. The microfabricated DDS are microcontainers fabricated in photoresist SU-8 and biopolymer poly-L-lactic-acid (PLLA). Furosemide (F) drug is embedded in poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) polymer matrix. This F-PCL drug polymer matrix is loaded in SU-8 and PLLA microcontainers using...

Expanding the functionality and applications of nanopore sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Venta, Kimberly E.

Nanopore sensors have developed into powerful tools for single-molecule studies since their inception two decades ago. Nanopore sensors function as nanoscale Coulter counters, by monitoring ionic current modulations as particles pass through a nanopore. While nanopore sensors can be used to study any nanoscale particle, their most notable application is as a low cost, fast alternative to current DNA sequencing technologies. In recent years, signifcant progress has been made toward the goal of nanopore-based DNA sequencing, which requires an ambitious combination of a low-noise and high-bandwidth nanopore measurement system and spatial resolution. In this dissertation, nanopore sensors in thin membranes are developed to improve dimensional resolution, and these membranes are used in parallel with a high-bandwidth amplfier. Using this nanopore sensor system, the signals of three DNA homopolymers are differentiated for the first time in solid-state nanopores. The nanopore noise is also reduced through the addition of a layer of SU8, a spin-on polymer, to the supporting chip structure. By increasing the temporal and spatial resolution of nanopore sensors, studies of shorter molecules are now possible. Nanopore sensors are beginning to be used for the study and characterization of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles have found many uses from biomedical imaging to next-generation solar cells. However, further insights into the formation and characterization of nanoparticles would aid in developing improved synthesis methods leading to more effective and customizable nanoparticles. This dissertation presents two methods of employing nanopore sensors to benet nanoparticle characterization and fabrication. Nanopores were used to study the formation of individual nanoparticles and serve as nanoparticle growth templates that could be exploited to create custom nanoparticle arrays. Additionally, nanopore sensors were used to characterize the surface charge density of anisotropic

Fluorocarbon polymer formation, characterization, and reduction in polycrystalline-silicon etching with CF4-added plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Songlin; Sun Zhiwen; Chen Arthur; Qian Xueyu; Podlesnik, Dragan

2001-01-01

Addition of CF 4 into HBr-based plasma for polycrystalline-silicon gate etching reduces the deposition of an etch byproduct, silicon oxide, onto the chamber wall but tends to generate organic polymer. In this work, a detailed study has been carried out to analyze the mechanism of polymerization and to characterize the polymer composition and quantity. The study has shown that the polymer formation is due to the F-radical depletion by H atoms dissociated from HBr. The composition of the polymer changes significantly with CF 4 concentration in the gas feed, and the polymer deposition rate depends on CF 4 % and other process conditions such as source power, bias power, and pressure. Surface temperature also affects the polymer deposition rate. Adding O 2 into the plasma can clean the organic polymer, but the O 2 amount has to be well controlled in order to prevent the formation of silicon oxide. Based on a series of tests to evaluate polymer deposition and oxide cleaning with O 2 addition, an optimized process regime in terms of O 2 -to-CF 4 ratio has been identified to simultaneously suppress the polymer and oxide deposition so that the etch process becomes self-cleaning

Silicon-Polymer Encapsulation of High-Level Calcine Waste for Transportation or Disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loomis, G.G.; Miller, C.M.; Giansiracusa, J.A.; Kimmel, R.; Prewett, S.V.

2000-01-01

This report presents the results of an experimental study investigating the potential uses for silicon-polymer encapsulation of High Level Calcine Waste currently stored within the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The study investigated two different applications of silicon polymer encapsulation. One application uses silicon polymer to produce a waste form suitable for disposal at a High Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility directly, and the other application encapsulates the calcine material for transportation to an offsite melter for further processing. A simulated waste material from INTEC, called pilot scale calcine, which contained hazardous materials but no radioactive isotopes was used for the study, which was performed at the University of Akron under special arrangement with Orbit Technologies, the originators of the silicon polymer process called Polymer Encapsulation Technology (PET). This document first discusses the PET process, followed by a presentation of past studies involving PET applications to waste problems. Next, the results of an experimental study are presented on encapsulation of the INTEC calcine waste as it applies to transportation or disposal of calcine waste. Results relating to long-term disposal include: (1) a characterization of the pilot calcine waste; (2) Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) testing of an optimum mixture of pilot calcine, polysiloxane and special additives; and, (3) Material Characterization Center testing MCC-1P evaluation of the optimum waste form. Results relating to transportation of the calcine material for a mixture of maximum waste loading include: compressive strength testing, 10-m drop test, melt testing, and a Department of Transportation (DOT) oxidizer test

Brittle-to-ductile transition of lithiated silicon electrodes: Crazing to stable nanopore growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haoran; Wang, Xueju; Xia, Shuman; Chew, Huck Beng

2015-09-14

Using first principle calculations, we uncover the underlying mechanisms explaining the brittle-to-ductile transition of LixSi electrodes in lithium ion batteries with increasing Li content. We show that plasticity initiates at x = ∼ 0.5 with the formation of a craze-like network of nanopores separated by Si-Si bonds, while subsequent failure is still brittle-like with the breaking of Si-Si bonds. Transition to ductile behavior occurs at x ⩾ 1 due to the increased density of highly stretchable Li-Li bonds, which delays nanopore formation and stabilizes nanopore growth. Collapse of the nanopores during unloading of the LixSi alloys leads to significant strain recovery.

Surface modification of silicon wafer by grafting zwitterionic polymers to improve its antifouling property

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yunlong; Chen, Changlin; Xu, Heng; Lei, Kun; Xu, Guanzhe; Zhao, Li; Lang, Meidong

2017-10-01

Silicon (111) wafer was modified by triethoxyvinylsilane containing double bond as an intermedium, and then P4VP (polymer 4-vinyl pyridine) brush was "grafted" onto the surface of silicon wafer containing reactive double bonds by adopting the "grafting from" way and Si-P4VP substrate (silicon wafer grafted by P4VP) was obtained. Finally, P4VP brush of Si-P4VP substrate was modified by 1,3-propanesulfonate fully to obtain P4VP-psl brush (zwitterionic polypyridinium salt) and the functional Si-P4VP-psl substrate (silicon wafer grafted by zwitterionic polypyridinium salt based on polymer 4-vinyl pyridine) was obtained successfully. The antifouling property of the silicon wafer, the Si-P4VP substrate and the Si-P4VP-psl substrate was investigated by using bovine serum albumin, mononuclear macrophages (RAW 264.7) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) ATTC25922 as model bacterium. The results showed that compared with the blank sample-silicon wafer, the Si-P4VP-psl substrate had excellent anti-adhesion ability against bovine serum albumin, cells and bacterium, due to zwitterionic P4VP-psl brush (polymer 4-vinyl pyridine salt) having special functionality like antifouling ability on biomaterial field.

Nanoporous ionic organic networks: from synthesis to materials applications

OpenAIRE

Sun, Jian-Ke; Antonietti, Markus; Yuan, Jiayin

2016-01-01

The past decade has witnessed rapid progress in the synthesis of nanoporous organic networks or polymer frameworks for various potential applications. Generally speaking, functionalization of porous networks to add extra properties and enhance materials performance could be achieved either during the pore formation (thus a concurrent approach) or by post-synthetic modification (a sequential approach). Nanoporous organic networks which include ion pairs bound in a covalent manner are of specia...

Synthesis and study of novel silicon-based unsaturated polymers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Jibing [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

1995-06-19

Novel unsaturated polymers have been synthesized and studied as precursors to silicon carbide and third order nonlinear optical materials. X ray structures were obtained. Kinetic and mechanistic studies of the unique thermal isomerization of dimethylenedisilacyclobutane to a carbene were conducted.

Driven translocation of Polymer through a nanopore: effect of heterogeneous flexibility

Science.gov (United States)

Adhikari, Ramesh; Bhattacharya, Aniket

2014-03-01

We have studied translocation of a model bead-spring polymer through a nanopore whose building blocks consist of alternate stiff and flexible segments and variable elastic bond potentials. For the case of uniform spring potential translocation of a symmetric periodic stiff-flexible chain of contour length N and segment length m (mod(N,2m)=0), we find that the end-to-end distance and the mean first passage time (MFPT) have weak dependence on the length m. The characteristic periodic pattern of the waiting time distribution captures the stiff and flexible segments of the chain with stiff segments taking longer time to translocate. But when we vary both the elastic bond energy, and the bending energy, as well as the length of stiff/flexible segments, we discover novel patterns in the waiting time distribution which brings out structural information of the building blocks of the translocating chain. Partially supported by UCF Office of Research and Commercialization & College of Science SEED grant.

Stepwise Nanopore Evolution in One-Dimensional Nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Choi, Jang Wook

2010-04-14

We report that established simple lithium (Li) ion battery cycles can be used to produce nanopores inside various useful one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as zinc oxide, silicon, and silver nanowires. Moreover, porosities of these 1D nanomaterials can be controlled in a stepwise manner by the number of Li-battery cycles. Subsequent pore characterization at the end of each cycle allows us to obtain detailed snapshots of the distinct pore evolution properties in each material due to their different atomic diffusion rates and types of chemical bonds. Also, this stepwise characterization led us to the first observation of pore size increases during cycling, which can be interpreted as a similar phenomenon to Ostwald ripening in analogous nanoparticle cases. Finally, we take advantage of the unique combination of nanoporosity and 1D materials and demonstrate nanoporous silicon nanowires (poSiNWs) as excellent supercapacitor (SC) electrodes in high power operations compared to existing devices with activated carbon. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Brittle-to-ductile transition of lithiated silicon electrodes: Crazing to stable nanopore growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Haoran; Chew, Huck Beng; Wang, Xueju; Xia, Shuman

2015-01-01

Using first principle calculations, we uncover the underlying mechanisms explaining the brittle-to-ductile transition of Li x Si electrodes in lithium ion batteries with increasing Li content. We show that plasticity initiates at x = ∼ 0.5 with the formation of a craze-like network of nanopores separated by Si–Si bonds, while subsequent failure is still brittle-like with the breaking of Si–Si bonds. Transition to ductile behavior occurs at x ⩾ 1 due to the increased density of highly stretchable Li–Li bonds, which delays nanopore formation and stabilizes nanopore growth. Collapse of the nanopores during unloading of the Li x Si alloys leads to significant strain recovery

Brittle-to-ductile transition of lithiated silicon electrodes: Crazing to stable nanopore growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Haoran; Chew, Huck Beng, E-mail: hbchew@illinois.edu [Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Wang, Xueju; Xia, Shuman [Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)

2015-09-14

Using first principle calculations, we uncover the underlying mechanisms explaining the brittle-to-ductile transition of Li{sub x}Si electrodes in lithium ion batteries with increasing Li content. We show that plasticity initiates at x = ∼ 0.5 with the formation of a craze-like network of nanopores separated by Si–Si bonds, while subsequent failure is still brittle-like with the breaking of Si–Si bonds. Transition to ductile behavior occurs at x ⩾ 1 due to the increased density of highly stretchable Li–Li bonds, which delays nanopore formation and stabilizes nanopore growth. Collapse of the nanopores during unloading of the Li{sub x}Si alloys leads to significant strain recovery.

Broadband and scalable optical coupling for silicon photonics using polymer waveguides

Science.gov (United States)

La Porta, Antonio; Weiss, Jonas; Dangel, Roger; Jubin, Daniel; Meier, Norbert; Horst, Folkert; Offrein, Bert Jan

2018-04-01

We present optical coupling schemes for silicon integrated photonics circuits that account for the challenges in large-scale data processing systems such as those used for emerging big data workloads. Our waveguide based approach allows to optimally exploit the on-chip optical feature size, and chip- and package real-estate. It further scales well to high numbers of channels and is compatible with state-of-the-art flip-chip die packaging. We demonstrate silicon waveguide to polymer waveguide coupling losses below 1.5 dB for both the O- and C-bands with a polarisation dependent loss of <1 dB. Over 100 optical silicon waveguide to polymer waveguide interfaces were assembled within a single alignment step, resulting in a physical I/O channel density of up to 13 waveguides per millimetre along the chip-edge, with an average coupling loss of below 3.4 dB measured at 1310 nm.

Synthesis and characterization of UV-absorbing fluorine-silicone acrylic resin polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Huibin; He, Deliang; Guo, Yanni; Tang, Yining; Huang, Houqiang

2018-06-01

A series of UV-absorbing fluorine-silicone acrylic resin polymers containing different amount of UV-absorbent were successfully prepared by solution polymerization, with 2-[3-(2H-Benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl] ethyl methacrylate (BHEM), vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) and hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFMA) as modifying monomers. The acrylic polymers and the coatings thereof were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectrum, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), water contact angle (CA) and Xenon lamp artificial accelerated aging tests. Results indicated that the resin exhibited high UV absorption performance as well as good thermal stability. The hydrophobicity of the coatings was of great improvement because of the bonded fluorine and silicone. Meanwhile, the weather-resistance was promoted through preferably colligating the protective effects of BHEM, organic fluorine and silicone. Also, a fitting formula about the weatherability with the BMHE content was tentatively proposed.

Non-Vacuum Processed Polymer Composite Antireflection Coating Films for Silicon Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Uzum

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A non-vacuum processing method for preparing polymer-based ZrO2/TiO2 multilayer structure antireflection coating (ARC films for crystalline silicon solar cells by spin coating is introduced. Initially, ZrO2, TiO2 and surface deactivated-TiO2 (SD-TiO2 based films were examined separately and the effect of photocatalytic properties of TiO2 film on the reflectivity on silicon surface was investigated. Degradation of the reflectance performance with increasing reflectivity of up to 2% in the ultraviolet region was confirmed. No significant change of the reflectance was observed when utilizing SD-TiO2 and ZrO2 films. Average reflectance (between 300 nm–1100 nm of the silicon surface coated with optimized polymer-based ZrO2 single or ZrO2/SD-TiO2 multilayer composite films was decreased down to 6.5% and 5.5%, respectively. Improvement of photocurrent density (Jsc and conversion efficiency (η of fabricated silicon solar cells owing to the ZrO2/SD-TiO2 multilayer ARC could be confirmed. The photovoltaic properties of Jsc, the open-circuit photo voltage (VOC, the fill factor (FF, and the η were 31.42 mA cm−2, 575 mV, 71.5% and 12.91%. Efficiency of the solar cells was improved by the ZrO2-polymer/SD-TiO2 polymer ARC composite layer by a factor of 0.8% with an increase of Jsc (2.07 mA cm−2 compared to those of fabricated without the ARC.

Phosphorene-directed self-assembly of asymmetric PS-b-PMMA block copolymer for perpendicularly-oriented sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ziming; Zheng, Lu; Khurram, Muhammad; Yan, Qingfeng

2017-10-01

Few-layer black phosphorus, also known as phosphorene, is a new two-dimensional material which is of enormous interest for applications, mainly in electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, we for the first time employ phosphorene for directing the self-assembly of asymmetric polystyrene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer (BCP) thin film to form the perpendicular orientation of sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays in a hexagonal fashion normal to the interface. We experimentally demonstrate that none of the PS and PMMA blocks exhibit preferential affinity to the phosphorene-modified surface. Furthermore, the perpendicularly-oriented PS nanostructures almost stay unchanged with the variation of number of layers of few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes between 15-30 layers. Differing from the neutral polymer brushes which are widely used for chemical modification of the silicon substrate, phosphorene provides a novel physical way to control the interfacial interactions between the asymmetric PS-b-PMMA BCP thin film and the silicon substrate. Based on our results, it is possible to build a new scheme for producing sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays oriented perpendicularly to the few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes. Furthermore, the nanostructural microdomains could serve as a promising nanolithography template for surface patterning of phosphorene nanoflakes.

Phosphorene-directed self-assembly of asymmetric PS-b-PMMA block copolymer for perpendicularly-oriented sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ziming; Zheng, Lu; Khurram, Muhammad; Yan, Qingfeng

2017-10-20

Few-layer black phosphorus, also known as phosphorene, is a new two-dimensional material which is of enormous interest for applications, mainly in electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, we for the first time employ phosphorene for directing the self-assembly of asymmetric polystyrene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer (BCP) thin film to form the perpendicular orientation of sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays in a hexagonal fashion normal to the interface. We experimentally demonstrate that none of the PS and PMMA blocks exhibit preferential affinity to the phosphorene-modified surface. Furthermore, the perpendicularly-oriented PS nanostructures almost stay unchanged with the variation of number of layers of few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes between 15-30 layers. Differing from the neutral polymer brushes which are widely used for chemical modification of the silicon substrate, phosphorene provides a novel physical way to control the interfacial interactions between the asymmetric PS-b-PMMA BCP thin film and the silicon substrate. Based on our results, it is possible to build a new scheme for producing sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays oriented perpendicularly to the few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes. Furthermore, the nanostructural microdomains could serve as a promising nanolithography template for surface patterning of phosphorene nanoflakes.

Microfabrication process for patterning metallic lithium encapsulated electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oukassi, Sami; Dunoyer, Nicolas; Salot, Raphael; Martin, Steve

2009-01-01

This work presents recent achievements concerning thin film encapsulation of metallic lithium negative electrode. In the context of this study, the encapsulation stack includes polymer and dielectric layers combined in such way to optimize barrier performances of the whole structure towards oxygen and water vapor permeation. The first part of this work is dedicated to the description of the barrier stack architecture and properties. A second part presents the application of a microfabrication process to the metallic lithium negative electrode and barrier stack so as to have very small features (100 μm x 100 μm patterns). The microfabrication process includes several steps of photolithography and etching (dry and wet) blocks, which allows us to reach the target critical dimensions. These results show a method of patterning functional metallic lithium. It demonstrates the feasibility of energy sources miniaturization which is an important issue in the field of autonomous and wireless sensor networks.

Removal of endotoxin from deionized water using micromachined silicon nanopore membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Ross A; Fissell, William H; Fleischman, Aaron J; Roy, Shuvo; Goldman, Ken; Zorman, Christian A

2011-01-01

Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharide components of the cell membrane of Gram-negative bacteria that trigger the body's innate immune system and can cause shock and death. Water for medical therapy, including parenteral and dialysate solutions, must be free of endotoxin. This purity is challenging to achieve as many Gram-negative bacteria are endemic in the environment, and can thrive in harsh, nutrient-poor conditions. Current methods for removing endotoxin include distillation and reverse osmosis, both of which are resource intensive processes. Membranes that present an absolute barrier to macromolecular passage may be capable of delivering pure water for biomedical applications. In this work, endotoxin has been filtered from aqueous solutions using silicon nanopore membranes (SNMs) with monodisperse pore size distributions. SNMs with critical pore sizes between 26 and 49 nm were challenged with solutions of deionized water spiked with endotoxin and with Pseudomonas cepacia. The filtrate produced by the SNM from Pseudomonas-contaminated water had <1.0 endotoxin unit (EU) ml −1 , which meets standards for dialysate purity. This approach suggests a technique for single-step cleanup of heavily contaminated water that may be suitable for field or clinical use

Nonsymmetric gas transfer phenomena in nanoporous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurchatov, I.M.

2011-01-01

The regularities of nonsymmetric gas (nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide) transfer in nanoporous materials are investigated. The effects of anisotropy and hysteresis of permeability in nanoporous media with pore gradient and porosity in objects of various nature are found out. The following objects are studied: polyethylene terephthalate track membranes with asymmetric pore form, commercial polyvinyl trimethylsilane gas-separation membranes with continuous distribution of pores over the membrane thickness and porous composite membranes (born nitride, silicon carbide, aluminium oxide) prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis with abrupt change of pore dimensions over the thickness. The possible mechanisms of nonsymmetric gas transfer effects are under consideration [ru

Design and characterization of ultra-stretchable monolithic silicon fabric

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2014-10-13

Stretchable electronic systems can play instrumental role for reconfigurable macro-electronics such as distributed sensor networks for wearable and bio-integrated electronics. Typically, polymer composite based materials and its deterministic design as interconnects are used to achieve such systems. Nonetheless, non-polymeric inorganic silicon is the predominant material for 90% of electronics. Therefore, we report the design and fabrication of an all silicon based network of hexagonal islands connected through spiral springs to form an ultra-stretchable arrangement for complete compliance to highly asymmetric shapes. Several design parameters are considered and their validation is carried out through finite element analysis. The fabrication process is based on conventional microfabrication techniques and the measured stretchability is more than 1000% for single spirals and area expansions as high as 30 folds in arrays. The reported method can provide ultra-stretchable and adaptable electronic systems for distributed network of high-performance macro-electronics especially useful for wearable electronics and bio-integrated devices.

Design and characterization of ultra-stretchable monolithic silicon fabric

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Foulds, I. G.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2014-01-01

Stretchable electronic systems can play instrumental role for reconfigurable macro-electronics such as distributed sensor networks for wearable and bio-integrated electronics. Typically, polymer composite based materials and its deterministic design as interconnects are used to achieve such systems. Nonetheless, non-polymeric inorganic silicon is the predominant material for 90% of electronics. Therefore, we report the design and fabrication of an all silicon based network of hexagonal islands connected through spiral springs to form an ultra-stretchable arrangement for complete compliance to highly asymmetric shapes. Several design parameters are considered and their validation is carried out through finite element analysis. The fabrication process is based on conventional microfabrication techniques and the measured stretchability is more than 1000% for single spirals and area expansions as high as 30 folds in arrays. The reported method can provide ultra-stretchable and adaptable electronic systems for distributed network of high-performance macro-electronics especially useful for wearable electronics and bio-integrated devices.

SIMPLE METHOD TO PRODUCE NANOPOROUS CARBON FOR VARIOUS APPLICATIONS BY PYROLYSIS OF SPECIALLY SYNTHESIZED PHENOLIC RESIN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imam Prasetyo

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Nanoporous carbon materials, a unique and useful material, have been widely used in many technologies such as separation processes, catalysis, energy storage, gas storage, energy conversion, etc. due to its high specific surface area and tunable porosity. In this research, nanoporous carbons were prepared using simple and innovative approach based on structural array of phenolic resin polymer without activation during carbonization process. The effect of phenolic reactant type and composition on pore structure and carbon surface morphologies was studied. Nanoporous carbon derived from resorcinol formaldehyde (RF and from resorcinol phenol formaldehyde (RPF polymers was suitable for electrode material supercapacitor and CO2 capture medium. RF-derived and RPF-derived carbons provide electrode material supercapacitor with specific capacitance up to 246 F/g, whereas carbonized RPF exhibited CO2 uptake of 10.63 mmol/g (at 3.5 MPa 298 K. Nanoporous carbon derived from resorcinol para-tert-butyl phenol formaldehyde (RTBPF polymer exhibited attractive characteristics as methane storage media with methane uptake capacity as high as 8.98 mmol/g (at 3.5 MPa 298 K.

Microfabricated Chemical Sensors for Aerospace Fire Detection Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Gary W.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Fralick, Gustave; Thomas, Valarie; Makel, D.; Liu, C. C.; Ward, B.; Wu, Q. H.

2001-01-01

The detection of fires on-board commercial aircraft is extremely important for safety reasons. Although dependable fire detection equipment presently exists within the cabin, detection of fire within the cargo hold has been less reliable and susceptible to false alarms. A second, independent method of fire detection to complement the conventional smoke detection techniques, such as the measurement of chemical species indicative of a fire, will help reduce false alarms and improve aircraft safety. Although many chemical species are indicative of a fire, two species of particular interest are CO and CO2. This paper discusses microfabricated chemical sensor development tailored to meet the needs of fire safety applications. This development is based on progress in three types of technology: 1) Micromachining and microfabrication (Microsystem) technology to fabricate miniaturized sensors. 2) The use of nanocrystalline materials to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity. 3) The development of high temperature semiconductors, especially silicon carbide. The individual sensor being developed and their level of maturity will be presented.

SERS activity of Au nanoparticles coated on an array of carbon nanotube nested into silicon nanoporous pillar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Weifen; Zhang Yanfeng; Wang Yusheng; Xu Lei; Li Xinjian

2011-01-01

A novel composite structure, Au nanoparticles coated on a nest-shaped array of carbon nanotube nested into a silicon nanoporous pillar array (Au/NACNT/Si-NPA), was fabricated for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The morphology of the Au/NACNT/Si-NPA composite structure was characterized with the aid of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction instrumentation and Transmission electron microscopy. Compared with SERS of rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on SERS-active Au substrate reported, the SERS signals of R6G adsorbed on these gold nanoparticles were obviously improved. This was attributed to the enlarged specific surface area for adsorption of target molecules brought by the nest-shaped CNTs structure.

Photovoltaic characteristics of porous silicon /(n+ - p) silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhafarov, T.D.; Aslanov, S.S.; Ragimov, S.H.; Sadigov, M.S.; Nabiyeva, A.F.; Yuksel, Aydin S.

2012-01-01

Full text : The purpose of this work is to improve the photovoltaic parameters of the screen-printed silicon solar cells by formation the nano-porous silicon film on the frontal surface of the cell. The photovoltaic characteristics of two type silicon solar cells with and without porous silicon layer were measured and compared. A remarkable increment of short-circuit current density and the efficiency by 48 percent and 20 percent, respectively, have been achieved for PS/(n + - pSi) solar cell comparing to (n + - p)Si solar cell without PS layer

Ultra-Thin Solid-State Nanopores: Fabrication and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kuan, Aaron Tzeyang

Solid-state nanopores are a nanofluidic platform with unique advantages for single-molecule analysis and filtration applications. However, significant improvements in device performance and scalable fabrication methods are needed to make nanopore devices competitive with existing technologies. This dissertation investigates the potential advantages of ultra-thin nanopores in which the thickness of the membrane is significantly smaller than the nanopore diameter. Novel, scalable fabrication methods were first developed and then utilized to examine device performance for water filtration and single molecule sensing applications. Fabrication of nanometer-thin pores in silicon nitride membranes was achieved using a feedback-controlled ion beam method in which ion sputtering is arrested upon detection of the first few ions that drill through the membrane. Performing fabrication at liquid nitrogen temperatures prevents surface atom rearrangements that have previously complicated similar processes. A novel cross-sectional imaging method was also developed to allow careful examination of the full nanopore geometry. Atomically-thin graphene nanopores were fabricated via an electrical pulse method in which sub-microsecond electrical pulses applied across a graphene membrane in electrolyte solution are used to create a defect in the membrane and controllably enlarge it into a nanopore. This method dramatically increases the accuracy and reliability of graphene nanopore production, allowing consistent production of single nanopores down to subnanometer sizes. In filtration applications in which nanopores are used to selectively restrict the passage of dissolved contaminants, ultra-thin nanopores minimize the flow resistance, increasing throughput and energy-efficiency. The ability of graphene nanopores to separate different ions was characterized via ionic conductance and reversal potential measurements. Graphene nanopores were observed to conduct cations preferentially over

Techniques For Microfabricating Coils For Microelectromechanical Systems Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, R. C.; Powell, A. L.

2008-01-01

The advanced technology necessary for building future space exploration vehicles includes microfabricated coils for making possible self-inductances integrated with other passive and active electronic components. Integrated inductances make possible significant improvements in reliability over the traditional arrangement of using external discrete inductances, as well as allowing significant size (volume) reductions (also important in space vehicles). Two possible fabrication techniques (one using proprietary branded 'Foturan' glass, the other using silicon wafer substrates) for microscopic coils are proposed, using electroplating into channels. The techniques have been evaluated for fabricating the planar electrical coils needed for typical microelectromechanical systems applications. There remain problems associated with processing using 'Foturan' glass, but coil fabrication on silicon wafers was successful. Fabrication methods such as these are expected to play an important part in the development of systems and subsystems for forthcoming space exploration missions

Assessment of nanoparticle release and associated health effect of polymer-silicon composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, H; Irfan, A; Sachse, S; Njuguna, J

2012-01-01

Little information is currently available on possible release of nanomaterials or/and nanoparticles (NP) from conventional and novel products and associated health effect. This study aimed to assess the possible release of NP during the application stage of conventional and nanoproducts. NP release was monitored during physical processing of polymer-silicon composites, and the toxicity of both the released NP and the raw silica nanomaterials that were used as fillers in the nanocomposites was assessed in vitro using human lung epithelial A549 cells. This study suggests that 1) NP can be released from the conventional and novel polymer-silicon composites under certain application scenario; 2) the level of NP release from polymer composites could be altered by different reinforcement materials; e.g. nanostructured MMT could reduce the release while SiO2 NP could increase the release; 3) working with polymer composites under certain conditions could risk inhalation of high level of polymer NP; 4) raw nanomaterials appeared to be toxic in the chosen in vitro system. Further study of the effect of novel filler materials on NP release from final polymer products and the effect of released NP on environment and human health will inform design of safe materials and minimization of negative impact on the environment and human health.

Synthesis and characterisation of star polymer/silicon carbide nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majewski, Peter; Choudhury, Namita Roy; Spori, Doris; Wohlfahrt, Ellen; Wohlschloegel, Markus

2006-01-01

A new type of composite material's preparation and property are reported in this paper. The composite was formed by solution blending a styrene ethylene butylenes (SEBS) star polymer with silicon carbide at various compositions. The composites were characterised using spectroscopic, microscopic and thermal techniques. Photo-acoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (PA-FT-IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results show that the SiC resides uniformly in the organic network. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the hybrid shows that the thermal stability of the composite is higher than that of the star polymer. The maximum decomposition temperature increases by 73 deg. C. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the hybrid shows that the storage modulus of the star polymer increases after the composite formation, indicating the existence of thermodynamically stable SiC nanoparticles mostly in the micro-phase separated multiarm structure of the polymer

Microfabricated electrochemical sensors for combustion applications

Science.gov (United States)

Vulcano Rossi, Vitor A.; Mullen, Max R.; Karker, Nicholas A.; Zhao, Zhouying; Kowarz, Marek W.; Dutta, Prabir K.; Carpenter, Michael A.

2015-05-01

A new design for the miniaturization of an existing oxygen sensor is proposed based on the application of silicon microfabrication technologies to a cm sized O2 sensor demonstrated by Argonne National Laboratory and The Ohio State University which seals a metal/metal oxide within the structure to provide an integrated oxygen reference. The structural and processing changes suggested will result in a novel MEMS-based device meeting the semiconductor industry standards for cost efficiency and mass production. The MEMS design requires thin film depositions to create a YSZ membrane, palladium oxide reference and platinum electrodes. Pt electrodes are studied under operational conditions ensuring film conductivity over prolonged usage. SEM imaging confirms void formation after extended tests, consistent with the literature. Furthermore, hydrophilic bonding of pairs of silicon die samples containing the YSZ membrane and palladium oxide is discussed in order to create hermetic sealed cavities for oxygen reference. The introduction of tensile Si3N4 films to the backside of the silicon die generates bowing of the chips, compromising bond quality. This effect is controlled through the application of pressure during the initial bonding stages. In addition, KOH etching of the bonded die samples is discussed, and a YSZ membrane that survives the etching step is characterized by Raman spectroscopy.

Precision Photothermal Annealing of Nanoporous Gold Thin Films for the Microfabrication of a Single-chip Material Libraries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, C. D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Shen, N. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Rubenchik, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Demos, S. G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Matthews, M. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-06-30

Single-chip material libraries of thin films of nanostructured materials are a promising approach for high throughput studies of structure-property relationship in the fields of physics and biology. Nanoporous gold (np-Au), produced by an alloy corrosion process, is a nanostructured material of specific interest in both these fields. One attractive property of np-Au is its self-similar coarsening behavior by thermally induced surface diffusion. However, traditional heat application techniques for the modification of np-Au are bulk processes that cannot be used to generate a library of different pore sizes on a single chip. Laser micromachining offers an attractive solution to this problem by providing a means to apply energy with high spatial and temporal resolution. In the present study we use finite element multiphysics simulations to predict the effects of laser mode (continuous-wave vs. pulsed) and supporting substrate thermal conductivity on the local np-Au film temperatures during photothermal annealing and subsequently investigate the mechanisms by which the np-Au network is coarsening. Our simulations predict that continuous-wave mode laser irradiation on a silicon supporting substrate supports the widest range of morphologies that can be created through the photothermal annealing of thin film np-Au. Using this result we successfully fabricate a single-chip material library consisting of 81 np-Au samples of 9 different morphologies for use in increased throughput material interaction studies.

Nanoporous Cyclic Brush Polymers for Selective Carbon Dioxide Capture

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The objective of the proposed work is to develop advanced synthetic methodologies that afford nanoporous materials with selective uptake affinity towards carbon...

On electronic structure of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kewei; Li, Xuqin; Ma, Baisheng; Wang, Yiguang; Zhang, Ligong; An, Linan

2014-06-01

The electronic structure of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide ceramics was studied by combining measurements of temperature-dependent conductivity and optical absorption. By comparing the experimental results to theoretical models, electronic structure was constructed for a carbon-rich amorphous silicon carbide, which revealed several unique features, such as deep defect energy level, wide band-tail band, and overlap between the band-tail band and defect level. These unique features were discussed in terms of the microstructure of the material and used to explain the electric behavior.

Formation of porous silicon oxide from substrate-bound silicon rich silicon oxide layers by continuous-wave laser irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Nan; Fricke-Begemann, Th.; Peretzki, P.; Ihlemann, J.; Seibt, M.

2018-03-01

Silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon oxide that show room temperature photoluminescence (PL) have great potential in silicon light emission applications. Nanocrystalline silicon particle formation by laser irradiation has the unique advantage of spatially controlled heating, which is compatible with modern silicon micro-fabrication technology. In this paper, we employ continuous wave laser irradiation to decompose substrate-bound silicon-rich silicon oxide films into crystalline silicon particles and silicon dioxide. The resulting microstructure is studied using transmission electron microscopy techniques with considerable emphasis on the formation and properties of laser damaged regions which typically quench room temperature PL from the nanoparticles. It is shown that such regions consist of an amorphous matrix with a composition similar to silicon dioxide which contains some nanometric silicon particles in addition to pores. A mechanism referred to as "selective silicon ablation" is proposed which consistently explains the experimental observations. Implications for the damage-free laser decomposition of silicon-rich silicon oxides and also for controlled production of porous silicon dioxide films are discussed.

Property control of graphene aerogels by in situ growth of silicone polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Shuai; Zhou, Xiang; Hao, Gazi; Jiang, Wei; Wang, Tianhe

2018-05-01

Modulation of the density (from 3.5 to 64 mg cm-3), hydrophobicity and oil-uptake capability of graphene aerogels in extensive ranges were achieved by reacting (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPS) with graphene oxide solutions under heating. The reaction allowed a characteristic silicone substructure to be formed on graphene and joint the graphene layers firmly together. With the increase of MPS concentrations (≤ca. 0.2 vol%), the nano silicone polymer grown on graphene functioned as a "linker" and "spacer", leading to a substantial decrease of the aerogel density. Because of the formation of silicone polymer and the characteristic nano-micro substructures on the backbones of graphene aerogels, the graphene aerogels exhibited a high hydrophobicity with the water contact angle consistently exceeding 142 degrees. Functionalized graphene aerogels with a density of 3.5 mg cm-3 were conveniently fabricated that displayed an extraordinary oil absorption capacity, 182 times for lubricating oil and 143 times for n-hexane of its own weight. Furthermore, the aerogels maintained their ultra-high absorption capability even after 20 absorption-distillation cycles, due to structural integrity held by the strong interfacial adhesion between graphene sheets and polymer chains of aerogels. This study offers a promising graphene aerogels and also provides a strategy for fabricating extra low dense functional materials.

Responsivity Dependent Anodization Current Density of Nanoporous Silicon Based MSM Photodetector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Batool Eneaze B. Al-Jumaili

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Achieving a cheap and ultrafast metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM photodetector (PD for very high-speed communications is ever-demanding. We report the influence of anodization current density variation on the response of nanoporous silicon (NPSi based MSM PD with platinum (Pt contact electrodes. Such NPSi samples are grown from n-type Si (100 wafer using photoelectrochemical etching with three different anodization current densities. FESEM images of as-prepared samples revealed the existence of discrete pores with spherical and square-like shapes. XRD pattern displayed the growth of nanocrystals with (311 lattice orientation. The nanocrystallite sizes obtained using Scherrer formula are found to be between 20.8 nm and 28.6 nm. The observed rectifying behavior in the I-V characteristics is ascribed to the Pt/PSi/n-Si Schottky barrier formation, where the barrier height at the Pt/PSi interface is estimated to be 0.69 eV. Furthermore, this Pt/PSi/Pt MSM PD achieved maximum responsivity of 0.17 A/W and quantum efficiency as much as 39.3%. The photoresponse of this NPSi based MSM PD demonstrated excellent repeatability, fast response, and enhanced saturation current with increasing anodization current density.

High-density nanopore array for selective biomolecule transport.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patel, Kamlesh D.

2011-11-01

Development of sophisticated tools capable of manipulating molecules at their own length scale enables new methods for chemical synthesis and detection. Although nanoscale devices have been developed to perform individual tasks, little work has been done on developing a truly scalable platform: a system that combines multiple components for sequential processing, as well as simultaneously processing and identifying the millions of potential species that may be present in a biological sample. The development of a scalable micro-nanofluidic device is limited in part by the ability to combine different materials (polymers, metals, semiconductors) onto a single chip, and the challenges with locally controlling the chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties within a micro or nanochannel. We have developed a unique construct known as a molecular gate: a multilayered polymer based device that combines microscale fluid channels with nanofluidic interconnects. Molecular gates have been demonstrated to selectively transport molecules between channels based on size or charge. In order to fully utilize these structures, we need to develop methods to actively control transport and identify species inside a nanopore. While previous work has been limited to creating electrical connections off-channel or metallizing the entire nanopore wall, we now have the ability to create multiple, separate conductive connections at the interior surface of a nanopore. These interior electrodes will be used for direct sensing of biological molecules, probing the electrical potential and charge distribution at the surface, and to actively turn on and off electrically driven transport of molecules through nanopores.

Enhanced optical output power of InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes grown on a silicon (111) substrate with a nanoporous GaN layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kwang Jae; Chun, Jaeyi; Kim, Sang-Jo; Oh, Semi; Ha, Chang-Soo; Park, Jung-Won; Lee, Seung-Jae; Song, Jae-Chul; Baek, Jong Hyeob; Park, Seong-Ju

2016-03-07

We report the growth of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a silicon (111) substrate with an embedded nanoporous (NP) GaN layer. The NP GaN layer is fabricated by electrochemical etching of n-type GaN on the silicon substrate. The crystalline quality of crack-free GaN grown on the NP GaN layer is remarkably improved and the residual tensile stress is also decreased. The optical output power is increased by 120% at an injection current of 20 mA compared with that of conventional LEDs without a NP GaN layer. The large enhancement of optical output power is attributed to the reduction of threading dislocation, effective scattering of light in the LED, and the suppression of light propagation into the silicon substrate by the NP GaN layer.

Nanoporous Polymer-Ceramic Composite Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries

KAUST Repository

Tu, Zhengyuan; Kambe, Yu; Lu, Yingying; Archer, Lynden A.

2013-01-01

A nanoporous composite material that offers the unique combination of high room-temperature ionic conductivity and high mechanical modulus is reported. When used as the separator/electrolyte in lithium batteries employing metallic lithium as anode

Ion current rectification, limiting and overlimiting conductances in nanopores.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liesbeth van Oeffelen

Full Text Available Previous reports on Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP simulations of solid-state nanopores have focused on steady state behaviour under simplified boundary conditions. These are Neumann boundary conditions for the voltage at the pore walls, and in some cases also Donnan equilibrium boundary conditions for concentrations and voltages at both entrances of the nanopore. In this paper, we report time-dependent and steady state PNP simulations under less restrictive boundary conditions, including Neumann boundary conditions applied throughout the membrane relatively far away from the nanopore. We simulated ion currents through cylindrical and conical nanopores with several surface charge configurations, studying the spatial and temporal dependence of the currents contributed by each ion species. This revealed that, due to slow co-diffusion of oppositely charged ions, steady state is generally not reached in simulations or in practice. Furthermore, it is shown that ion concentration polarization is responsible for the observed limiting conductances and ion current rectification in nanopores with asymmetric surface charges or shapes. Hence, after more than a decade of collective research attempting to understand the nature of ion current rectification in solid-state nanopores, a relatively intuitive model is retrieved. Moreover, we measured and simulated current-voltage characteristics of rectifying silicon nitride nanopores presenting overlimiting conductances. The similarity between measurement and simulation shows that overlimiting conductances can result from the increased conductance of the electric double-layer at the membrane surface at the depletion side due to voltage-induced polarization charges. The MATLAB source code of the simulation software is available via the website http://micr.vub.ac.be.

Near-Infrared Imaging Method for the In Vivo Assessment of the Biodistribution of Nanoporous Silicon Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ennio Tasciotti

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In the development of new nanoparticle-based technologies for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, understanding the fate of nanoparticles in the body is crucial. We recently developed a multistage vector delivery system comprising biodegradable and biocompatible nanoporous silicon particles (first-stage microparticles [S1MPs] able to host, protect, and deliver second-stage therapeutic and diagnostic nanoparticles (S2NPs on intravenous injection. This delivery system aims at sequentially overcoming the biologic barriers en route to the target delivery site by separating and assigning tasks to the coordinated logic-embedded vectors constituting it. In this work, by conjugating a near-infrared dye on the surface of the S1MP without compromising the porous structure and potential loading of S2NPs, we were able to monitor the in vivo distribution of S1MPs in healthy mice using an optical imaging system. It was observed that particles predominantly accumulated in the liver and spleen at the end of 24 hours. Further quantification of S1MPs in the major organs of the animals by elemental analysis of silicon using inductively coupled plasma-atomic electron spectroscopy verified the accuracy of in vivo near-infrared imaging as a tool for evaluation of nanovector biodistribution.

Molecularly imprinted polymer decorated nanoporous gold for highly selective and sensitive electrochemical sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yingchun; Liu, Yuan; Liu, Jie; Liu, Jiang; Tang, Hui; Cao, Cong; Zhao, Dongsheng; Ding, Yi

2015-01-01

Electrochemical nanosensors based on nanoporous gold leaf (NPGL) and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) are developed for pharmaceutical analysis by using metronidazole (MNZ) as a model analyte. NPGL, serving as the loading platform for MIP immobilization, possesses large accessible surface area with superb electric conductivity, while electrochemically synthesized MIP thin layer affords selectivity for specific recognition of MNZ molecules. For MNZ determination, the hybrid electrode shows two dynamic linear range of 5 × 10-11 to 1 × 10-9 mol L-1 and 1 × 10-9 to 1.4 × 10-6 mol L-1 with a remarkably low detection limit of 1.8 × 10-11 mol L-1 (S/N = 3). In addition, the sensor exhibits high binding affinity and selectivity towards MNZ with excellent reproducibility and stability. Finally, the reliability of MIP-NPGL for MNZ detection is proved in real fish tissue samples, demonstrating the potential for the proposed electrochemical sensors in monitoring drug and biological samples.

Facile Synthesis of Highly Aligned Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes from Polymer Precursors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine Y. Han

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We report a facile one-step approach which involves no flammable gas, no catalyst, and no in situ polymerization for the preparation of well-aligned carbon nanotube array. A polymer precursor is placed on top of an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO membrane containing regular nanopore arrays, and slow heating under Ar flow allows the molten polymer to wet the template through adhesive force. The polymer spread into the nanopores of the template to form polymer nanotubes. Upon carbonization the resulting multi-walled carbon nanotubes duplicate the nanopores morphology precisely. The process is demonstrated for 230, 50, and 20 nm pore membranes. The synthesized carbon nanotubes are characterized with scanning/transmission electron microscopies, Raman spectroscopy, and resistive measurements. Convenient functionalization of the nanotubes with this method is demonstrated through premixing CoPt nanoparticles in the polymer precursors.

Facile synthesis of highly aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes from polymer precursors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, C. Y.; Xiao, Z.-L.; Wang, H. H.; Lin, X.-M.; Trasobares, S.; Cook, R. E.; Richard J. Daley Coll.; Northern Illinois Univ.; Univ. de Cadiz

2009-01-01

We report a facile one-step approach which involves no flammable gas, no catalyst, and no in situ polymerization for the preparation of well-aligned carbon nanotube array. A polymer precursor is placed on top of an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane containing regular nanopore arrays, and slow heating under Ar flow allows the molten polymer to wet the template through adhesive force. The polymer spread into the nanopores of the template to form polymer nanotubes. Upon carbonization the resulting multi-walled carbon nanotubes duplicate the nanopores morphology precisely. The process is demonstrated for 230, 50, and 20 nm pore membranes. The synthesized carbon nanotubes are characterized with scanning/transmission electron microscopies, Raman spectroscopy, and resistive measurements. Convenient functionalization of the nanotubes with this method is demonstrated through premixing CoPt nanoparticles in the polymer precursors.

Silicon Micromachined Microlens Array for THz Antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Choonsup; Chattopadhyay, Goutam; Mehdi, IImran; Gill, John J.; Jung-Kubiak, Cecile D.; Llombart, Nuria

2013-01-01

5 5 silicon microlens array was developed using a silicon micromachining technique for a silicon-based THz antenna array. The feature of the silicon micromachining technique enables one to microfabricate an unlimited number of microlens arrays at one time with good uniformity on a silicon wafer. This technique will resolve one of the key issues in building a THz camera, which is to integrate antennas in a detector array. The conventional approach of building single-pixel receivers and stacking them to form a multi-pixel receiver is not suited at THz because a single-pixel receiver already has difficulty fitting into mass, volume, and power budgets, especially in space applications. In this proposed technique, one has controllability on both diameter and curvature of a silicon microlens. First of all, the diameter of microlens depends on how thick photoresist one could coat and pattern. So far, the diameter of a 6- mm photoresist microlens with 400 m in height has been successfully microfabricated. Based on current researchers experiences, a diameter larger than 1-cm photoresist microlens array would be feasible. In order to control the curvature of the microlens, the following process variables could be used: 1. Amount of photoresist: It determines the curvature of the photoresist microlens. Since the photoresist lens is transferred onto the silicon substrate, it will directly control the curvature of the silicon microlens. 2. Etching selectivity between photoresist and silicon: The photoresist microlens is formed by thermal reflow. In order to transfer the exact photoresist curvature onto silicon, there needs to be etching selectivity of 1:1 between silicon and photoresist. However, by varying the etching selectivity, one could control the curvature of the silicon microlens. The figure shows the microfabricated silicon microlens 5 x5 array. The diameter of the microlens located in the center is about 2.5 mm. The measured 3-D profile of the microlens surface has a

High-temperature nanoporous ceramic monolith prepared from a polymeric bicontinuous microemulsion template.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Brad H; Lodge, Timothy P

2009-02-11

Nanoporous ceramic with a unique pore structure was derived from an all-hydrocarbon polymeric bicontinuous microemulsion (BmuE). The BmuE was designed to allow facile removal of one phase, resulting in a nanoporous polymer monolith with BmuE-like structure. The pores were filled with a commercially available, polymeric precursor to nonoxide, Si-based ceramics. Pyrolysis resulted in a monolith of nanoporous ceramic, stable to at least 1000 degrees C, with a BmuE-like pore structure. The pore structure is disordered and 3-D continuous. Microscopy and gas sorption measurements suggest a well-defined pore size distribution spanning roughly 60-100 nm, sizes previously unattainable through related techniques.

Selective Template Wetting Routes to Hierarchical Polymer Films: Polymer Nanotubes from Phase-Separated Films via Solvent Annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Hao-Wen; Cheng, Ming-Hsiang; Chi, Mu-Huan; Chang, Chun-Wei; Chen, Jiun-Tai

2016-03-01

We demonstrate a novel wetting method to prepare hierarchical polymer films with polymer nanotubes on selective regions. This strategy is based on the selective wetting abilities of polymer chains, annealed in different solvent vapors, into the nanopores of porous templates. Phase-separated films of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), two commonly used polymers, are prepared as a model system. After anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates are placed on the films, the samples are annealed in vapors of acetic acid, in which the PMMA chains are swollen and wet the nanopores of the AAO templates selectively. As a result, hierarchical polymer films containing PMMA nanotubes can be obtained after the AAO templates are removed. The distribution of the PMMA nanotubes of the hierarchical polymer films can also be controlled by changing the compositions of the polymer blends. This work not only presents a novel method to fabricate hierarchical polymer films with polymer nanotubes on selective regions, but also gives a deeper understanding in the selective wetting ability of polymer chains in solvent vapors.

Microfabricated Chemical Gas Sensors and Sensor Arrays for Aerospace Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Gary W.

2005-01-01

Aerospace applications require the development of chemical sensors with capabilities beyond those of commercially available sensors. In particular, factors such as minimal sensor size, weight, and power consumption are particularly important. Development areas which have potential aerospace applications include launch vehicle leak detection, engine health monitoring, and fire detection. Sensor development for these applications is based on progress in three types of technology: 1) Micromachining and microfabrication (Microsystem) technology to fabricate miniaturized sensors; 2) The use of nanocrystalline materials to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity; 3) The development of high temperature semiconductors, especially silicon carbide. This presentation discusses the needs of space applications as well as the point-contact sensor technology and sensor arrays being developed to address these needs. Sensors to measure hydrogen, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NO,), carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are being developed as well as arrays for leak, fire, and emissions detection. Demonstrations of the technology will also be discussed. It is concluded that microfabricated sensor technology has significant potential for use in a range of aerospace applications.

Optical detection of two-color-fluorophore barcode for nanopore DNA sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, M.; Sychugov, I.; Schmidt, T.; Linnros, J.

2015-06-01

A simple schematic on parallel optical detection of two-fluorophore barcode for single-molecule nanopore sensing is presented. The chosen two fluorophores, ATTO-532 and DY-521-XL, emitting in well-separated spectrum range can be excited at the same wavelength. A beam splitter was employed to separate signals from the two fluorophores and guide them to the same CCD camera. Based on a conventional microscope, sources of background in the nanopore sensing system, including membranes, compounds in buffer solution, and a detection cell was characterized. By photoluminescence excitation measurements, it turned out that silicon membrane has a negligible photoluminescence under the examined excitation from 440 nm to 560 nm, in comparison with a silicon nitrite membrane. Further, background signals from the detection cell were suppressed. Brownian motion of 450 bps DNA labelled with single ATTO-532 or DY-521-XL was successfully recorded by our optical system.

Controlling Ionic Transport for Device Design in Synthetic Nanopores

Science.gov (United States)

Kalman, Eric Boyd

Polymer nanopores present a number of behaviors not seen in microscale systems, such as ion current rectification, ionic selectivity, size exclusion and potential dependent ion concentrations in and near the pore. The existence of these effects stems from the small size of nanopores with respect to the characteristic length scales of surface interactions at the interface between the nanopore surface and the solution within it. The large surface-to-volume ratio due to the nanoscale geometry of a nanopore, as well as similarity in scale between geometry and interaction demands the solution interact with the nanopore walls. As surfaces in solution almost always carry residual charge, these surface forces are primarily the electrostatic interactions between the charge groups on the pore surface and the ions in solution. These interactions may be used by the experimentalist to control ionic transport through synthetic nanopores, and use them as a template for the construction of devices. In this research, we present our work on creating a number of ionic analogs to seminal electronic devices, specifically diodes, and transistors, by controlling ionic transport through the electrostatic interactions between a single synthetic nanopore and ions. Control is achieved by "doping" the effective charge carrier concentration in specific regions of the nanopore through manipulation of the pore's surface charge. This manipulation occurs through two mechanisms: chemical modification of the surface charge and electrostatic manipulation of the local internal nanopore potential using a gate electrode. Additionally, the innate selectivity of the charged nanopores walls allows for the separation of charges in solution. This well-known effect, which spawns measureable quantities, the streaming potential and current, has been used to create nanoscale water desalination membranes. We attempt to create a device using membranes with large nanopore densities for the desalination of water

Controllable Shrinking of Glass Capillary Nanopores Down to sub-10 nm by Wet-Chemical Silanization for Signal-Enhanced DNA Translocation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaolong; Li, Chuanping; Zhou, Ya; Jin, Yongdong

2017-10-27

Diameter is a major concern for nanopore based sensing. However, directly pulling glass capillary nanopore with diameter down to sub-10 nm is very difficult. So, post treatment is sometimes necessary. Herein, we demonstrate a facile and effective wet-chemical method to shrink the diameter of glass capillary nanopore from several tens of nanometers to sub-10 nm by disodium silicate hydrolysis. Its benefits for DNA translocation are investigated. The shrinking of glass capillary nanopore not only slows down DNA translocation, but also enhances DNA translocation signal and signal-to-noise ratio significantly (102.9 for 6.4 nm glass nanopore, superior than 15 for a 3 nm silicon nitride nanopore). It also affects DNA translocation behaviors, making the approach and glass capillary nanopore platform promising for DNA translocation studies.

Lithium ion batteries based on nanoporous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Tolbert, Sarah H.; Nemanick, Eric J.; Kang, Chris Byung-Hwa

2015-09-22

A lithium ion battery that incorporates an anode formed from a Group IV semiconductor material such as porous silicon is disclosed. The battery includes a cathode, and an anode comprising porous silicon. In some embodiments, the anode is present in the form of a nanowire, a film, or a powder, the porous silicon having a pore diameters within the range between 2 nm and 100 nm and an average wall thickness of within the range between 1 nm and 100 nm. The lithium ion battery further includes, in some embodiments, a non-aqueous lithium containing electrolyte. Lithium ion batteries incorporating a porous silicon anode demonstrate have high, stable lithium alloying capacity over many cycles.

Micro-fabricated mechanical sensors for lateral molecular-force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vicary, J.A., E-mail: james.vicary@bristol.ac.uk [H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL (United Kingdom); Ulcinas, A. [Research Centre for Microsystems and Nanotechnology, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-51369 Kaunas (Lithuania); Hoerber, J.K.H.; Antognozzi, M. [H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL (United Kingdom); Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom)

2011-11-15

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been very successful in measuring forces perpendicular to the sample plane. Here, we present the advantages of turning the AFM cantilever 90 Degree-Sign in order for it to be perpendicular to the sample. This rotation leads naturally to the detection of in-plane forces with some extra advantages with respect to the AFM orientation. In particular, the use of extremely small (1 {mu}m wide) and soft (k{approx_equal}10{sup -5} N/m) micro-fabricated cantilevers is demonstrated by recording their thermal power spectral density in ambient conditions and in liquid. These measurements lead to the complete characterisation of the sensors in terms of their stiffness and resonant frequency. Future applications, which will benefit from the use of this force microscopy technique, are also described. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Micro-fabrication of ultra-soft silicon nitride sensors. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SEW detection system enables the use of extremely small cantilevers. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Choice of sensor geometry permits control of thermal excitations and axial rotations. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer LMFM can be used in a force regime not previously associated with AFM.

Solvent-annealing-induced nanowetting in templates: towards tailored polymer nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiun-Tai; Lee, Chih-Wei; Chi, Mu-Huan; Yao, I-Chun

2013-02-25

We study the solvent-annealing-induced nanowetting in templates using porous anodic aluminum oxide membranes. The morphology of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) nanostructures can be controlled, depending on whether the swollen polymers are in the partial or complete wetting regimes, which are characterized by the spreading coefficient. When the swollen polymers are in the partial wetting regime, polymers wet the nanopores by capillary action, resulting in the formation of polymer nanorods. When the swollen polymers are in the complete wetting regime, polymers form wetting layers in the nanopores, resulting in the formation of polymer nanotubes. The solubility parameters of polymers and solvents are also used to predict the wetting behavior of swollen polymers in cylindrical geometry. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Conducting polymer 3D microelectrodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sasso, Luigi; Vazquez, Patricia; Vedarethinam, Indumathi

2010-01-01

Conducting polymer 3D microelectrodes have been fabricated for possible future neurological applications. A combination of micro-fabrication techniques and chemical polymerization methods has been used to create pillar electrodes in polyaniline and polypyrrole. The thin polymer films obtained...... showed uniformity and good adhesion to both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Electrodes in combination with metal/conducting polymer materials have been characterized by cyclic voltammetry and the presence of the conducting polymer film has shown to increase the electrochemical activity when compared...

Highly efficient human serum filtration with water-soluble nanoporous nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonella Pujia

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Antonella Pujia1, Francesco De Angelis1,2, Domenica Scumaci3, Marco Gaspari3, Carlo Liberale1,2, Patrizio Candeloro1, Giovanni Cuda3, Enzo Di Fabrizio1,21BIONEM Laboratory, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia”, Germaneto (CZ, Italy; 2IIT, Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, Italy; 3Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia”, Germaneto (CZ, ItalyBackground: Human serum has the potential to become the most informative source of novel biomarkers, but its study is very difficult due to the incredible complexity of its molecular composition. We describe a novel tool based on biodegradable nanoporous nanoparticles (NPNPs that allows the harvesting of low-molecular-weight fractions of crude human serum or other biofluids. NPNPs with a diameter of 200 nm and pore size of a few nm were obtained by ultrasonication of nanoporous silicon. When incubated with a solution, the NPNPs harvest only the molecules small enough to be absorbed into the nanopores. Then they can be recovered by centrifugation and dissolved in water, making the harvested molecules available for further analyses.Results: Fluorescence microscopy, gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry were used to show the enrichment of low-molecular-weight fraction of serum under physiological conditions, with a cut-off of 13 kDa and an enrichment factor >50.Conclusion: From these findings, we conclude that ability to tune pore size, combined with the availability of hundreds of biomolecule cross-linkers, opens up new perspectives on complex biofluid analysis, discovery of biomarkers, and in situ drug delivery.Keywords: nanoporous silicon, nanoparticle, biomarker discovery, human serum proteomics, harvesting

Optical pumping in a microfabricated Rb vapor cell using a microfabricated Rb discharge light source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatraman, V.; Kang, S.; Affolderbach, C.; Mileti, G.; Shea, H.

2014-01-01

Miniature ( 3 ) vapor-cell based devices using optical pumping of alkali atoms, such as atomic clocks and magnetometers, today mostly employ vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers as pump light sources. Here, we report on the demonstration of optical pumping in a microfabricated alkali vapor resonance cell using (1) a microfabricated Rb discharge lamp light source, as well as (2) a conventional glass-blown Rb discharge lamp. The microfabricated Rb lamp cell is a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) light source, having the same inner cell volume of around 40 mm 3 as that of the resonance cell, both filled with suitable buffer gases. A miniature (∼2 cm 3 volume) test setup based on the M z magnetometer interrogation technique was used for observation of optical-radiofrequency double-resonance signals, proving the suitability of the microfabricated discharge lamp to introduce efficient optical pumping. The pumping ability of this light source was found to be comparable to or even better than that of a conventional glass-blown lamp. The reported results indicate that the micro-fabricated DBD discharge lamp has a high potential for the development of a new class of miniature atomic clocks, magnetometers, and quantum sensors

Three-Dimensional Nanoporous Cellulose Gels as a Flexible Reinforcement Matrix for Polymer Nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Zhuqun; Huang, Junchao; Liu, Chuanjun; Ding, Beibei; Kuga, Shigenori; Cai, Jie; Zhang, Lina

2015-10-21

With the world's focus on utilization of sustainable natural resources, the conversion of wood and plant fibers into cellulose nanowhiskers/nanofibers is essential for application of cellulose in polymer nanocomposites. Here, we present a novel fabrication method of polymer nanocomposites by in-situ polymerization of monomers in three-dimensionally nanoporous cellulose gels (NCG) prepared from aqueous alkali hydroxide/urea solution. The NCG have interconnected nanofibrillar cellulose network structure, resulting in high mechanical strength and size stability. Polymerization of the monomer gave P(MMA/BMA)/NCG, P(MMA/BA)/NCG nanocomposites with a volume fraction of NCG ranging from 15% to 78%. SEM, TEM, and XRD analyses show that the NCG are finely distributed and preserved well in the nanocomposites after polymerization. DMA analysis demonstrates a significant improvement in tensile storage modulus E' above the glass transition temperature; for instance, at 95 °C, E' is increased by over 4 orders of magnitude from 0.03 MPa of the P(MMA/BMA) up to 350 MPa of nanocomposites containing 15% v/v NCG. This reinforcement effect can be explained by the percolation model. The nanocomposites also show remarkable improvement in solvent resistance (swelling ratio of 1.3-2.2 in chloroform, acetone, and toluene), thermal stability (do not melt or decompose up to 300 °C), and low coefficients of thermal expansion (in-plane CTE of 15 ppm·K(-1)). These nanocomposites will have great promising applications in flexible display, packing, biomedical implants, and many others.

Vertically aligned nanowires on flexible silicone using a supported alumina template prepared by pulsed anodization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mátéfi-Tempfli, Stefan; Mátéfi-Tempfli, M.

2009-01-01

Carpets of vertically aligned nanowires on flexible substrates are successfully realized by a template method. Applying special pulsed anodization conditions, defect-free nanoporous alumina structures supported on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a flexible silicone elastomer, are created. By using...... this template with nanopores ending on a conducting underlayer, a high-density nanowire array can be simply grown by direct DCelectrodeposition on the top of the silicone rubber....

Porous silicon technology for integrated microsystems

Science.gov (United States)

Wallner, Jin Zheng

With the development of micro systems, there is an increasing demand for integrable porous materials. In addition to those conventional applications, such as filtration, wicking, and insulating, many new micro devices, including micro reactors, sensors, actuators, and optical components, can benefit from porous materials. Conventional porous materials, such as ceramics and polymers, however, cannot meet the challenges posed by micro systems, due to their incompatibility with standard micro-fabrication processes. In an effort to produce porous materials that can be used in micro systems, porous silicon (PS) generated by anodization of single crystalline silicon has been investigated. In this work, the PS formation process has been extensively studied and characterized as a function of substrate type, crystal orientation, doping concentration, current density and surfactant concentration and type. Anodization conditions have been optimized for producing very thick porous silicon layers with uniform pore size, and for obtaining ideal pore morphologies. Three different types of porous silicon materials: meso porous silicon, macro porous silicon with straight pores, and macro porous silicon with tortuous pores, have been successfully produced. Regular pore arrays with controllable pore size in the range of 2mum to 6mum have been demonstrated as well. Localized PS formation has been achieved by using oxide/nitride/polysilicon stack as masking materials, which can withstand anodization in hydrofluoric acid up to twenty hours. A special etching cell with electrolytic liquid backside contact along with two process flows has been developed to enable the fabrication of thick macro porous silicon membranes with though wafer pores. For device assembly, Si-Au and In-Au bonding technologies have been developed. Very low bonding temperature (˜200°C) and thick/soft bonding layers (˜6mum) have been achieved by In-Au bonding technology, which is able to compensate the potentially

Structural symmetry breaking of silicon containing polymers and their relation with electrical conductivity and Raman active vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Cabrera, Alejandro; González, Carmen; Tagle, Luis; Terraza, Claudio; Volkmann, Ulrich; Barriga, Andrés; Ramos, Esteban; Pavez, Maximiliano

2011-03-01

The incorporation of silicon into the polymeric main chain or side groups can provide an enhancement in chemical, physical and mechanical properties. We report an efficient method for the synthesis of polymers containing silicon in the main chain, from the polycondensation reactions of four optically active carboxylic diacid. The solubility of the polymers, the molecular weight, the glass transition and the thermal stability were studied by standard techniques. Raman spectroscopy was used to probe the conformation of stretching modes as function of the temperature. The conductivity measurements indicated that the alignment of the molecules is a crucial parameter for electrical performance. When the polymers were exposed to iodine, charge transfer increased their mobility and decreased their optical band gaps. These novel properties highlight the possibility to generate alternative active opto-electronics polymers.

A low cost and hybrid technology for integrating silicon sensors or actuators in polymer microfluidic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlot, Samuel; Gué, Anne-Marie; Tasselli, Josiane; Marty, Antoine; Abgrall, Patrick; Estève, Daniel

2008-01-01

This paper describes a new technology permitting a hybrid integration of silicon chips in polymer (PDMS and SU8) microfluidic structures. This two-step technology starts with transferring the silicon device onto a rigid substrate (typically PCB) and planarizing it, and then it proceeds with stacking of the polymer-made fluidic network onto the device. The technology is low cost, based on screen printing and lamination, can be applied to treat large surface areas, and is compatible with standard photolithography and vacuum based approaches. We show, as an example, the integration of a thermal sensor inside channels made of PDMS or SU8. The developed structures had no fluid leaks at the Si/polymer interfaces and the electrical circuit was perfectly tightproof. (note)

Polarization-induced local pore-wall functionalization for biosensing: from micropore to nanopore.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jie; Pham, Pascale; Haguet, Vincent; Sauter-Starace, Fabien; Leroy, Loïc; Roget, André; Descamps, Emeline; Bouchet, Aurélie; Buhot, Arnaud; Mailley, Pascal; Livache, Thierry

2012-04-03

The use of biological-probe-modified solid-state pores in biosensing is currently hindered by difficulties in pore-wall functionalization. The surface to be functionalized is small and difficult to target and is usually chemically similar to the bulk membrane. Herein, we demonstrate the contactless electrofunctionalization (CLEF) approach and its mechanism. This technique enables the one-step local functionalization of the single pore wall fabricated in a silica-covered silicon membrane. CLEF is induced by polarization of the pore membrane in an electric field and requires a sandwich-like composition and a conducting or semiconducting core for the pore membrane. The defects in the silica layer of the micropore wall enable the creation of an electric pathway through the silica layer, which allows electrochemical reactions to take place locally on the pore wall. The pore diameter is not a limiting factor for local wall modification using CLEF. Nanopores with a diameter of 200 nm fabricated in a silicon membrane and covered with native silica layer have been successfully functionalized with this method, and localized pore-wall modification was obtained. Furthermore, through proof-of-concept experiments using ODN-modified nanopores, we show that functionalized nanopores are suitable for translocation-based biosensing.

Hydrogen adsorption properties of polymer-derived nanoporous SiC{sub x} fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Zengyong; He, Rongan; Zhang, Xiaobin; Cheng, Haifeng; Li, Xiaodong; Wang, Yingde [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China)

2010-04-15

In an effort to prepare new hydrogen storage materials, we successfully obtained three types of polymer-derived nanoporous SiC{sub x} (x = 5-7) fibers, whose specific surface areas (SSAs) are larger than 580 m{sup 2}/g. Their hydrogen adsorption properties were studied with a comparison of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The results reveal that micropores play a predominant role in hydrogen adsorptions at 77 K and at pressures below 0.5 MPa, and mesopores begin to take greater effect when the pressure increases beyond 0.5 MPa. The maximum hydrogen storage capacity (HSC), 0.33 wt% at 302 K and 4 MPa, was achieved for SiC{sub x}-KN fibers with SSA of 990 m{sup 2}/g, while the HSC of the MWCNTs is 0.09 wt% at the same conditions. For these new materials, this work demonstrates that small pore size, large micropore volume and large SSA are all beneficial for the high hydrogen uptake. It can also be deduced from the work that the HSC of the SiC{sub x} fibers could be further increased if the crystallinity and the composition are better controlled. (author)

Characterization of electronic structures from CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array based on silicon nanoporous pillar array

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yong, E-mail: liyong@pdsu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Solar Energy Research Center, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000 (China); Song, Xiao Yan [Department of Mathematics and Information Science, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450045 (China); Song, Yue Li; Ji, Peng Fei; Zhou, Feng Qun; Tian, Ming Li; Huang, Hong Chun [Department of Physics and Solar Energy Research Center, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000 (China); Li, Xin Jian [Department of Physics and Laboratory of Material Physics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052 (China)

2016-02-15

Highlights: • CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array has been fabricated through a CBD method. • The electronic properties have been investigated by the I–V and C–V techniques. • The onset voltages, characteristic frequency and built-in potential are investigated. • The electronic structures can be tuned through the annealing treatments. - Abstract: The electronic properties of heterostructures are very important to its applications in the field of optoelectronic devices. Understanding and control of electronic properties are very necessary. CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array have been fabricated through growing CdS nanocrystals on the silicon nanoporous pillar array using a chemical bath deposition method. The electronic properties of CdS nanoheterostructure array have been investigated by the current–voltage, complex impedance spectroscopy and capacitance–voltage techniques. The onset voltages, characteristic frequency and built-in potential are gradually increased with increasing the annealing temperature. It is indicated that the electronic structures of CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array can be tuned through the annealing treatments.

Characterization of electronic structures from CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array based on silicon nanoporous pillar array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yong; Song, Xiao Yan; Song, Yue Li; Ji, Peng Fei; Zhou, Feng Qun; Tian, Ming Li; Huang, Hong Chun; Li, Xin Jian

2016-01-01

Highlights: • CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array has been fabricated through a CBD method. • The electronic properties have been investigated by the I–V and C–V techniques. • The onset voltages, characteristic frequency and built-in potential are investigated. • The electronic structures can be tuned through the annealing treatments. - Abstract: The electronic properties of heterostructures are very important to its applications in the field of optoelectronic devices. Understanding and control of electronic properties are very necessary. CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array have been fabricated through growing CdS nanocrystals on the silicon nanoporous pillar array using a chemical bath deposition method. The electronic properties of CdS nanoheterostructure array have been investigated by the current–voltage, complex impedance spectroscopy and capacitance–voltage techniques. The onset voltages, characteristic frequency and built-in potential are gradually increased with increasing the annealing temperature. It is indicated that the electronic structures of CdS/Si nanoheterostructure array can be tuned through the annealing treatments.

Optical pumping in a microfabricated Rb vapor cell using a microfabricated Rb discharge light source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatraman, V.; Kang, S.; Affolderbach, C.; Mileti, G., E-mail: gaetano.mileti@unine.ch [Laboratoire Temps-Fréquence, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel 2000 (Switzerland); Shea, H. [Microsystems for Space Technologies Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Neuchâtel 2002 (Switzerland)

2014-02-03

Miniature (microfabricated alkali vapor resonance cell using (1) a microfabricated Rb discharge lamp light source, as well as (2) a conventional glass-blown Rb discharge lamp. The microfabricated Rb lamp cell is a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) light source, having the same inner cell volume of around 40 mm{sup 3} as that of the resonance cell, both filled with suitable buffer gases. A miniature (∼2 cm{sup 3} volume) test setup based on the M{sub z} magnetometer interrogation technique was used for observation of optical-radiofrequency double-resonance signals, proving the suitability of the microfabricated discharge lamp to introduce efficient optical pumping. The pumping ability of this light source was found to be comparable to or even better than that of a conventional glass-blown lamp. The reported results indicate that the micro-fabricated DBD discharge lamp has a high potential for the development of a new class of miniature atomic clocks, magnetometers, and quantum sensors.

Nanoporous layered silicate AMH-3/cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for gas separations

KAUST Repository

Kim, Wun-gwi; Lee, Jong Suk; Bucknall, David G.; Koros, William J.; Nair, Sankar

2013-01-01

Nanoporous layered silicate/polymer composite membranes are of interest because they can exploit the high aspect ratio of exfoliated selective flakes/layers to enhance molecular sieving and create a highly tortuous transport path for the slower

Investigation of polymer derived ceramics cantilevers for application of high speed atomic force microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chia-Yun

High speed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has a wide variety of applications ranging from nanomanufacturing to biophysics. In order to have higher scanning speed of certain AFM modes, high resonant frequency cantilevers are needed; therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate using polymer derived ceramics for possible applications in making high resonant frequency AFM cantilevers using complex cross sections. The polymer derived ceramic that will be studied, is silicon carbide. Polymer derived ceramics offer a potentially more economic fabrication approach for MEMS due to their relatively low processing temperatures and ease of complex shape design. Photolithography was used to make the desired cantilever shapes with micron scale size followed by a wet etching process to release the cantilevers from the substrates. The whole manufacturing process we use borrow well-developed techniques from the semiconducting industry, and as such this project also could offer the opportunity to reduce the fabrication cost of AFM cantilevers and MEMS in general. The characteristics of silicon carbide made from the precursor polymer, SMP-10 (Starfire Systems), were studied. In order to produce high qualities of silicon carbide cantilevers, where the major concern is defects, proper process parameters needed to be determined. Films of polymer derived ceramics often have defects due to shrinkage during the conversion process. Thus control of defects was a central issue in this study. A second, related concern was preventing oxidation; the polymer derived ceramics we chose is easily oxidized during processing. Establishing an environment without oxygen in the whole process was a significant challenge in the project. The optimization of the parameters for using photolithography and wet etching process was the final and central goal of the project; well established techniques used in microfabrication were modified for use in making the cantilever in the project. The techniques

Silicon (100)/SiO2 by XPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, David S.; Kanyal, Supriya S.; Madaan, Nitesh; Vail, Michael A.; Dadson, Andrew; Engelhard, Mark H.; Linford, Matthew R.

2013-09-25

Silicon (100) wafers are ubiquitous in microfabrication and, accordingly, their surface characteristics are important. Herein, we report the analysis of Si (100) via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) using monochromatic Al K radiation. Survey scans show that the material is primarily silicon and oxygen, and the Si 2p region shows two peaks that correspond to elemental silicon and silicon dioxide. Using these peaks the thickness of the native oxide (SiO2) was estimated using the equation of Strohmeier.1 The oxygen peak is symmetric. The material shows small amounts of carbon, fluorine, and nitrogen contamination. These silicon wafers are used as the base material for subsequent growth of templated carbon nanotubes.

Diorganosilacetylene-alt-diorganosilvinylene polymers and a process densifying porous silicon-carbide bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, Thomas J.; Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Sina; Pang, Yi

1994-05-17

The present invention provides linear organosilicon polymers including acetylene and vinylene moieties, and a process for their preparation. These diorganosilacetylene-alt-diorganosilvinylene linear polymers can be represented by the formula: --[--(R.sup.1)(R.sup.2)Si--C.tbd.C--(R.sup.3)(R.sup.4)Si--CH=CH--].sub.n-- , wherein n.gtoreq.2; and each R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, and aralkyl radicals. The polymers are soluble in organic solvents, air stable, and can be pulled into fibers or cast into films. They can be thermally converted into silicon carbide ceramic materials.

Multimodal Electrothermal Silicon Microgrippers for Nanotube Manipulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordström Andersen, Karin; Petersen, Dirch Hjorth; Carlson, Kenneth

2009-01-01

Microgrippers that are able to manipulate nanoobjects reproducibly are key components in 3-D nanomanipulation systems. We present here a monolithic electrothermal microgripper prepared by silicon microfabrication, and demonstrate pick-and-place of an as-grown carbon nanotube from a 2-D array onto...

Monolithic integration of optical waveguides for absorbance detection in microfabricated electrophoresis devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Klaus Bo; Petersen, Nickolaj Jacob; Hübner, Jörg

2001-01-01

. The waveguides on the device were connected to optical fibers, which enabled alignment free operation due to the absence of free-space optics. A 750 mum long U-shaped detection cell was used to facilitate longitudinal absorption detection. To minimize geometrically induced band broadening at the turn in the U......The fabrication and performance of an electrophoretic separation chip with integrated of optical waveguides for absorption detection is presented. The device was fabricated on a silicon substrate by standard microfabrication techniques with the use of two photolithographic mask steps...

Ultrafiltration by gyroid nanoporous polymer membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Li; Szewczykowski, Piotr Przemyslaw; Clausen, Lydia D.

2011-01-01

the effect of membrane fouling on the flux decline and rejection profiles. Significant fouling occurred in the case of hydrophobic membranes in contact with water solutions, while in the presence of high concentration of ethanol in the filtration solution and in the case of hydrophilized membranes...... the fouling was reduced. The observed rejection of PEG was compared with theoretic predictions, as described by the Bungay–Brenner model. The model satisfactorily described the rejection profile of PEG up to 12kg/mol through hydrophobic membranes in the presence of excess ethanol. A significantly reduced......Gyroid nanoporous cross-linked 1,2-polybutadiene membranes with uniform pores were developed for ultrafiltration applications. The gyroid porosity has the advantage of isotropic percolation with no need for structure pre-alignment. The effects of solvent and surface photo...

Hybrid nanocomposites based on conducting polymer and silicon nanowires for photovoltaic application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chehata, Nadia; Ltaief, Adnen; Ilahi, Bouraoui; Salem, Bassem; Bouazizi, Abdelaziz; Maaref, Hassen; Baron, Thierry

2014-01-01

Hybrid nanocomposites based on a nanoscale combination of organic and inorganic semiconductors are a promising way to enhance the performance of solar cells through a higher aspect ratio of the interface and the good processability of polymers. Nanocomposites are based on a heterojunction network between poly (2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyhexyl-oxy)-p-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) as an organic electron donor and silicon nanowires (SiNWs) as an inorganic electron acceptor. Nanowires (NWs) seem to be a promising material for this purpose, as they provide a large surface area for contact with the polymer and a designated conducting pathway whilst their volume is low. In this paper, silicon nanowires are introduced by mixing them into the polymer matrix. Hybrid nanocomposites films were deposited onto ITO substrate by spin coating method. Optical properties and photocurrent response were investigated. Charge transfer between the polymer and SiNWs has been demonstrated through photoluminescence measurements. The photocurrent density of ITO/MEH-PPV:SiNWs/Al structures have been obtained by J–V characteristics. The J sc value is about 0.39 µA/cm 2 . - Highlights: • SiNWs synthesis by Vapor–Liquid–Solid (VLS) mechanism. • SiNWs contribution to absorption spectra enhancement of MEH-PPV:SiNWs nanocomposites. • Decrease of PL intensity of MEH-PPV by addition of SiNWs. • Charge transfer process was taken place. • ITO/MEH-PPV:SiNWs/Al structure shows a photovoltaic effect, with a FF of 0.32

Mechanical and electro-mechanical properties of three-dimensional nanoporous graphene-poly(vinylidene fluoride composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. P. Zheng

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Three-dimensional nanoporous graphene monoliths are utilized to prepare graphene-poly(vinylidene fluoride nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical and electro-mechanical properties. Pre-treatment of the polymer (poly(vinylidene fluoride, PVDF with graphene oxides (GOs facilitates the formation of uniform and thin PVDF films with a typical thickness below 100 nm well coated at the graphene nano-sheets. Besides their excellent compressibility, ductility and mechanical strength, the nanoporous graphene-PVDF nanocomposites are found to possess high sensitivity in strain-dependent electrical conductivity. The improved mechanical and electro-mechanical properties are ascribed to the enhanced crystalline β phase in PVDF which possesses piezoelectricity. The mechanical relaxation analyses on the interfaces between graphene and PVDF reveal that the improved mechanical and electro-mechanical properties could result from the interaction between the –C=O groups in the nanoporous graphene and the –CF2 groups in PVDF, which also explains the important role of GOs in the preparation of the graphene-polymer nanocomposites with superior combined mechanical and electro-mechanical properties.

Microfabricated Waveguide Atom Traps.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jau, Yuan-Yu [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-09-01

A nanoscale , microfabricated waveguide structure can in - principle be used to trap atoms in well - defined locations and enable strong photon-atom interactions . A neutral - atom platform based on this microfabrication technology will be prealigned , which is especially important for quantum - control applications. At present, there is still no reported demonstration of evanescent - field atom trapping using a microfabricated waveguide structure. We described the capabilities established by our team for future development of the waveguide atom - trapping technology at SNL and report our studies to overcome the technical challenges of loading cold atoms into the waveguide atom traps, efficient and broadband optical coupling to a waveguide, and the waveguide material for high - power optical transmission. From the atomic - physics and the waveguide modeling, w e have shown that a square nano-waveguide can be utilized t o achieve better atomic spin squeezing than using a nanofiber for first time.

Thermal carbonization of nanoporous silicon

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

An interesting phenomenon is observed while carrying out thermal carbonization of porous silicon (PS) with an aim to arrest the natural surface degradation, and it is a burning issue for PS-based device applications. A tubular carbon structure has been observed on the PS surface. Raman, Fourier transform infrared ...

Polymer-Derived Silicon Oxycarbide Ceramics as Promising Next-Generation Sustainable Thermoelectrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kousaalya, Adhimoolam Bakthavachalam; Zeng, Xiaoyu; Karakaya, Mehmet; Tritt, Terry; Pilla, Srikanth; Rao, Apparao M

2018-01-24

We demonstrate the potential of polymer-derived ceramics (PDC) as next-generation sustainable thermoelectrics. Thermoelectric behavior of polymer-derived silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) ceramics (containing hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) as filler) was studied as a function of measurement temperature. SiOC, sintered at 1300 °C exhibited invariant low thermal conductivity (∼1.5 W/(m·K)) over 30-600 °C, coupled with a small increase in both Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, with increase in measurement temperature (30-150 °C). SiOC ceramics containing 1 wt % h-BN showed the highest Seebeck coefficient (-33 μV/K) for any PDC thus far.

Nanoporous Polymer-Ceramic Composite Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries

KAUST Repository

Tu, Zhengyuan

2013-09-16

A nanoporous composite material that offers the unique combination of high room-temperature ionic conductivity and high mechanical modulus is reported. When used as the separator/electrolyte in lithium batteries employing metallic lithium as anode, the material displays unprecedented cycling stability and excellent ability to prevent premature cell failure by dendrite-induced short circuits © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Microfabricated fuel heating value monitoring device

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Alex L [Albuquerque, NM; Manginell, Ronald P [Albuquerque, NM; Moorman, Matthew W [Albuquerque, NM

2010-05-04

A microfabricated fuel heating value monitoring device comprises a microfabricated gas chromatography column in combination with a catalytic microcalorimeter. The microcalorimeter can comprise a reference thermal conductivity sensor to provide diagnostics and surety. Using microfabrication techniques, the device can be manufactured in production quantities at a low per-unit cost. The microfabricated fuel heating value monitoring device enables continuous calorimetric determination of the heating value of natural gas with a 1 minute analysis time and 1.5 minute cycle time using air as a carrier gas. This device has applications in remote natural gas mining stations, pipeline switching and metering stations, turbine generators, and other industrial user sites. For gas pipelines, the device can improve gas quality during transfer and blending, and provide accurate financial accounting. For industrial end users, the device can provide continuous feedback of physical gas properties to improve combustion efficiency during use.

Parylene C coating for high-performance replica molding.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyries, Kevin A; Hansen, Carl L

2011-12-07

This paper presents an improvement to the soft lithography fabrication process that uses chemical vapor deposition of poly(chloro-p-xylylene) (parylene C) to protect microfabricated masters and to improve the release of polymer devices following replica molding. Chemical vapor deposition creates nanometre thick conformal coatings of parylene C on silicon wafers having arrays of 30 μm high SU8 pillars with densities ranging from 278 to 10,040 features per mm(2) and aspect ratios (height : width) from 1 : 1 to 6 : 1. A single coating of parylene C was sufficient to permanently promote poly(dimethyl)siloxane (PDMS) mold release and to protect masters for an indefinite number of molding cycles. We also show that the improved release properties of parylene treated masters allow for fabrication with hard polymers, such as poly(urethane), that would otherwise not be compatible with SU8 on silicon masters. Parylene C provides a robust and high performance mold release coating for soft lithography microfabrication that extends the life of microfabricated masters and improves the achievable density and aspect ratio of replicated features.

Nanoporous Anodic Alumina: A Versatile Platform for Optical Biosensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abel Santos

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA has become one of the most promising nanomaterials in optical biosensing as a result of its unique physical and chemical properties. Many studies have demonstrated the outstanding capabilities of NAA for developing optical biosensors in combination with different optical techniques. These results reveal that NAA is a promising alternative to other widely explored nanoporous platforms, such as porous silicon. This review is aimed at reporting on the recent advances and current stage of development of NAA-based optical biosensing devices. The different optical detection techniques, principles and concepts are described in detail along with relevant examples of optical biosensing devices using NAA sensing platforms. Furthermore, we summarise the performance of these devices and provide a future perspective on this promising research field.

Protein Nanopore-Based Discrimination between Selected Neutral Amino Acids from Polypeptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Asandei, Alina; Rossini, Aldo E; Chinappi, Mauro; Park, Yoonkyung; Luchian, Tudor

2017-12-19

Nanopore probing of biological polymers has the potential to achieve single-molecule sequencing at low cost, high throughput, portability, and minimal sample preparation and apparatus. In this article, we explore the possibility of discrimination between neutral amino acid residues from the primary structure of 30 amino acids long, engineered peptides, through the analysis of single-molecule ionic current fluctuations accompanying their slowed-down translocation across the wild type α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore, and molecular dynamics simulations. We found that the transient presence inside the α-HL of alanine or tryptophan residues from the primary sequence of engineered peptides results in distinct features of the ionic current fluctuation pattern associated with the peptide reversibly blocking the nanopore. We propose that α-HL sensitivity to the molecular exclusion at the most constricted region mediates ionic current blockade events correlated with the volumes that are occluded by at least three alanine or tryptophan residues, and provides the specificity needed to discriminate between groups of neutral amino acids. Further, we find that the pattern of current fluctuations depends on the orientation of the threaded amino acid residues, suggestive of a conformational anisotropy of the ensemble of conformations of the peptide on the restricted nanopore region, related to its relative axial orientation inside the nanopore.

Micro benchtop optics by bulk silicon micromachining

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Abraham P.; Pocha, Michael D.; McConaghy, Charles F.; Deri, Robert J.

2000-01-01

Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics of bulk silicon and integrating the parallel etch planes of silicon with silicon wafer bonding and impurity doping, enables the fabrication of on-chip optics with in situ aligned etched grooves for optical fibers, micro-lenses, photodiodes, and laser diodes. Other optical components that can be microfabricated and integrated include semi-transparent beam splitters, micro-optical scanners, pinholes, optical gratings, micro-optical filters, etc. Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics thereof can be utilized to develop miniaturization of bio-instrumentation such as wavelength monitoring by fluorescence spectrometers, and other miniaturized optical systems such as Fabry-Perot interferometry for filtering of wavelengths, tunable cavity lasers, micro-holography modules, and wavelength splitters for optical communication systems.

Surface engineered porous silicon for stable, high performance electrochemical supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Oakes, Landon; Westover, Andrew; Mares, Jeremy W.; Chatterjee, Shahana; Erwin, William R.; Bardhan, Rizia; Weiss, Sharon M.; Pint, Cary L.

2013-10-01

Silicon materials remain unused for supercapacitors due to extreme reactivity of silicon with electrolytes. However, doped silicon materials boast a low mass density, excellent conductivity, a controllably etched nanoporous structure, and combined earth abundance and technological presence appealing to diverse energy storage frameworks. Here, we demonstrate a universal route to transform porous silicon (P-Si) into stable electrodes for electrochemical devices through growth of an ultra-thin, conformal graphene coating on the P-Si surface. This graphene coating simultaneously passivates surface charge traps and provides an ideal electrode-electrolyte electrochemical interface. This leads to 10-40X improvement in energy density, and a 2X wider electrochemical window compared to identically-structured unpassivated P-Si. This work demonstrates a technique generalizable to mesoporous and nanoporous materials that decouples the engineering of electrode structure and electrochemical surface stability to engineer performance in electrochemical environments. Specifically, we demonstrate P-Si as a promising new platform for grid-scale and integrated electrochemical energy storage.

Surface engineered porous silicon for stable, high performance electrochemical supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Oakes, Landon; Westover, Andrew; Mares, Jeremy W.; Chatterjee, Shahana; Erwin, William R.; Bardhan, Rizia; Weiss, Sharon M.; Pint, Cary L.

2013-01-01

Silicon materials remain unused for supercapacitors due to extreme reactivity of silicon with electrolytes. However, doped silicon materials boast a low mass density, excellent conductivity, a controllably etched nanoporous structure, and combined earth abundance and technological presence appealing to diverse energy storage frameworks. Here, we demonstrate a universal route to transform porous silicon (P-Si) into stable electrodes for electrochemical devices through growth of an ultra-thin, conformal graphene coating on the P-Si surface. This graphene coating simultaneously passivates surface charge traps and provides an ideal electrode-electrolyte electrochemical interface. This leads to 10–40X improvement in energy density, and a 2X wider electrochemical window compared to identically-structured unpassivated P-Si. This work demonstrates a technique generalizable to mesoporous and nanoporous materials that decouples the engineering of electrode structure and electrochemical surface stability to engineer performance in electrochemical environments. Specifically, we demonstrate P-Si as a promising new platform for grid-scale and integrated electrochemical energy storage. PMID:24145684

Au-coated 3-D nanoporous titania layer prepared using polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymer nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Won-Jeong; Basarir, Fevzihan; Yoon, Tae-Ho; Lee, Jae-Suk

2009-04-09

New nanoporous structures of Au-coated titania layers were prepared by using amphiphilic block copolymer nanoparticles as a template. A 3-D template composed of self-assembled quaternized polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (Q-PS-b-P2VP) block copolymer nanoparticles below 100 nm was prepared. The core-shell-type nanoparticles were well ordered three-dimensionally using the vertical immersion method on the substrate. The polar solvents were added to the polymer solution to prevent particle merging at 40 degrees C when considering the interaction between polymer nanoparticles and solvents. Furthermore, Au-coated PS-b-P2VP nanoparticles were prepared using thiol-capped Au nanoparticles (3 nm). The 3-D arrays with Au-coated PS-b-P2VP nanoparticles as a template contributed to the preparation of the nanoporous Au-coated titania layer. Therefore, the nanoporous Au-coated titania layer was fabricated by removing PS-b-P2VP block copolymer nanoparticles by oxygen plasma etching.

Silicon nitride nanosieve membrane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tong, D.H.; Jansen, Henricus V.; Gadgil, V.J.; Bostan, C.G.; Berenschot, Johan W.; van Rijn, C.J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

2004-01-01

An array of very uniform cylindrical nanopores with a pore diameter as small as 25 nm has been fabricated in an ultrathin micromachined silicon nitride membrane using focused ion beam (FIB) etching. The pore size of this nanosieve membrane was further reduced to below 10 nm by coating it with

Silicon micro-masonry using elastomeric stamps for three-dimensional microfabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keum, Hohyun; Eisenhaure, Jeffrey D; Kim, Seok; Carlson, Andrew; Ning, Hailong; Mihi, Agustin; Braun, Paul V; Rogers, John A

2012-01-01

We present a micromanufacturing method for constructing microsystems, which we term ‘micro-masonry’ based on individual manipulation, influenced by strategies for deterministic materials assembly using advanced forms of transfer printing. Analogous to masonry in construction sites, micro-masonry consists of the preparation, manipulation, and binding of microscale units to assemble microcomponents and microsystems. In this paper, for the purpose of demonstration, we used microtipped elastomeric stamps as manipulators and built three dimensional silicon microstructures. Silicon units of varied shapes were fabricated in a suspended format on donors, retrieved, delivered, and placed on a target location on a receiver using microtipped stamps. Annealing of the assembled silicon units permanently bound them and completed the micro-masonry procedure. (paper)

Soft hydrogels interpenetrating silicone – a polymer network for drug releasing medical devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steffensen, Søren Langer; Merete H., Vestergaard,; Møller, Eva Horn

2016-01-01

such a sophisticated material by forming an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) material through modification of silicone elastomers with a poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)-based hydrogel. IPN materials with a PHEMA content in the range of 13%–38% (w/w) were synthesized by using carbon dioxide...

Influence of Nanopore Shapes on Thermal Conductivity of Two-Dimensional Nanoporous Material.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Cong-Liang; Huang, Zun; Lin, Zi-Zhen; Feng, Yan-Hui; Zhang, Xin-Xin; Wang, Ge

2016-12-01

The influence of nanopore shapes on the electronic thermal conductivity (ETC) was studied in this paper. It turns out that with same porosity, the ETC will be quite different for different nanopore shapes, caused by the different channel width for different nanopore shapes. With same channel width, the influence of different nanopore shapes can be approximately omitted if the nanopore is small enough (smaller than 0.5 times EMFP in this paper). The ETC anisotropy was discovered for triangle nanopores at a large porosity with a large nanopore size, while there is a similar ETC for small pore size. It confirmed that the structure difference for small pore size may not be seen by electrons in their moving.

Near-field optical microscope using a silicon-nitride probe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hulst, N.F.; Moers, M.H.P.; Moers, M.H.P.; Noordman, O.F.J.; Noordman, O.F.J.; Tack, R.G.; Segerink, Franciscus B.; Bölger, B.; Bölger, B.

1993-01-01

Operation of an alternative near-field optical microscope is presented. The microscope uses a microfabricated silicon- nitride probe with integrated cantilever, as originally developed for force microscopy. The cantilever allows routine close contact near-field imaging o­n arbitrary surfaces without

Modification of inkjet printer for polymer sensitive layer preparation on silicon-based gas sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianjian Li

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Inkjet printing is a versatile, low cost deposition technology with the capabilities for the localized deposition of high precision, patterned deposition in a programmable way, and the parallel deposition of a variety of materials. This paper demonstrates a new method of modifying the consumer inkjet printer to prepare polymer-sensitive layers on silicon wafer for gas sensor applications. A special printing tray for the modified inkjet printer to support a 4-inch silicon wafer is designed. The positioning accuracy of the deposition system is tested, based on the newly modified printer. The experimental data show that the positioning errors in the horizontal direction are negligibly small, while the positioning errors in the vertical direction rise with the increase of the printing distance of the wafer. The method for making suitable ink to be deposited to form the polymer-sensitive layer is also discussed. In the testing, a solution of 0.1 wt% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA was used as ink to prepare a sensitive layer with certain dimensions at a specific location on the surface of the silicon wafer, and the results prove the feasibility of the methods presented in this article.

Nanoporous ionic organic networks: from synthesis to materials applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jian-Ke; Antonietti, Markus; Yuan, Jiayin

2016-11-21

The past decade has witnessed rapid progress in the synthesis of nanoporous organic networks or polymer frameworks for various potential applications. Generally speaking, functionalization of porous networks to add extra properties and enhance materials performance could be achieved either during the pore formation (thus a concurrent approach) or by post-synthetic modification (a sequential approach). Nanoporous organic networks which include ion pairs bound in a covalent manner are of special importance and possess extreme application profiles. Within these nanoporous ionic organic networks (NIONs), here with a pore size in the range from sub-1 nm to 100 nm, we observe a synergistic coupling of the electrostatic interaction of charges, the nanoconfinement within pores and the addressable functional units in soft matter resulting in a wide variety of functions and applications, above all catalysis, energy storage and conversion, as well as environment-related operations. This review aims to highlight the recent progress in this area, and seeks to raise original perspectives that will stimulate future advancements at both the fundamental and applied level.

Fabrication of SU-8 microstructures for analytical microfluidic applications

OpenAIRE

Tuomikoski, Santeri

2007-01-01

Miniaturization of analytical devices has been an ongoing trend to improve performance of analytical tools. These systems have been microfabricated originally of silicon and glass, but polymers have become increasingly popular as alternative materials. Polymers are mostly used because the material costs are lower and fabrication processes are easier. However, those facts depend heavily on the fabrication method and particular polymer. In this thesis the usability of epoxy-polymer SU-8 has bee...

Nanoporous Polymer Films of Cyanate Ester Resins Designed by Using Ionic Liquids as Porogens.

Science.gov (United States)

Fainleib, Alexander; Vashchuk, Alina; Starostenko, Olga; Grigoryeva, Olga; Rogalsky, Sergiy; Nguyen, Thi-Thanh-Tam; Grande, Daniel

2017-12-01

Novel nanoporous film materials of thermostable cyanate ester resins (CERs) were generated by polycyclotrimerization of dicyanate ester of bisphenol E in the presence of varying amounts (from 20 to 40 wt%) of an ionic liquid (IL), i.e., 1-heptylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate, followed by its quantitative extraction after complete CER network formation. The completion of CER formation and IL extraction was assessed using gel fraction content determination, FTIR, 1 H NMR, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). SEM and DSC-based thermoporometry analyses demonstrated the formation of nanoporous structures after IL removal from CER networks, thus showing the effective role of IL as a porogen. Pore sizes varied from ~20 to ~180 nm with an average pore diameter of around 45-60 nm depending on the initial IL content. The thermal stability of nanoporous CER-based films was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis.

Raman light scattering in nanoporous carbon obtained from carbides of silicon and titanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danishevskij, A.M.; Smorgonskaya, Eh.A.; Gordeev, S.K.; Grechinskaya, A.V.

2001-01-01

The Raman spectra in nanoporous carbon obtained through the chemical reaction from the polycrystal α-SiC and TiC are studied. It is shown that the spectra have a multicomponent character differentiating the considered group of materials from graphites and disordered carbon structures. The series of low-frequency modes is registered. The anisotropy and dispersion effects are identified. The results testify to the cluster structure of nanoporous carbon and dimensional quantization of electron and vibrational spectra in the carbon nanoclusters. The fine fragments of curved or fractures graphed sheets are the basic structural elements of nanoclusters in the porous skeleton. The presence of fragments close by structure to the tense cubic or hexagonal diamond is also notes [ru

Hydrogen diffusion between plasma-deposited silicon nitride-polyimide polymer interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, S.V.; Kerbaugh, M.

1988-01-01

This paper reports a nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) for hydrogen technique used to analyze the hydrogen concentration near plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) silicon nitride-polyimide interfaces at various nitride-deposition and polyimide-polymer-curing temperatures. The CF 4 + O 2 (8% O 2 ) plasma-etch-rate variation of PECVD silicon nitride films deposited on polyimide appeared to correlate well with the variation of hydrogen-depth profiles in the nitride films. The NRA data indicate that hydrogen-depth-profile fluctuation in the nitride films is due to hydrogen diffusion between the nitride-polyimide interfaces during deposition. Annealing treatment of polyimide films in a hydrogen atmosphere prior to the nitride film deposition tends to enhance the hydrogen-depth-profile uniformity in the nitride films, and thus substantially reduces or eliminates variation in the nitride plasma-etch rate

Silicon nanowires in polymer nanocomposites for photovoltaic hybrid thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben Dkhil, S.; Bourguiga, R.; Davenas, J.; Cornu, D.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Hybrid solar cells based on blends of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and silicon nanowires have been fabricated. ► We have investigated the charge transfer between PVK and SiNWs by the way of the quenching of the PVK photoluminescence. ► The relation between the morphology of the composite thin films and the charge transfer between SiNWs and PVK has been examined. ► We have investigated the effects of SiNWs concentration on the photovoltaic characteristics leading to the optimization of a critical SiNWs concentration. - Abstract: Hybrid thin films combining the high optical absorption of a semiconducting polymer film and the electronic properties of silicon fillers have been investigated in the perspective of the development of low cost solar cells. Bulk heterojunction photovoltaic materials based on blends of a semiconductor polymer poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) as electron donor and silicon nanowires (SiNWs) as electron acceptor have been studied. Composite PVK/SiNWs films were cast from a common solvent mixture. UV–visible spectrometry and photoluminescence of the composites have been studied as a function of the SiNWs concentration. Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) shows the existence of a critical SiNWs concentration of about 10 wt % for PL quenching corresponding to the most efficient charge pair separation. The photovoltaic (PV) effect has been studied under illumination. The optimum open-circuit voltage V oc and short-circuit current density J sc are obtained for 10 wt % SiNWs whereas a degradation of these parameters is observed at higher SiNWs concentrations. These results are correlated to the formation of aggregates in the composite leading to recombination of the photogenerated charge pairs competing with the dissociation mechanism.

Nanoscale volcanoes: accretion of matter at ion-sculpted nanopores.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitsui, Toshiyuki; Stein, Derek; Kim, Young-Rok; Hoogerheide, David; Golovchenko, J A

2006-01-27

We demonstrate the formation of nanoscale volcano-like structures induced by ion-beam irradiation of nanoscale pores in freestanding silicon nitride membranes. Accreted matter is delivered to the volcanoes from micrometer distances along the surface. Volcano formation accompanies nanopore shrinking and depends on geometrical factors and the presence of a conducting layer on the membrane's back surface. We argue that surface electric fields play an important role in accounting for the experimental observations.

Photonic integration and photonics-electronics convergence on silicon platform

CERN Document Server

Liu, Jifeng; Baba, Toshihiko; Vivien, Laurent; Xu, Dan-Xia

2015-01-01

Silicon photonics technology, which has the DNA of silicon electronics technology, promises to provide a compact photonic integration platform with high integration density, mass-producibility, and excellent cost performance. This technology has been used to develop and to integrate various photonic functions on silicon substrate. Moreover, photonics-electronics convergence based on silicon substrate is now being pursued. Thanks to these features, silicon photonics will have the potential to be a superior technology used in the construction of energy-efficient cost-effective apparatuses for various applications, such as communications, information processing, and sensing. Considering the material characteristics of silicon and difficulties in microfabrication technology, however, silicon by itself is not necessarily an ideal material. For example, silicon is not suitable for light emitting devices because it is an indirect transition material. The resolution and dynamic range of silicon-based interference de...

Growing Embossed Nanostructures of Polymer Brushes on Wet-Etched Silicon Templated via Block Copolymers

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xiaobin; Yan, Qin; Ma, Yinzhou; Guo, Xin; Xiao, Shou-Jun

2016-02-01

Block copolymer nanolithography has attracted enormous interest in chip technologies, such as integrated silicon chips and biochips, due to its large-scale and mass production of uniform patterns. We further modified this technology to grow embossed nanodots, nanorods, and nanofingerprints of polymer brushes on silicon from their corresponding wet-etched nanostructures covered with pendent SiHx (X = 1-3) species. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to image the topomorphologies, and multiple transmission-reflection infrared spectroscopy (MTR-IR) was used to monitor the surface molecular films in each step for the sequential stepwise reactions. In addition, two layers of polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) brush nanodots were observed, which were attributed to the circumferential convergence growth and the diffusion-limited growth of the polymer brushes. The pH response of PMAA nanodots in the same region was investigated by AFM from pH 3.0 to 9.0.

Nanoshaving and Nanografting of Water Soluble Polymers on Glass and Silicon Dioxide Surfaces with Applications to DNA Localization

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Brian; Conley, Hiram; Ochoa, Rosie; Hurd, Katie; Linford, Matthew R.; Davis, Robert C.

2008-10-01

Chemical surface patterning at the nanoscale is a critical component of chemically directed assembly of nanoscale devices or sensitive biological molecules onto surfaces. Here we present a scanning probe lithography technique that allows for patterning of aqueous polymers on glass or silicon dioxide surfaces. The surfaces were functionalized by covalently bonding a silane monolayer with a known surface charge to either a glass slide or a silicon wafer. A polymer layer less then 2 nm in thickness was electrostatically bound to the silane layer, passivating the functionalized surface. An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probe was used to remove a portion of the polymer layer, exposing the functional silane layer underneath. Employing this method we made chemically active submicron regions. These regions were backfilled with a fluorescent polymer and Lambda-DNA. Chemical differentiation was verified through tapping mode AFM and optical fluorescent microscopy. Lines with a pitch as small as 20nm were observed with AFM height and phase mode data.

Directed self-assembly of nanoporous metallic- and bimetallic nanoparticle thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pietsch, Torsten [Fachbereich Physik, Universitaet Konstanz (Germany); Gindy, Nabil; Fahmi, Amir [Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Nottingham (United Kingdom)

2010-07-01

Nanoporous thin films attracted considerable interest due to potential applications in optical coatings, catalysis, sensors as well as electronic devices. Recently, such films were prepared by post deposition treatments. The present study is focused on the fabrication of nanoporous thin films via directed self-assembly of hybrid materials. Due to the nature of this process no additional treatments are necessary to develop the pores. Hierarchical nanoporous structures are fabricated directly via deposition of polymer templated Au-nanoparticles onto hydrophilic substrates. These films exhibit two different pore diameters and a total pore density of more than 10{sup 10} holes per cm{sup 2}. Control over the pore size is achieved by changing the molecular weight of the PS-b-P4VP diblock copolymer. Moreover, the porous morphology is used as a template to fabricate bimetallic nanostructured thin films. Such well-defined nanostructures, not only exhibit unique physical properties but also provide control over the hydrophobicity of the coated surfaces.

Rational Design of Branched Nanoporous Gold Nanoshells with Enhanced Physico-Optical Properties for Optical Imaging and Cancer Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jibin; Yang, Xiangyu; Yang, Zhen; Lin, Lisen; Liu, Yijing; Zhou, Zijian; Shen, Zheyu; Yu, Guocan; Dai, Yunlu; Jacobson, Orit; Munasinghe, Jeeva; Yung, Bryant; Teng, Gao-Jun; Chen, Xiaoyuan

2017-06-27

Reported procedures on the synthesis of gold nanoshells with smooth surfaces have merely demonstrated efficient control of shell thickness and particle size, yet no branch and nanoporous features on the nanoshell have been implemented to date. Herein, we demonstrate the ability to control the roughness and nanoscale porosity of gold nanoshells by using redox-active polymer poly(vinylphenol)-b-(styrene) nanoparticles as reducing agent and template. The porosity and size of the branches on this branched nanoporous gold nanoshell (BAuNSP) material can be facilely adjusted by control of the reaction speed or the reaction time between the redox-active polymer nanoparticles and gold ions (Au 3+ ). Due to the strong reduction ability of the redox-active polymer, the yield of BAuNSP was virtually 100%. By taking advantage of the sharp branches and nanoporous features, BAuNSP exhibited greatly enhanced physico-optical properties, including photothermal effect, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and photoacoustic (PA) signals. The photothermal conversion efficiency can reach as high as 75.5%, which is greater than most gold nanocrystals. Furthermore, the nanoporous nature of the shells allows for effective drug loading and controlled drug release. The thermoresponsive polymer coated on the BAuNSP surface serves as a gate keeper, governing the drug release behavior through photothermal heating. Positron emission tomography imaging demonstrated a high passive tumor accumulation of 64 Cu-labeled BAuNSP. The strong SERS signal generated by the SERS-active BAuNSP in vivo, accompanied by enhanced PA signals in the tumor region, provide significant tumor information, including size, morphology, position, and boundaries between tumor and healthy tissues. In vivo tumor therapy experiments demonstrated a highly synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy effect of drug-loaded BAuNSPs, guided by three modes of optical imaging.

Mathematical modeling and simulation of nanopore blocking by precipitation

KAUST Repository

Wolfram, M-T

2010-10-29

High surface charges of polymer pore walls and applied electric fields can lead to the formation and subsequent dissolution of precipitates in nanopores. These precipitates block the pore, leading to current fluctuations. We present an extended Poisson-Nernst-Planck system which includes chemical reactions of precipitation and dissolution. We discuss the mathematical modeling and present 2D numerical simulations. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Human aortic endothelial cell morphology influenced by topography of porous silicon substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Formentín, Pilar; Catalán, Úrsula; Fernández-Castillejo, Sara; Alba, Maria; Baranowska, Malgorzata; Solà, Rosa; Pallarès, Josep; Marsal, Lluís F

2015-10-01

Porous silicon has received much attention because of its optical properties and for its usefulness in cell-based biosensing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. Surface properties of the biomaterial are associated with cell adhesion and with proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The present article analyzes the behavior of human aortic endothelial cells in macro- and nanoporous collagen-modified porous silicon samples. On both substrates, cells are well adhered and numerous. Confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to study the effects of porosity on the morphology of the cells. On macroporous silicon, filopodia is not observed but the cell spreads on the surface, increasing the lamellipodia surface which penetrates the macropore. On nanoporous silicon, multiple filopodia were found to branch out from the cell body. These results demonstrate that the pore size plays a key role in controlling the morphology and growth rate of human aortic endothelial cells, and that these forms of silicon can be used to control cell development in tissue engineering as well as in basic cell biology research. © The Author(s) 2015.

PS-b-PMMA/PLA blends for nanoporous templates with hierarchical and tunable pore size

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Thi-Hoa; Vayer, Marylène; Sinturel, Christophe

2018-01-01

Blends of poly(styrene)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) and poly(lactide) (PLA) were deposited in the form of thin films on the surface of modified silicon wafers and exposed to tetrahydrofuran (THF) vapor annealing. It was shown that in specific experimental conditions, a core-shell morphology consisting in cylinders with a PMMA shell and a PLA core, within a continuous matrix of PS, was formed. In this case, PLA naturally segregated in the core of the PMMA cylinders, minimizing the PS/PLA interaction, which constitutes the most incompatible pair (the interaction strength between the various components was confirmed in thin films of the corresponding polymer blends). Compared to other block copolymer/homopolymer blends described in the literature, this system exhibits unexpected high increase of the characteristic lengths of the system (center-to-center distance and diameter). This was attributed to a partial solubilization of the PLA in the PMMA corona (the two polymers are highly compatible), inducing an enhanced level of PS and PLA stretching caused by the strong repulsion between these two polymers. The selective extraction of the PLA yielded to porous domains with small dimensions (6 ± 2.5 nm), reaching the performances that are currently attained in highly incompatible block polymers with low molecular weight. Further PMMA removal revealed a second porosity level, with higher pores diameter and center-to-center distance compared to the neat PS-b-PMMA system. This work highlights how PS-b-PMMA, that currently represents one of the industrial standards nanoporous template precursors, can be modified in an easy and costless approach using PLA homopolymer addition.

Radiation stable, hybrid, chemical vapor infiltration/preceramic polymer joining of silicon carbide components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khalifa, Hesham E., E-mail: hesham.khalifa@ga.com [General Atomics, 3550 General Atomics Ct., San Diego 92121, CA (United States); Koyanagi, Takaaki [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge 37831, TN (United States); Jacobsen, George M.; Deck, Christian P.; Back, Christina A. [General Atomics, 3550 General Atomics Ct., San Diego 92121, CA (United States)

2017-04-15

This paper reports on a nuclear-grade joining material for bonding of silicon carbide-based components. The joint material is fabricated via a hybrid preceramic polymer, chemical vapor infiltration process. The joint is comprised entirely of β-SiC and results in excellent mechanical and permeability performance. The joint strength, composition, and microstructure have been characterized before and after irradiation to 4.5 dpa at 730 °C in the High Flux Isotope Reactor. The hybrid preceramic polymer-chemical vapor infiltrated joint exhibited complete retention of shear strength and no evidence of microstructural evolution or damage was detected following irradiation.

The effect of Low Earth Orbit exposure on some experimental fluorine and silicon-containing polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Connell, John W.; Young, Philip R.; Kalil, Carol G.; Chang, Alice C.; Siochi, Emilie J.

1994-01-01

Several experimental fluorine and silicon-containing polymers in film form were exposed to low Earth orbit (LEO) on a Space Shuttle flight experiment (STS-46, Evaluation of Oxygen Interaction with Materials, EOIM-3). The environmental parameters of primary concern were atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The materials were exposed to 2.3 plus or minus 0.1 x 10(exp 20) oxygen atoms/sq cm and 30.6 UV sun hours during the flight. In some cases, the samples were exposed at ambient, 120 C and 200 C. The effects of exposure on these materials were assessed utilizing a variety of characterization techniques including optical, scanning electron (SEM) and scanning tunneling (STM) microscopy, UV-visible (UV-VIS) transmission, diffuse reflectance infrared (DR-FTIR), x-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy, and in a few cases, gel permeation chromatography (GPC). In addition, weight losses of the films, presumably due to AO erosion, were measured. The fluorine-containing polymers exhibited significant AO erosion and exposed films were diffuse or 'frosted' in appearance and consequently displayed dramatic reductions in optical transmission. The silicon-containing films exhibited minimum AO erosion and the optical transmission of exposed films was essentially unchanged. The silicon near the exposed surface in the films was converted to silicate/silicon oxide upon AO exposure which subsequently provided protection for the underlying material. The silicon-containing epoxies are potentially useful as AO resistant coatings and matrix resins as they are readily processed into carbon fiber reinforced composites and cured via electron radiation.

Facile surface modification of silicone rubber with zwitterionic polymers for improving blood compatibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Pingsheng; Chen, Qiang; Yuan, Bo; Chen, Mengzhou; Wu, Shishan; Lin, Sicong; Shen, Jian

2013-01-01

A facile approach to modify silicone rubber (SR) membrane for improving the blood compatibility was investigated. The hydrophobic SR surface was firstly activated by air plasma, after which an initiator was immobilized on the activated surface for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Three zwitterionic polymers were then grafted from SR membrane via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The surface composition, wettability, and morphology of the membranes before and after modification were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), static water contact angle (WCA) measurement, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results showed that zwitterionic polymers were successfully grafted from SR surfaces, which remarkably improved the wettability of the SR surface. The blood compatibility of the membranes was evaluated by protein adsorption and platelet adhesion tests in vitro. As observed, all the zwitterionic polymer modified surfaces have improved resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption and have excellent resistance to platelet adhesion, showing significantly improved blood compatibility. This work should inspire many creative uses of SR based materials for biomedical applications such as vessel, catheter, and microfluidics. Highlights: • Facile surface modification of silicone rubber with functional brushes • Modified SR surfaces have improved resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption. • Modified SR surfaces have excellent resistance to platelet adhesion. • Zwitteironic surface significant improvement in blood compatibility • Could inspire many creative uses of SR based materials for biomedical

Orientation of One-Dimensional Silicon Polymer Films Studied by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Abdul Mannan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Molecular orientations for thin films of one-dimensional silicon polymers grown by vacuum evaporation have been assigned by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS using linearly polarized synchrotron radiation. The polymer investigated was polydimethylsilane (PDMS which is the simplest stable silicon polymer, and one of the candidate materials for one-dimensional molecular wire. For PDMS films deposited on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG, four resonance peaks have been identified in the Si K-edge NEXAFS spectra. Among these peaks, the intensities of the two peaks lower-energy at 1842.0 eV and 1843.2 eV were found to be strongly polarization dependent. The peaks are assigned to the resonance excitations from the Si 1s to σ∗ pyz and σ∗ px orbitals localized at the Si–C and Si–Si bonds, respectively. Quantitative evaluation of the polarization dependence of the NEXAFS spectra revealed that the molecules are self-assembled on HOPG surface, and the backbones of the PDMS are oriented nearly parallel to the surface. The observed orientation is opposite to the previously observed results for PDMS on the other surfaces such as oxide (indium tin oxide and metal (polycrystalline copper. The flat-lying feature of PDMS observed only on HOPG surface is attributed to the interaction between CH bonds in PDMS and π orbitals in HOPG surface.

Facile surface modification of silicone rubber with zwitterionic polymers for improving blood compatibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Pingsheng [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Chen, Qiang, E-mail: chem100@nju.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); High Technology Research Institute of Nanjing University, Changzhou 213164 (China); Yuan, Bo; Chen, Mengzhou; Wu, Shishan; Lin, Sicong [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Shen, Jian, E-mail: shenj1957@yahoo.com.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2013-10-15

A facile approach to modify silicone rubber (SR) membrane for improving the blood compatibility was investigated. The hydrophobic SR surface was firstly activated by air plasma, after which an initiator was immobilized on the activated surface for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Three zwitterionic polymers were then grafted from SR membrane via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The surface composition, wettability, and morphology of the membranes before and after modification were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), static water contact angle (WCA) measurement, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results showed that zwitterionic polymers were successfully grafted from SR surfaces, which remarkably improved the wettability of the SR surface. The blood compatibility of the membranes was evaluated by protein adsorption and platelet adhesion tests in vitro. As observed, all the zwitterionic polymer modified surfaces have improved resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption and have excellent resistance to platelet adhesion, showing significantly improved blood compatibility. This work should inspire many creative uses of SR based materials for biomedical applications such as vessel, catheter, and microfluidics. Highlights: • Facile surface modification of silicone rubber with functional brushes • Modified SR surfaces have improved resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption. • Modified SR surfaces have excellent resistance to platelet adhesion. • Zwitteironic surface significant improvement in blood compatibility • Could inspire many creative uses of SR based materials for biomedical.

Quantitative differentiation of multiple virus in blood using nanoporous silicon oxide immunosensor and artificial neural network.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, W; Ray, R; Samanta, N; RoyChaudhuri, C

2017-12-15

In spite of the rapid developments in various nanosensor technologies, it still remains challenging to realize a reliable ultrasensitive electrical biosensing platform which will be able to detect multiple viruses in blood simultaneously with a fairly high reproducibility without using secondary labels. In this paper, we have reported quantitative differentiation of Hep-B and Hep-C viruses in blood using nanoporous silicon oxide immunosensor array and artificial neural network (ANN). The peak frequency output (f p ) from the steady state sensitivity characteristics and the first cut off frequency (f c ) from the transient characteristics have been considered as inputs to the multilayer ANN. Implementation of several classifier blocks in the ANN architecture and coupling them with both the sensor chips, functionalized with Hep-B and Hep-C antibodies have enabled the quantification of the viruses with an accuracy of around 95% in the range of 0.04fM-1pM and with an accuracy of around 90% beyond 1pM and within 25nM in blood serum. This is the most sensitive report on multiple virus quantification using label free method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Finite element modelling and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated silicon-polymer micro gripper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krecinic, F; Duc, T Chu; Sarro, P M; Lau, G K

2008-01-01

This paper presents simulation and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated micro gripper. This micro actuator can conceptually be seen as a bi-morph structure of SU-8 and silicon, actuated by thermal expansion of the polymer. The polymer micro gripper with an embedded comb-like silicon skeleton is designed to reduce unwanted out-of-plane bending of the actuator, while offering a large gripper stroke. The temperature and displacement field of the micro gripper structure is determined using a two-dimensional finite element analysis. This analysis is compared to experimental data from steady-state and transient measurements of the integrated heater resistance, which depends on the average temperature of the actuator. The stability of the polymer actuator is evaluated by recording the transient behaviour of the actual jaw displacements. The maximum single jaw displacement of this micro gripper design is 34 µm at a driving voltage of 4 V and an average actuator temperature of 170 °C. The transient thermal response is modelled by a first-order system with a characteristic time constant of 11.1 ms. The simulated force capability of the device is 0.57 mN per µm jaw displacement

Biofouling-resilient nanoporous gold electrodes for DNA sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Daggumati, Pallavi; Matharu, Zimple; Wang, Ling; Seker, Erkin

2015-09-01

Electrochemical nucleic acid sensors are promising tools for point-of-care diagnostic platforms with their facile integration with electronics and scalability. However, nucleic acid detection in complex biological fluids is challenging as biomolecules nonspecifically adsorb on the electrode surface and adversely affect the sensor performance by obscuring the transport of analytes and redox species to the electrode. We report that nanoporous gold (np-Au) electrodes, prepared by a microfabrication-compatible self-assembly process and functionalized with DNA probes, enabled detection of target DNA molecules (10-200 nM) in physiologically relevant complex media (bovine serum albumin and fetal bovine serum). In contrast, the sensor performance was compromised for planar gold electrodes in the same conditions. Hybridization efficiency decreased by 10% for np-Au with coarser pores revealing a pore-size dependence of sensor performance in biofouling conditions. This nanostructure-dependent functionality in complex media suggests that the pores with the optimal size and geometry act as sieves for blocking the biomolecules from inhibiting the surfaces within the porous volume while allowing the transport of nucleic acid analytes and redox molecules.

PVD Silicon Carbide as a Thin Film Packaging Technology for Antennas on LCP Substrates for Harsh Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.; Stanton, John W.; Ponchak, George E.; Jordan, Jennifer L.; Zorman, Christian A.

2010-01-01

This paper describes an effort to develop a thin film packaging technology for microfabricated planar antennas on polymeric substrates based on silicon carbide (SiC) films deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD). The antennas are coplanar waveguide fed dual frequency folded slot antennas fabricated on liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrates. The PVD SiC thin films were deposited directly onto the antennas by RF sputtering at room temperature at a chamber pressure of 30 mTorr and a power level of 300 W. The SiC film thickness is 450 nm. The return loss and radiation patterns were measured before and after the SiC-coated antennas were submerged into perchloric acid for 1 hour. No degradation in RF performance or physical integrity of the antenna was observed.

Fluoride-induced modulation of ionic transport in asymmetric nanopores functionalized with "caged" fluorescein moieties.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Mubarak; Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Ramirez, Patricio; Nasir, Saima; Cervera, Javier; Niemeyer, Christof M; Ensinger, Wolfgang

2016-04-28

We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically a nanofluidic fluoride sensing device based on a single conical pore functionalized with "caged" fluorescein moieties. The nanopore functionalization is based on an amine-terminated fluorescein whose phenolic hydroxyl groups are protected with tert-butyldiphenylsilyl (TBDPS) moieties. The protected fluorescein (Fcn-TBDPS-NH2) molecules are then immobilized on the nanopore surface via carbodiimide coupling chemistry. Exposure to fluoride ions removes the uncharged TBDPS moieties due to the fluoride-promoted cleavage of the silicon-oxygen bond, leading to the generation of negatively charged groups on the fluorescein moieties immobilized onto the pore surface. The asymmetrical distribution of these groups along the conical nanopore leads to the electrical rectification observed in the current-voltage (I-V) curve. On the contrary, other halides and anions are not able to induce any significant ionic rectification in the asymmetric pore. In each case, the success of the chemical functionalization and deprotection reactions is monitored through the changes observed in the I-V curves before and after the specified reaction step. The theoretical results based on the Nernst-Planck and Poisson equations further demonstrate the validity of an experimental approach to fluoride-induced modulation of nanopore current rectification behaviour.

Pt–Al2O3 dual layer atomic layer deposition coating in high aspect ratio nanopores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pardon, Gaspard; Gatty, Hithesh K; Stemme, Göran; Wijngaart, Wouter van der; Roxhed, Niclas

2013-01-01

Functional nanoporous materials are promising for a number of applications ranging from selective biofiltration to fuel cell electrodes. This work reports the functionalization of nanoporous membranes using atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is used to conformally deposit platinum (Pt) and aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) on Pt in nanopores to form a metal–insulator stack inside the nanopore. Deposition of these materials inside nanopores allows the addition of extra functionalities to nanoporous materials such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Conformal deposition of Pt on such materials enables increased performances for electrochemical sensing applications or fuel cell electrodes. An additional conformal Al 2 O 3 layer on such a Pt film forms a metal–insulator–electrolyte system, enabling field effect control of the nanofluidic properties of the membrane. This opens novel possibilities in electrically controlled biofiltration. In this work, the deposition of these two materials on AAO membranes is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Successful process parameters are proposed for a reliable and cost-effective conformal deposition on high aspect ratio three-dimensional nanostructures. A device consisting of a silicon chip supporting an AAO membrane of 6 mm diameter and 1.3 μm thickness with 80 nm diameter pores is fabricated. The pore diameter is reduced to 40 nm by a conformal deposition of 11 nm Pt and 9 nm Al 2 O 3 using ALD. (paper)

Pt-Al2O3 dual layer atomic layer deposition coating in high aspect ratio nanopores

Science.gov (United States)

Pardon, Gaspard; Gatty, Hithesh K.; Stemme, Göran; van der Wijngaart, Wouter; Roxhed, Niclas

2013-01-01

Functional nanoporous materials are promising for a number of applications ranging from selective biofiltration to fuel cell electrodes. This work reports the functionalization of nanoporous membranes using atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is used to conformally deposit platinum (Pt) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) on Pt in nanopores to form a metal-insulator stack inside the nanopore. Deposition of these materials inside nanopores allows the addition of extra functionalities to nanoporous materials such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Conformal deposition of Pt on such materials enables increased performances for electrochemical sensing applications or fuel cell electrodes. An additional conformal Al2O3 layer on such a Pt film forms a metal-insulator-electrolyte system, enabling field effect control of the nanofluidic properties of the membrane. This opens novel possibilities in electrically controlled biofiltration. In this work, the deposition of these two materials on AAO membranes is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Successful process parameters are proposed for a reliable and cost-effective conformal deposition on high aspect ratio three-dimensional nanostructures. A device consisting of a silicon chip supporting an AAO membrane of 6 mm diameter and 1.3 μm thickness with 80 nm diameter pores is fabricated. The pore diameter is reduced to 40 nm by a conformal deposition of 11 nm Pt and 9 nm Al2O3 using ALD.

Study of Catalyst, Aging Time and Surfactant Effects on Silica Inorganic Polymer Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Pakizeh

2007-06-01

Full Text Available In the present study the sol-gel method is used for synthesis of amorphous nanostructure silica polymer using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS as silicon source. This polymer can be used in manufacturing of nanoporous asymmetricmembranes. The effect of catalyst on silica particle size has been studied under acidic and basic conditions.زAcid-catalyzed reaction leads to the formation of fine particles while the base-catalyzed reaction produceslarger particles. The presence of cationic template surfactant namely cetyl pyridinium bromide (CPBزdirects the structural formation of the polymer by preventing the highly branched polymeric clusters. This will increase the effective area of the produced silica membrane. Nitrogen physisorption tests by Brunaver- Emmett-Teller (BET and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH methods revealed that the surface area of the membrane increases significantly around 5-folds when acid-catalyzed reaction is used. 29Si-NMR test is also used to study the aging time effect on the level of silica polymer branching. The results show that in acidic condition, aging time up to three weeks can still affect branching. The calcinations process in which the organic materials and CPB (surfactant are burned and released from the silica particles, is studied on template free silica materials as well as templated silica materials using TGA and DTA techniques.

Stable, Microfabricated Thin Layer Chromatography Plates without Volume Distortion on Patterned, Carbon and Al2O3-Primed Carbon Nanotube Forests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, David S.; Kanyal, Supriya S.; Gupta, Vipul; Vail, Michael A.; Dadson, Andrew; Engelhard, Mark H.; Vanfleet, Richard; Davis, Robert C.; Linford, Matthew R.

2012-09-28

In a recent report (Song, J.; et al., Advanced Functional Materials 2011, 21, 1132-1139) some of us described the fabrication of thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates from patterned carbon nanotube (CNT) forests, which were directly infiltrated/coated with silicon by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) of silicon using SiH4. Following infiltration, the nanotubes were removed from the assemblies and the silicon simultaneously converted to SiO2 in a high temperature oxidation step. However, while straightforward, this process had some shortcomings, not the least of which was some distortion of the lithographically patterned features during the volume expansion that accompanied oxidation. Herein we overcome theis issue and also take substantial steps forward in the microfabrication of TLC plates by showing: (i) A new method for creating an adhesion promotion layer on CNT forests by depositing a few nanometers of carbon followed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al2O3. This method for appears to be new, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the expected presence of oxygen after carbon deposition. ALD of Al2O3 alone and in combination with the carbon on patterned CNT forests was also explored as an adhesion promotion layer for CNT forest infiltration. (ii) Rapid, conformal deposition of an inorganic material that does not require subsequent oxidation: fast pseudo-ALD growth of SiO2 via alumina catalyzed deposition of tris(tert-butoxy)silanol onto the carbon/Al2O3-primed CNT forests. (iii) Faithful reproduction of the features in the masks used to microfabricate the TLC plates (M-TLC) this advance springs from the previous two points. (iv) A bonded (amino) phase on a CNT-templated microfabricated TLC plate. (v) Fast, highly efficient (125,000 - 225,000 N/m) separations of fluorescent dyes on M-TLC plates. (vi) Extensive characterization of our new materials by TEM, SEM, EDAX, DRIFT, and XPS. (vii) A substantially lower process temperature for the

Silicon-based metallic micro grid for electron field emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaehong; Jeon, Seok-Gy; Kim, Jung-Il; Kim, Geun-Ju; Heo, Duchang; Shin, Dong Hoon; Sun, Yuning; Lee, Cheol Jin

2012-01-01

A micro-scale metal grid based on a silicon frame for application to electron field emission devices is introduced and experimentally demonstrated. A silicon lattice containing aperture holes with an area of 80 × 80 µm 2 and a thickness of 10 µm is precisely manufactured by dry etching the silicon on one side of a double-polished silicon wafer and by wet etching the opposite side. Because a silicon lattice is more rigid than a pure metal lattice, a thin layer of Au/Ti deposited on the silicon lattice for voltage application can be more resistant to the geometric stress caused by the applied electric field. The micro-fabrication process, the images of the fabricated grid with 88% geometric transparency and the surface profile measurement after thermal feasibility testing up to 700 °C are presented. (paper)

Solubility of gases and solvents in silicon polymers: molecular simulation and equation of state modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Economou, Ioannis; Makrodimitri, Zoi A.; Kontogeorgis, Georgios

2007-01-01

of gas and solvent solubilities using the test particle insertion method of Widom. Polymer chains are modelled using recently developed realistic atomistic force fields. Calculations are performed at various temperatures and ambient pressure. A crossover in the temperature dependence of solubility......) and also the phase equilibria of these mixtures over a wide composition range. In all cases, the agreement between model predictions/correlations and literature experimental data, when available, is excellent.......The solubility of n-alkanes, perfluoroalkanes, noble gases and light gases in four elastomer polymers containing silicon is examined based on molecular simulation and macroscopic equation of state modelling. Polymer melt samples generated from molecular dynamics ( MD) are used for the calculation...

Polymer translocation under a pulling force: Scaling arguments and threshold forces

Science.gov (United States)

Menais, Timothée

2018-02-01

DNA translocation through nanopores is one of the most promising strategies for next-generation sequencing technologies. Most experimental and numerical works have focused on polymer translocation biased by electrophoresis, where a pulling force acts on the polymer within the nanopore. An alternative strategy, however, is emerging, which uses optical or magnetic tweezers. In this case, the pulling force is exerted directly at one end of the polymer, which strongly modifies the translocation process. In this paper, we report numerical simulations of both linear and structured (mimicking DNA) polymer models, simple enough to allow for a statistical treatment of the pore structure effects on the translocation time probability distributions. Based on extremely extended computer simulation data, we (i) propose scaling arguments for an extension of the predicted translocation times τ ˜N2F-1 over the moderate forces range and (ii) analyze the effect of pore size and polymer structuration on translocation times τ .

Self-positioning of polymer membranes driven by thermomechanically induced plastic deformation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Häfliger, Daniel; Hansen, Ole; Boisen, Anja

2006-01-01

Stress in polymeric resins is tailored by a thermomechanical process. It allows for controlled self-positioning of membranes in microdevices (see Figure). The process makes specific use of plastic deformation that results from the low viscosity of the polymer. This demonstrates that polymers offer...... new approaches to microfabrication that cannot be realized for common semiconductor materials without severe difficulties....

Development and Application of Microfabricated Chemical Gas Sensors For Aerospace Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, G. W.; Neudeck, P. G.; Fralick, G.; Thomas, V.; Liu, C. C.; Wu, Q. H.; Sawayda, M. S.; Jin, A.; Hammond, J.; Makel, D.;

Analysis of effect of nanoporous alumina substrate coated with polypyrrole nanowire on cell morphology based on AFM topography.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Said, Waleed Ahmed; Yea, Cheol-Heon; Jung, Mi; Kim, Hyuncheol; Choi, Jeong-Woo

2010-05-01

In this study, in situ electrochemical synthesis of polypyrrole nanowires with nanoporous alumina template was described. The formation of highly ordered porous alumina substrate was demonstrated with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In addition, Fourier transform infrared analysis confirmed that polypyrrole (PP) nanowires were synthesized by direct electrochemical oxidation of pyrrole. HeLa cancer cells and HMCF normal cells were immobilized on the polypyrrole nanowires/nanoporous alumina substrates to determine the effects of the substrate on the cell morphology, adhesion and proliferation as well as the biocompatibility of the substrate. Cell adhesion and proliferation were characterized using a standard MTT assay. The effects of the polypyrrole nanowires/nanoporous alumina substrate on the cell morphology were studied by AFM. The nanoporous alumina coated with polypyrrole nanowires was found to exhibit better cell adhesion and proliferation than polystyrene petridish, aluminum foil, 1st anodized and uncoated 2nd anodized alumina substrate. This study showed the potential of the polypyrrole nanowires/nanoporous alumina substrate as biocompatibility electroactive polymer substrate for both healthy and cancer cell cultures applications.

Structure and properties of nanocrystalline soft magnetic composite materials with silicon polymer matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobrzanski, L.A.; Nowosielski, R.; Konieczny, J.; PrzybyI, A.; WysIocki, J.

2005-01-01

The paper concerns investigation of nanocrystalline composites technology preparation. The composites in the form of rings with rectangular transverse section, and with polymer matrix and nanocrystalline metallic powders fulfillment were made, for obtaining good ferromagnetic properties. The nanocrystalline ferromagnetic powders were manufactured by high-energy ball milling of metallic glasses strips in an as-quenched state. Generally for investigation, Co matrix alloys with the silicon polymer were used. Magnetic properties in the form of hysteresis loop by rings method were measured. Generally composite cores showed lower soft ferromagnetic properties than winded cores of nanocrystalline strips, but composite cores showed interesting mechanical properties. Furthermore, the structure of strips and powders on properties of composites were investigated

Monolithic amorphous silicon modules on continuous polymer substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grimmer, D.P. (Iowa Thin Film Technologies, Inc., Ames, IA (United States))

1992-03-01

This report examines manufacturing monolithic amorphous silicon modules on a continuous polymer substrate. Module production costs can be reduced by increasing module performance, expanding production, and improving and modifying production processes. Material costs can be reduced by developing processes that use a 1-mil polyimide substrate and multilayers of low-cost material for the front encapsulant. Research to speed up a-Si and ZnO deposition rates is needed to improve throughputs. To keep throughput rates compatible with depositions, multibeam fiber optic delivery systems for laser scribing can be used. However, mechanical scribing systems promise even higher throughputs. Tandem cells and production experience can increase device efficiency and stability. Two alternative manufacturing processes are described: (1) wet etching and sheet handling and (2) wet etching and roll-to-roll fabrication.

Disposable urea biosensor based on nanoporous ZnO film fabricated from omissible polymeric substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahmanian, Reza; Mozaffari, Sayed Ahmad; Abedi, Mohammad

2015-01-01

In the present study, a facile and simple fabrication method of a semiconductor based urea biosensor was reported via three steps: (i) producing a ZnO–PVA composite film by means of a polymer assisted electrodeposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the F-doped SnO 2 conducting glass (FTO) using water soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), (ii) obtaining a nanoporous ZnO film by PVA omission via a subsequent post-treatment by annealing of the ZnO–PVA film, and (iii) preparation of a FTO/ZnO/Urs biosensor by exploiting a nanoporous ZnO film as an efficient and excellent platform area for electrostatic immobilization of urease enzyme (Urs) which was forced by the difference in their isoelectric point (IEP). The characterization techniques focused on the analysis of the ZnO–PVA film surfaces before and after annealing, which had a prominent effect on the porosity of the prepared ZnO film. The surface characterization of the nanostructured ZnO film by a field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM), exhibited a film surface area as an effective bio-sensing matrix for enzyme immobilization. The structural characterization and monitoring of the biosensor fabrication was performed using UV–Vis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Raman Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The impedimetric results of the FTO/ZnO/Urs biosensor showed a high sensitivity for urea detection within 8.0–110.0 mg dL −1 with the limit of detection as 5.0 mg dL −1 . - Highlights: • Novel disposable impedimetric urea biosensor fabrication based on ZnO–nanoporous transducer • Exploiting omissible PVA polymer as a simple strategy for ZnO–nanoporous film preparation • ZnO–nanoporous film as a good pore framework with large surface area/volume for enzyme immobilization • Application of impedimetric measurement for urea monitoring due to its rapidity, sensitivity, and repeatability

Disposable urea biosensor based on nanoporous ZnO film fabricated from omissible polymeric substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahmanian, Reza; Mozaffari, Sayed Ahmad, E-mail: mozaffari@irost.ir; Abedi, Mohammad

2015-12-01

In the present study, a facile and simple fabrication method of a semiconductor based urea biosensor was reported via three steps: (i) producing a ZnO–PVA composite film by means of a polymer assisted electrodeposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the F-doped SnO{sub 2} conducting glass (FTO) using water soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), (ii) obtaining a nanoporous ZnO film by PVA omission via a subsequent post-treatment by annealing of the ZnO–PVA film, and (iii) preparation of a FTO/ZnO/Urs biosensor by exploiting a nanoporous ZnO film as an efficient and excellent platform area for electrostatic immobilization of urease enzyme (Urs) which was forced by the difference in their isoelectric point (IEP). The characterization techniques focused on the analysis of the ZnO–PVA film surfaces before and after annealing, which had a prominent effect on the porosity of the prepared ZnO film. The surface characterization of the nanostructured ZnO film by a field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM), exhibited a film surface area as an effective bio-sensing matrix for enzyme immobilization. The structural characterization and monitoring of the biosensor fabrication was performed using UV–Vis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Raman Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The impedimetric results of the FTO/ZnO/Urs biosensor showed a high sensitivity for urea detection within 8.0–110.0 mg dL{sup −1} with the limit of detection as 5.0 mg dL{sup −1}. - Highlights: • Novel disposable impedimetric urea biosensor fabrication based on ZnO–nanoporous transducer • Exploiting omissible PVA polymer as a simple strategy for ZnO–nanoporous film preparation • ZnO–nanoporous film as a good pore framework with large surface area/volume for enzyme immobilization • Application of impedimetric measurement for urea monitoring due to its rapidity, sensitivity, and

Micro-fabricated semi-packed column for gas chromatography by using functionalized parylene as a stationary phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakai, T; Nishiyama, S; Shuzo, M; Delaunay, J-J; Yamada, I

2009-01-01

The conformal coating of effective stationary phases onto micro-fabricated columns having complex geometries such as semi-packed columns poses a real challenge. Here, we report for the first time the conformal coating of a semi-packed column with amino-functionalized parylene diX-AM (poly-aminomethyl-[2,2]-paracyclophane), which was found to be an effective stationary-phase material for the chromatography of short-retention-time compounds. A semi-packed column (consisting of a zigzag array of 30 µm square micro-pillars in a 1.0 m long, 180 µm wide and 230 µm deep channel) and an open tubular column (1.0 m long, 160 µm wide and 230 µm deep channel) used for comparison purposes were micro-fabricated on silicon that was subsequently coated with diX-AM parylene and thermally bonded. The chromatograms recorded on a commercial gas chromatograph demonstrated the usefulness of the conformal diX-AM coating as a stationary phase for semi-packed columns. The separation efficiency of the semi-packed column was found to be more than ten times that of the open tubular column

Evidence of coexistence of micro and nanoporosity of organo-silica polymeric films deposited on silicon by plasma deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purohit, Viswas; Mielczarski, Ela; Mielczarski, Jerzy A.; Akesso, Laurent

2013-01-01

A range of hybrid, SiOCH films were deposited on silicon substrates within a radio frequency plasma reactor using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as a precursor. The plasma polymerized films were deposited at various HMDSO/argon/oxygen ratios. The composition and structure, at microscopic and nanoscopic levels, of the deposited films were determined by external reflection and transmission Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as well as by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The content of carbon and oxygen in films were found to be inversely proportional to each other. XPS results showed that the outermost surface of the deposited films are nanoporous and coexist with microporosity which was revealed by electron microscopy. The structure of deposited coatings is anisotropic as was documented by polarized external reflection FTIR spectroscopy. Several correlations between the film chemical composition, surface structure, and macroscopic properties of the films such as: hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity were established. - Highlights: • Hybrid organo-polymer silicon films deposited by RF plasma on silicon substrates. • FTIR and XPS reveal porosity by interpreting bonding between Si and –O. • Quantification of nano and microporosity are identified with bonding of Si with –O

Evidence of coexistence of micro and nanoporosity of organo-silica polymeric films deposited on silicon by plasma deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Purohit, Viswas, E-mail: vishwas.purohit@gmail.com [Laboratoire Environnment et Mineralurgie, UMR 7569 CNRS, INPL-ENSG, BP.40, 54501 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy (France); Mielczarski, Ela; Mielczarski, Jerzy A. [Laboratoire Environnment et Mineralurgie, UMR 7569 CNRS, INPL-ENSG, BP.40, 54501 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy (France); Akesso, Laurent [Teer Coatings Ltd., Droitwich, Worcestershire WR9 9AS (United Kingdom)

2013-09-16

A range of hybrid, SiOCH films were deposited on silicon substrates within a radio frequency plasma reactor using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as a precursor. The plasma polymerized films were deposited at various HMDSO/argon/oxygen ratios. The composition and structure, at microscopic and nanoscopic levels, of the deposited films were determined by external reflection and transmission Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as well as by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The content of carbon and oxygen in films were found to be inversely proportional to each other. XPS results showed that the outermost surface of the deposited films are nanoporous and coexist with microporosity which was revealed by electron microscopy. The structure of deposited coatings is anisotropic as was documented by polarized external reflection FTIR spectroscopy. Several correlations between the film chemical composition, surface structure, and macroscopic properties of the films such as: hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity were established. - Highlights: • Hybrid organo-polymer silicon films deposited by RF plasma on silicon substrates. • FTIR and XPS reveal porosity by interpreting bonding between Si and –O. • Quantification of nano and microporosity are identified with bonding of Si with –O.

Design and fabrication of a 3D-structured gold film with nanopores for local electric field enhancement in the pore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grant-Jacob, James A; Zin Oo, Swe; Carpignano, Francesca; Brocklesby, William S; Melvin, Tracy; Boden, Stuart A; Charlton, Martin D B

2016-01-01

Three-dimensionally structured gold membrane films with nanopores of defined, periodic geometries are designed and fabricated to provide the spatially localised enhancement of electric fields by manipulation of the plasmons inside nanopores. Square nanopores of different size and orientation relative to the pyramid are considered for films in aqueous and air environments, which allow for control of the position of electric fields within the structure. Designs suitable for use with 780 nm light were created. Here, periodic pyramidal cavities produced by potassium hydroxide etching to the {111} planes of (100) silicon substrates are used as templates for creating a periodic, pyramidal structured, free-standing thin gold film. Consistent with the findings from the theoretical studies, a nano-sized hole of 50 nm square was milled through the gold film at a specific location in the cavity to provide electric field control which can subsequently used for enhancement of fluorescence or Raman scattering of molecules in the nanopore. (paper)

Design and fabrication of a 3D-structured gold film with nanopores for local electric field enhancement in the pore

Science.gov (United States)

Grant-Jacob, James A.; Zin Oo, Swe; Carpignano, Francesca; Boden, Stuart A.; Brocklesby, William S.; Charlton, Martin D. B.; Melvin, Tracy

2016-02-01

Three-dimensionally structured gold membrane films with nanopores of defined, periodic geometries are designed and fabricated to provide the spatially localised enhancement of electric fields by manipulation of the plasmons inside nanopores. Square nanopores of different size and orientation relative to the pyramid are considered for films in aqueous and air environments, which allow for control of the position of electric fields within the structure. Designs suitable for use with 780 nm light were created. Here, periodic pyramidal cavities produced by potassium hydroxide etching to the {111} planes of (100) silicon substrates are used as templates for creating a periodic, pyramidal structured, free-standing thin gold film. Consistent with the findings from the theoretical studies, a nano-sized hole of 50 nm square was milled through the gold film at a specific location in the cavity to provide electric field control which can subsequently used for enhancement of fluorescence or Raman scattering of molecules in the nanopore.

Conducting Polymer 3D Microelectrodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Emnéus

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Conducting polymer 3D microelectrodes have been fabricated for possible future neurological applications. A combination of micro-fabrication techniques and chemical polymerization methods has been used to create pillar electrodes in polyaniline and polypyrrole. The thin polymer films obtained showed uniformity and good adhesion to both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Electrodes in combination with metal/conducting polymer materials have been characterized by cyclic voltammetry and the presence of the conducting polymer film has shown to increase the electrochemical activity when compared with electrodes coated with only metal. An electrochemical characterization of gold/polypyrrole electrodes showed exceptional electrochemical behavior and activity. PC12 cells were finally cultured on the investigated materials as a preliminary biocompatibility assessment. These results show that the described electrodes are possibly suitable for future in-vitro neurological measurements.

Silicon nanowire hybrid photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Garnett, Erik C.

2010-06-01

Silicon nanowire Schottky junction solar cells have been fabricated using n-type silicon nanowire arrays and a spin-coated conductive polymer (PEDOT). The polymer Schottky junction cells show superior surface passivation and open-circuit voltages compared to standard diffused junction cells with native oxide surfaces. External quantum efficiencies up to 88% were measured for these silicon nanowire/PEDOT solar cells further demonstrating excellent surface passivation. This process avoids high temperature processes which allows for low-cost substrates to be used. © 2010 IEEE.

Silicon nanowire hybrid photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Garnett, Erik C.; Peters, Craig; Brongersma, Mark; Cui, Yi; McGehee, Mike

2010-01-01

Silicon nanowire Schottky junction solar cells have been fabricated using n-type silicon nanowire arrays and a spin-coated conductive polymer (PEDOT). The polymer Schottky junction cells show superior surface passivation and open-circuit voltages compared to standard diffused junction cells with native oxide surfaces. External quantum efficiencies up to 88% were measured for these silicon nanowire/PEDOT solar cells further demonstrating excellent surface passivation. This process avoids high temperature processes which allows for low-cost substrates to be used. © 2010 IEEE.

A microfabricated strain gauge array on polymer substrate for tactile neuroprostheses in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beygi, M; Mutlu, S; Güçlü, B

2016-01-01

In this study, we present the design, microfabrication and characterization of a tactile sensor system which can be used for sensory neuroprostheses in rats. The sensor system consists of an array of 2  ×  7 cells, each of which has a series combination of four strain gauges. Each group of four strain gauges is placed around a square membrane with a size of 2.5  ×  2.5 mm 2 . Unlike most common tactile sensors based on silicon substrates, we used 3D-printed polylactic acid as a substrate, because it is not brittle, and under local extremes, it would prevent the catastrophic failure of all cells. The strain gauges were fabricated by depositing and patterning a 50 nm thick aluminum (Al) film on a polyimide sheet with a thickness of 0.125 mm. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer was bonded on the top surface of the PI membrane. The PDMS layer was prepared in two different thicknesses, 1.2 and 1.7 mm, to investigate its effect on the static response of the sensor. The sensitivity and the maximum allowable force, corresponding to the maximum deformation of 0.9 mm at the center of each cell, changed based on the thickness of the PDMS layer. Sensor cells operated linearly up to 3 N with an average sensitivity of 200 mΩ N −1 (0.7 Ω mm −1 ) for 1.2 mm thick PDMS. These values changed to 4 N and 70 mΩ N −1 (0.3 Ω mm −1 ), respectively, for 1.7 mm thick PDMS. The nonlinearity was less than 3%. The cells had low cross-talk (∼5 mΩ N −1 and 0.02 Ω mm −1 ) relative to the average sensitivity. Additionally, the dynamic response of the sensor was characterized at several frequencies by using a vibrotactile stimulation system previously designed for psychophysics experiments. The sensor was also tested inside the rat conditioning chamber to demonstrate the relevant signals in a tactile neuroprosthesis. (paper)

A microfabricated strain gauge array on polymer substrate for tactile neuroprostheses in rats

Science.gov (United States)

Beygi, M.; Mutlu, S.; Güçlü, B.

2016-08-01

In this study, we present the design, microfabrication and characterization of a tactile sensor system which can be used for sensory neuroprostheses in rats. The sensor system consists of an array of 2  ×  7 cells, each of which has a series combination of four strain gauges. Each group of four strain gauges is placed around a square membrane with a size of 2.5  ×  2.5 mm2. Unlike most common tactile sensors based on silicon substrates, we used 3D-printed polylactic acid as a substrate, because it is not brittle, and under local extremes, it would prevent the catastrophic failure of all cells. The strain gauges were fabricated by depositing and patterning a 50 nm thick aluminum (Al) film on a polyimide sheet with a thickness of 0.125 mm. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer was bonded on the top surface of the PI membrane. The PDMS layer was prepared in two different thicknesses, 1.2 and 1.7 mm, to investigate its effect on the static response of the sensor. The sensitivity and the maximum allowable force, corresponding to the maximum deformation of 0.9 mm at the center of each cell, changed based on the thickness of the PDMS layer. Sensor cells operated linearly up to 3 N with an average sensitivity of 200 mΩ N-1 (0.7 Ω mm-1) for 1.2 mm thick PDMS. These values changed to 4 N and 70 mΩ N-1 (0.3 Ω mm-1), respectively, for 1.7 mm thick PDMS. The nonlinearity was less than 3%. The cells had low cross-talk (~5 mΩ N-1 and 0.02 Ω mm-1) relative to the average sensitivity. Additionally, the dynamic response of the sensor was characterized at several frequencies by using a vibrotactile stimulation system previously designed for psychophysics experiments. The sensor was also tested inside the rat conditioning chamber to demonstrate the relevant signals in a tactile neuroprosthesis.

Effective antireflection properties of porous silicon nanowires for photovoltaic applications

KAUST Repository

Najar, Adel; Al-Jabr, Ahmad; Alsunaidi, Mohammad; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.; Ben Slimane, Ahmed; Sougrat, Rachid

2013-01-01

Porous silicon nanowires (PSiNWs) have been prepared by metal-assisted chemical etching method on the n-Si substrate. The presence of nano-pores with pore size ranging between 10-50nm in SiNWs was confirmed by electron tomography (ET

Development of Microfabricated Chemical Gas Sensors and Sensor Arrays for Aerospace Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, G. W.; Neudeck, P. G.; Fralick, G.; Thomas, V.; Liu, C. C.; Wu, W. H.; Ward, B.; Makel, D.

2002-01-01

Aerospace applications require the development of chemical sensors with capabilities beyond those of commercially available sensors. In particular, factors such as minimal sensor size, weight, and power consumption are particularly important. Development areas which have potential aerospace applications include launch vehicle leak detection, engine health monitoring, fire detection, and environmental monitoring. Sensor development for these applications is based on progress in three types of technology: 1) Micromachining and microfabrication (Microsystem) technology to fabricate miniaturized sensors. 2) The use of nanocrystalline materials to develop sensors with improved stability combined with higher sensitivity. 3) The development of high temperature semiconductors, especially silicon carbide. However, due to issues of selectivity and cross-sensitivity, individual sensors are limited in the amount of information that they can provide in environments that contain multiple chemical species. Thus, sensor arrays are being developed to address detection needs in such multi-species environments. This paper discusses the needs of space applications as well as the point-contact sensor technology and sensor arrays being developed to address these needs. Sensors to measure hydrogen, hydrocarbons, hydrazine, nitrogen oxides (NO,), carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are being developed as well as arrays for leak, fire, and emissions detection. Demonstrations of the technology will also be discussed. It is concluded that microfabricated sensor technology has significant potential for use in a range of aerospace applications.

A Three-Dimensional Nanoporous Silicon Anode for High-Energy Density Lithium-ion Batteries, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This SBIR phase I program is directed toward the development of novel, nanoporous silica anodes for low-earth-orbiting (LEO) spacecraft power applications. Silica...

Novel synthesis of covalently linked silicon quantum dot–polystyrene hybrid materials: Silicon quantum dot–polystyrene polymers of tunable refractive index

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Jin-Kyu; Dung, Mai Xuan; Jeong, Hyun-Dam, E-mail: hdjeong@chonnam.ac.kr

2014-11-14

We present a new material design concept, silicon quantum dot (Si QD) polymers, for which surface-functionalized Si QDs can be regarded as a large monomer in the polymers. As a prototypical example, vinyl-functionalized Si QDs, i.e., divinylbenzene-capped Si QDs (DVB-Si QDs) synthesized by adopting divinylbenzene (DVB) capping molecule to the hydride-terminated Si QD (H-Si QD) via Pt-catalyzed hydrosilylation was introduced and polymerized with a styrene monomer to yield Si QD–polystyrene (Si QD–PS) polymers. To demonstrate controllability of the content of Si QDs in the polymers as in conventional polymers, three Si QD content varied Si QD–PS polymers were systematically prepared, named as Si QD–PS-A, Si QD–PS-B, and Si QD–PS-C. It has been demonstrated that the content of the Si QDs in the Si QD–PS polymers was well controlled by the amount of the DVB-Si QD used, as found to be 3.8 wt% (Si QD–PS-A), 10.0 wt% (Si QD–PS-B), 20.0 wt% (Si QD–PS-A), and 37.4 wt% (DVB-Si QD), which was deduced from TGA results. Thin films of the Si QD–PS polymers and the freestanding DVB-Si QDs were successfully fabricated by a spin-coating method and it was found that the refractive index of the thin films dried at 40 °C was linearly increased as the content of the Si QD in the polymers was increased from 1.586 (0 wt%), to 1.590 (3.8 wt%), to 1.592 (10.0 wt%), to 1.592 (20.0 wt%), and to 1.614 (37.4 wt%). - Highlights: • A new material design concept, Si QD polymer, is presented. • Freestanding vinyl-functionalized Si QD was synthesized as a monomer for polymer. • Si QD–PS polymers were synthesized by polymerization of styrene with vinyl-Si QD. • Concentration of Si QD in the polymer was well controlled by amount of Si QD used. • Refractive index of polymer thin films linearly increased with concentration of Si QD.

Novel synthesis of covalently linked silicon quantum dot–polystyrene hybrid materials: Silicon quantum dot–polystyrene polymers of tunable refractive index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jin-Kyu; Dung, Mai Xuan; Jeong, Hyun-Dam

2014-01-01

We present a new material design concept, silicon quantum dot (Si QD) polymers, for which surface-functionalized Si QDs can be regarded as a large monomer in the polymers. As a prototypical example, vinyl-functionalized Si QDs, i.e., divinylbenzene-capped Si QDs (DVB-Si QDs) synthesized by adopting divinylbenzene (DVB) capping molecule to the hydride-terminated Si QD (H-Si QD) via Pt-catalyzed hydrosilylation was introduced and polymerized with a styrene monomer to yield Si QD–polystyrene (Si QD–PS) polymers. To demonstrate controllability of the content of Si QDs in the polymers as in conventional polymers, three Si QD content varied Si QD–PS polymers were systematically prepared, named as Si QD–PS-A, Si QD–PS-B, and Si QD–PS-C. It has been demonstrated that the content of the Si QDs in the Si QD–PS polymers was well controlled by the amount of the DVB-Si QD used, as found to be 3.8 wt% (Si QD–PS-A), 10.0 wt% (Si QD–PS-B), 20.0 wt% (Si QD–PS-A), and 37.4 wt% (DVB-Si QD), which was deduced from TGA results. Thin films of the Si QD–PS polymers and the freestanding DVB-Si QDs were successfully fabricated by a spin-coating method and it was found that the refractive index of the thin films dried at 40 °C was linearly increased as the content of the Si QD in the polymers was increased from 1.586 (0 wt%), to 1.590 (3.8 wt%), to 1.592 (10.0 wt%), to 1.592 (20.0 wt%), and to 1.614 (37.4 wt%). - Highlights: • A new material design concept, Si QD polymer, is presented. • Freestanding vinyl-functionalized Si QD was synthesized as a monomer for polymer. • Si QD–PS polymers were synthesized by polymerization of styrene with vinyl-Si QD. • Concentration of Si QD in the polymer was well controlled by amount of Si QD used. • Refractive index of polymer thin films linearly increased with concentration of Si QD

Formation and Characterization of Stacked Nanoscale Layers of Polymers and Silanes on Silicon Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ochoa, Rosie; Davis, Brian; Conley, Hiram; Hurd, Katie; Linford, Matthew R.; Davis, Robert C.

2008-10-01

Chemical surface patterning at the nanoscale is a critical component of chemically directed assembly of nanoscale devices or sensitive biological molecules onto surfaces. Complete and consistent formation of nanoscale layers of silanes and polymers is a necessary first step for chemical patterning. We explored methods of silanizing silicon substrates for the purpose of functionalizing the surfaces. The chemical functionalization, stability, flatness, and repeatability of the process was characterized by use of ellipsometry, water contact angle, and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). We found that forming the highest quality functionalized surfaces was accomplished through use of chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Specifically, surfaces were plasma cleaned and hydrolyzed before the silane was applied. A polymer layer less then 2 nm in thickness was electrostatically bound to the silane layer. The chemical functionalization, stability, flatness, and repeatability of the process was also characterized for the polymer layer using ellipsometry, water contact angle, and AFM.

Investigation of nanoporous platinum thin films fabricated by reactive sputtering: Application as micro-SOFC electrode

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, WooChul; Kim, Jae Jin; Tuller, Harry L.

2015-02-01

Highly porous Pt thin films, with nano-scale porosity, were fabricated by reactive sputtering. The strategy involved deposition of thin film PtOx at room temperature, followed by the subsequent decomposition of the oxide by rapid heat treatment. The resulting films exhibited percolating Pt networks infiltrated with interconnected nanosized pores, critical for superior solid oxide fuel cell cathode performance. This approach is particularly attractive for micro-fabricated solid oxide fuel cells, since it enables fabrication of the entire cell stack (anode/electrolyte/cathode) within the sputtering chamber, without breaking vacuum. In this work, the morphological, crystallographic and chemical properties of the porous electrode were systematically varied by control of deposition conditions. Oxygen reduction reaction kinetics were investigated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, demonstrating the critical role of nano-pores in achieving satisfactory micro-SOFC cathode performance.

Blue electroluminescence nanodevice prototype based on vertical ZnO nanowire/polymer film on silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Ying; Wang Junan; Chen Xiaoban; Zhang Wenfei; Zeng Xuyu; Gu Qiuwen

2010-01-01

We present a polymer-complexing soft template technique to construct the ZnO-nanowire/polymer light emitting device prototype that exhibits blue electrically driven emission with a relatively low-threshold voltage at room temperature in ambient atmosphere, and the ZnO-nanowire-based LED's emission wavelength is easily tuned by controlling the applied-excitation voltage. The nearly vertically aligned ZnO-nanowires with polymer film were used as emissive layers in the devices. The method uses polymer as binder in the LED device and dispersion medium in the luminescence layer, which stabilizes the quasi-arrays of ZnO nanowires embedding in a thin polymer film on silicon substrate and passivates the surface of ZnO nanocrystals, to prevent the quenching of luminescence. Additionally, the measurements of electrical properties showed that ZnO-nanowire/polymer film could significantly improve the conductivity of the film, which could be attributed to an increase in both Hall mobility and carrier concentration. The results indicated that the novel technique is a low-cost process for ZnO-based UV or blue light emission and reduces the requirement for achieving robust p-doping of ZnO film. It suggests that such ZnO-nanowire/polymer-based LEDs will be suitable for the electro-optical application.

Silicon Nanowire Field-effect Chemical Sensor

OpenAIRE

Chen, S.

2011-01-01

This thesis describes the work that has been done on the project “Design and optimization of silicon nanowire for chemical sensing‿, including Si-NW fabrication, electrical/electrochemical modeling, the application as ISFET, and the build-up of Si- NW/LOC system for automatic sample delivery. A novel top-down fabrication technique was presented for single-crystal Si-NW fabrication realized with conventional microfabrication technique. High quality triangular Si-NWs were made with high wafer-s...

Determination by Small-angle X-ray Scattering of Pore Size Distribution in Nanoporous Track-etched Polycarbonate Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Jonas, A. M.; Legras, R.; Ferain, E.

1998-03-01

Nanoporous track-etched membranes with narrow pore size distributions and average pore size diameters tunable from 100 to 1000 Åare produced by the chemical etching of latent tracks in polymer films after irradiation by a beam of accelerated heavy ions. Nanoporous membranes are used for highly demanding filtration purposes, or as templates to obtain metallic or polymeric nanowires (L. Piraux et al., Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res. 1997, B131, 357). Such applications call for developments in nanopore size characterization techniques. In this respect, we report on the characterization by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of nanopore size distribution (nPSD) in polycarbonate track-etched membranes. The obtention of nPSD requires inverting an ill-conditioned inhomogeneous equation. We present different numerical routes to overcome the amplification of experimental errors in the resulting solutions, including a regularization technique allowing to obtain the nPSD without a priori knowledge of its shape. The effect of deviations from cylindrical pore shape on the resulting distributions are analyzed. Finally, SAXS results are compared to results obtained by electron microscopy and conductometry.

Bio-mineralisation on the composites of silicon-based polymer and nanodiamond particles by a species of Serratia Bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sammon, R.; Mitev, D.; Pramatarova, L.; Hikov, T.; Radeva, E.; Presker, R.

2014-01-01

Serratia sp. NCIMB 40259 is a non-pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium that is able to produce hydroxyapatite by a mechanism involving enzymic cleavage of organic phosphates. Serratia bacteria can attach and form a biofilm on glass, plastics, ceramics and metals and the method can be used to form three dimensional porous scaffolds and for coating 3D structures with hydroxyapatite. The production of calcium phosphate is driven by an acid phosphatase enzyme located in the bacterial cell wall, on fimbriae and within the bacterial extracellular polymeric matrix. Calcium phosphate ceramic may be obtained by two methods: In the first, crystals of calcium phosphate are formed extracellularly within the pre-formed bacterial biofilm grown on the substrata. In the second method, planktonic bacteria catalyse the formation of CaP in suspension and on solid substrata placed in the same container. Composite thin layer of silicon-based polymer and detonated nanodiamond (DND) particles was used as substrate for the process of biomineralization by a species of Serratia. The plasma polymerization (PP) method was chosen to obtain composites of silicon-based polymer, in which DND particles were incorporated. Over the past decades carbon-based nanostructures have been the focus of intense research due to their unique chemical and physical properties. Recently it was shown that the incorporation of the DND particles in a polymer matrix (an organosilicon polymer) changes their physico-chemical properties. The composite films are homogeneous, chemically resistant, thermally and mechanically stable, thus allowing a large amount of biological components to be loaded onto their surface and to be used in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, implants, stents, biosensors and other medical and biological devices. The aim of this study was to investigate the process of biomineralisation by Serratia bacteria on various composites of silicon-based polymer and detonated nanodiamond particles

Transparent Nanopore Cavity Arrays Enable Highly Parallelized Optical Studies of Single Membrane Proteins on Chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Diederichs, Tim; Nguyen, Quoc Hung; Urban, Michael; Tampé, Robert; Tornow, Marc

2018-06-13

Membrane proteins involved in transport processes are key targets for pharmaceutical research and industry. Despite continuous improvements and new developments in the field of electrical readouts for the analysis of transport kinetics, a well-suited methodology for high-throughput characterization of single transporters with nonionic substrates and slow turnover rates is still lacking. Here, we report on a novel architecture of silicon chips with embedded nanopore microcavities, based on a silicon-on-insulator technology for high-throughput optical readouts. Arrays containing more than 14 000 inverted-pyramidal cavities of 50 femtoliter volumes and 80 nm circular pore openings were constructed via high-resolution electron-beam lithography in combination with reactive ion etching and anisotropic wet etching. These cavities feature both, an optically transparent bottom and top cap. Atomic force microscopy analysis reveals an overall extremely smooth chip surface, particularly in the vicinity of the nanopores, which exhibits well-defined edges. Our unprecedented transparent chip design provides parallel and independent fluorescent readout of both cavities and buffer reservoir for unbiased single-transporter recordings. Spreading of large unilamellar vesicles with efficiencies up to 96% created nanopore-supported lipid bilayers, which are stable for more than 1 day. A high lipid mobility in the supported membrane was determined by fluorescent recovery after photobleaching. Flux kinetics of α-hemolysin were characterized at single-pore resolution with a rate constant of 0.96 ± 0.06 × 10 -3 s -1 . Here, we deliver an ideal chip platform for pharmaceutical research, which features high parallelism and throughput, synergistically combined with single-transporter resolution.

Nanofluidic Device with Embedded Nanopore

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuning; Reisner, Walter

2014-03-01

Nanofluidic based devices are robust methods for biomolecular sensing and single DNA manipulation. Nanopore-based DNA sensing has attractive features that make it a leading candidate as a single-molecule DNA sequencing technology. Nanochannel based extension of DNA, combined with enzymatic or denaturation-based barcoding schemes, is already a powerful approach for genome analysis. We believe that there is revolutionary potential in devices that combine nanochannels with nanpore detectors. In particular, due to the fast translocation of a DNA molecule through a standard nanopore configuration, there is an unfavorable trade-off between signal and sequence resolution. With a combined nanochannel-nanopore device, based on embedding a nanopore inside a nanochannel, we can in principle gain independent control over both DNA translocation speed and sensing signal, solving the key draw-back of the standard nanopore configuration. We demonstrate that we can detect - using fluorescent microscopy - successful translocation of DNA from the nanochannel out through the nanopore, a possible method to 'select' a given barcode for further analysis. We also show that in equilibrium DNA will not escape through an embedded sub-persistence length nanopore until a certain voltage bias is added.

Ultrathin self-assembled anionic polymer membranes for superfast size-selective separation

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Chao; Zhang, Qiu Gen; Han, Guang Lu; Gong, Yi; Zhu, Ai Mei; Liu, Qing Lin

2013-10-01

Nanoporous membranes with superior separation performance have become more crucial with increasing concerns in functional nanomaterials. Here novel ultrahigh permeable nanoporous membranes have been fabricated on macroporous supports by self-assembly of anionic polymer on copper hydroxide nanostrand templates in organic solution. This facile approach has a great potential for the fabrication of ultrathin anionic polymer membranes as a general method. The as-fabricated self-assembled membranes have a mean pore size of 5-12 nm and an adjustable thickness as low as 85 nm. They allow superfast permeation of water, and exhibit excellent size-selective separation properties and good fouling resistance for negatively-charged solutes during filtration. The 85 nm thick membrane has an ultrahigh water flux (3306 l m-2 h-1 bar-1) that is an order of magnitude larger than commercial membranes, and can highly efficiently separate 5 and 15 nm gold nanoparticles from their mixtures. The newly developed nanoporous membranes have a wide application in separation and purification of biomacromolecules and nanoparticles.Nanoporous membranes with superior separation performance have become more crucial with increasing concerns in functional nanomaterials. Here novel ultrahigh permeable nanoporous membranes have been fabricated on macroporous supports by self-assembly of anionic polymer on copper hydroxide nanostrand templates in organic solution. This facile approach has a great potential for the fabrication of ultrathin anionic polymer membranes as a general method. The as-fabricated self-assembled membranes have a mean pore size of 5-12 nm and an adjustable thickness as low as 85 nm. They allow superfast permeation of water, and exhibit excellent size-selective separation properties and good fouling resistance for negatively-charged solutes during filtration. The 85 nm thick membrane has an ultrahigh water flux (3306 l m-2 h-1 bar-1) that is an order of magnitude larger than

Pt-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} dual layer atomic layer deposition coating in high aspect ratio nanopores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pardon, Gaspard; Gatty, Hithesh K; Stemme, Goeran; Wijngaart, Wouter van der; Roxhed, Niclas [KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Micro and Nanosystems, Osquldas Vaeg 10, SE-10044 Stockholm (Sweden)

2013-01-11

Functional nanoporous materials are promising for a number of applications ranging from selective biofiltration to fuel cell electrodes. This work reports the functionalization of nanoporous membranes using atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is used to conformally deposit platinum (Pt) and aluminum oxide (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) on Pt in nanopores to form a metal-insulator stack inside the nanopore. Deposition of these materials inside nanopores allows the addition of extra functionalities to nanoporous materials such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Conformal deposition of Pt on such materials enables increased performances for electrochemical sensing applications or fuel cell electrodes. An additional conformal Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer on such a Pt film forms a metal-insulator-electrolyte system, enabling field effect control of the nanofluidic properties of the membrane. This opens novel possibilities in electrically controlled biofiltration. In this work, the deposition of these two materials on AAO membranes is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Successful process parameters are proposed for a reliable and cost-effective conformal deposition on high aspect ratio three-dimensional nanostructures. A device consisting of a silicon chip supporting an AAO membrane of 6 mm diameter and 1.3 {mu}m thickness with 80 nm diameter pores is fabricated. The pore diameter is reduced to 40 nm by a conformal deposition of 11 nm Pt and 9 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} using ALD. (paper)

Nanopore formation on Au coated pyramid under electron beam irradiations (plasmonic nanopore on pyramid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Soo Choi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available There have been tremendous interests about the single molecule analysis using a sold-state nanopore. The solid-state nanopore can be fabricated either by drilling technique, or diffusion technique by using electron beam irradiations. The solid-state SiN nanopore device with electrical detection technique recently fabricated, however, the solid-state Au nanopore with optical detection technique can be better utilized as the next generation single molecule sensor. In this report, the nanometer size openings with its size less than 10 nm on the diffused membrane on the 200 nm Au pyramid were fabricated by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM electron beam irradiations, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, etc. After the sample was being kept under a room environment for several months, several Au (111 clusters with ~6 nm diameter formed via Ostwald ripening are observed using a high resolution TEM imaging. The nanopore with Au nanoclusters on the diffused membrane can be utilized as an optical nanopore device. Keywords: Electron beam irradiation, Surface diffusion, Carbon contamination, Au cluster, Ostwald ripening

Tailoring of silicon crystals for relativistic-particle channeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guidi, V.; Antonini, A.; Baricordi, S.; Logallo, F.; Malagu, C.; Milan, E.; Ronzoni, A.; Stefancich, M.; Martinelli, G.; Vomiero, A.

2005-01-01

In the last years, the research on channeling of relativistic particles has progressed considerably. A significant contribution has been provided by the development of techniques for quality improvement of the crystals. In particular, a planar etching of the surfaces of the silicon crystals proved useful to remove the superficial layer, which is a region very rich in imperfections, in turn leading to greater channeling efficiency. Micro-fabrication techniques, borrowed from silicon technology, may also be useful: micro-indentation and deposition of tensile or compressive layers onto silicon samples allow one to impart an even curvature to the samples. In this way, different topologies may be envisaged, such as a bent crystal for deflection of protons and ions or an undulator to force coherent oscillations of positrons and electrons

Nanopore sensors for DNA analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Solovyeva, Vita; Venkatesan, B.M.; Shim, Jeong

2012-01-01

Solid-state nanopore sensors are promising devices for single DNA molecule detection and sequencing. This paper presents a review of our work on solid-state nanopores performed over the last decade. In particular, here we discuss atomic-layer-deposited (ALD)-based, graphene-based, and functionali......Solid-state nanopore sensors are promising devices for single DNA molecule detection and sequencing. This paper presents a review of our work on solid-state nanopores performed over the last decade. In particular, here we discuss atomic-layer-deposited (ALD)-based, graphene...

Determination of silicone rubber and low-density polyethylene diffusion and polymer/water partition coefficients for emerging contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Pintado-Herrera, Marina G; Lara-Martín, Pablo A; González-Mazo, Eduardo; Allan, Ian J

2016-09-01

There is a growing interest in assessing the concentration and distribution of new nonregulated organic compounds (emerging contaminants) in the environment. The measurement of freely dissolved concentrations using conventional approaches is challenging because of the low concentrations that may be encountered and their temporally variable emissions. Absorption-based passive sampling enables the estimation of freely dissolved concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants of emerging concern in water. In the present study, calibration was undertaken for 2 polymers, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and silicone rubber for 11 fragrances, 5 endocrine-disrupting compounds, 7 ultraviolet (UV) filters, and 8 organophosphate flame retardant compounds. Batch experiments were performed to estimate contaminant diffusion coefficients in the polymers (Dp ), which in general decreased with increasing molecular weight. The values for fragrances, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and UV filters were in ranges similar to those previously reported for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but were 1 order of magnitude lower for organophosphate flame retardant compounds. Silicone rubber had higher Dp values than LDPE and was therefore selected for further experiments to calculate polymer/water partition coefficients (KPW ). The authors observed a positive correlation between log KPW and log octanol/water partition coefficient values. Field testing of silicone rubber passive samplers was undertaken though exposure in the River Alna (Norway) for an exposure time of 21 d to estimate freely dissolved concentration. Some fragrances and UV filters were predominant over other emerging and regulated contaminants, at levels up to 1600 ng L(-1) for galaxolide and 448 ng L(-1) for octocrylene. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2162-2172. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

High aspect ratio micro tool manufacturing for polymer replication using mu EDM of silicon, selective etching and electroforming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tosello, Guido; Bissacco, Giuliano; Tang, Peter Torben

2008-01-01

Mass fabrication of polymer micro components with high aspect ratio micro-structures requires high performance micro tools allowing the use of low cost replication processes such as micro injection moulding. In this regard an innovative process chain, based on a combination of micro electrical di...... discharge machining (mu EDM) of a silicon substrate, electroforming and selective etching was used for the manufacturing of a micro tool. The micro tool was employed for polymer replication by means of the injection moulding process....

Photolithographic fabrication of solid–liquid core waveguides by thiol-ene chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagar, Kaushal; Gopalakrishnan, Nimi; Christiansen, Mads Brøkner; Kristensen, Anders; Ndoni, Sokol

2011-01-01

In this work we demonstrate an efficient and cleanroom compatible method for the fabrication of solid–liquid core waveguides based on nanoporous polymers. We have used thiol-ene photo-grafting to tune and pattern the hydrophilicity of an originally hydrophobic nanoporous 1, 2-polybutadiene. The generated refractive index contrast between the patterned water-filled volume and the surrounding empty hydrophobic porous polymer allows for light confinement within the water-filled volume—the solid–liquid core. The presented fabrication process is simple and fast. It allows a high degree of flexibility on the type and grade of surface chemistry imparted to the large nanoporous area depending upon the application. The fabrication does not need demanding chemical reaction conditions. Thus, it can be readily used on a standard silicon lithography bench. The propagation loss values reported in this work are comparable with literature values for state-of-the-art liquid-core waveguide devices. The demonstrated waveguide function added to the nanoporous polymer with a very high internal surface area makes the system interesting for many applications in different areas, such as diagnostics and bio-chemical sensing

Tailoring uniform gold nanoparticle arrays and nanoporous films for next-generation optoelectronic devices

Science.gov (United States)

Farid, Sidra; Kuljic, Rade; Poduri, Shripriya; Dutta, Mitra; Darling, Seth B.

2018-06-01

High-density arrays of gold nanodots and nanoholes on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass surfaces are fabricated using a nanoporous template fabricated by the self-assembly of diblock copolymers of poly (styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) structures. By balancing the interfacial interactions between the polymer blocks and the substrate using random copolymer, cylindrical block copolymer microdomains oriented perpendicular to the plane of the substrate have been obtained. Nanoporous PS films are created by selectively etching PMMA cylinders, a straightforward route to form highly ordered nanoscale porous films. Deposition of gold on the template followed by lift off and sonication leaves a highly dense array of gold nanodots. These materials can serve as templates for the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth of semiconductor nanorod arrays for next generation hybrid optoelectronic applications.

Rapid Polymer Sequencer

Science.gov (United States)

Stolc, Viktor (Inventor); Brock, Matthew W (Inventor)

2013-01-01

Method and system for rapid and accurate determination of each of a sequence of unknown polymer components, such as nucleic acid components. A self-assembling monolayer of a selected substance is optionally provided on an interior surface of a pipette tip, and the interior surface is immersed in a selected liquid. A selected electrical field is impressed in a longitudinal direction, or in a transverse direction, in the tip region, a polymer sequence is passed through the tip region, and a change in an electrical current signal is measured as each polymer component passes through the tip region. Each of the measured changes in electrical current signals is compared with a database of reference electrical change signals, with each reference signal corresponding to an identified polymer component, to identify the unknown polymer component with a reference polymer component. The nanopore preferably has a pore inner diameter of no more than about 40 nm and is prepared by heating and pulling a very small section of a glass tubing.

Ordered arrays of polymeric nanopores by using inverse nanostructured PTFE surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martín, Jaime; Martín-González, Marisol; Del Campo, Adolfo; Reinosa, Julián J; Fernández, José Francisco

2012-01-01

We present a simple, efficient, and high-throughput methodology for the fabrication of ordered nanoporous polymeric surfaces with areas in the range of cm 2 . The procedure is based on a two-stage replication of a master nanostructured pattern. The process starts with the preparation of an ordered array of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) free-standing nanopillars by wetting self-ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide templates with molten PTFE. The nanopillars are 120 nm in diameter and approximately 350 nm long, while the array extends over cm 2 . The PTFE nanostructuring process induces surface hydrocarbonation of the nanopillars, as revealed by confocal Raman microscopy/spectroscopy, which enhances the wettability of the originally hydrophobic material and facilitates its subsequent use as an inverse pattern. Thus, the PTFE nanostructure is then used as a negative master for the fabrication of macroscopic hexagonal arrays of nanopores composed of biocompatible poly(vinylalcohol). In this particular case, the nanopores are 130–140 nm in diameter and the interpore distance is around 430 nm. Features of such characteristic dimensions are known to be easily recognized by living cells. Moreover, the inverse mold is not destroyed in the pore array demolding process and can be reused for further pore array fabrication. Therefore, the developed method allows the high-throughput production of cm 2 -scale biocompatible nanoporous surfaces that could be interesting as two-dimensional scaffolds for tissue repair or wound healing. Moreover, our approach can be extrapolated to the fabrication of almost any polymer and biopolymer ordered pore array. (paper)

Threading DNA through nanopores for biosensing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fyta, Maria

2015-01-01

This review outlines the recent achievements in the field of nanopore research. Nanopores are typically used in single-molecule experiments and are believed to have a high potential to realize an ultra-fast and very cheap genome sequencer. Here, the various types of nanopore materials, ranging from biological to 2D nanopores are discussed together with their advantages and disadvantages. These nanopores can utilize different protocols to read out the DNA nucleobases. Although, the first nanopore devices have reached the market, many still have issues which do not allow a full realization of a nanopore sequencer able to sequence the human genome in about a day. Ways to control the DNA, its dynamics and speed as the biomolecule translocates the nanopore in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in the reading-out process are examined in this review. Finally, the advantages, as well as the drawbacks in distinguishing the DNA nucleotides, i.e., the genetic information, are presented in view of their importance in the field of nanopore sequencing. (topical review)

Electrochemical study of lithium insertion into carbon-rich polymer-derived silicon carbonitride ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaspar, Jan; Mera, Gabriela; Nowak, Andrzej P.; Graczyk-Zajac, Magdalena; Riedel, Ralf

2010-01-01

This paper presents the lithium insertion into carbon-rich polymer-derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic synthesized by the thermal treatment of poly(diphenylsilylcarbodiimide) at three temperatures, namely 1100, 1300, and 1700 o C under 0.1 MPa Ar atmosphere. At lower synthesis temperatures, the material is X-ray amorphous, while at 1700 o C, the SiCN ceramic partially crystallizes. Anode materials prepared from these carbon-rich SiCN ceramics without any fillers and conducting additives were characterized using cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometric charging/discharging. We found that the studied silicon carbonitride ceramics demonstrate a promising electrochemical behavior during lithium insertion/extraction in terms of capacity and cycling stability. The sample synthesized at 1300 o C exhibits a reversible capacity of 392 mAh g -1 . Our study confirms that carbon-rich SiCN phases are electrochemically active materials in terms of Li inter- and deintercalation.

Direct Production of Silicones From Sand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larry N. Lewis; F.J. Schattenmann: J.P. Lemmon

2001-09-30

Silicon, in the form of silica and silicates, is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust. However the synthesis of silicones (scheme 1) and almost all organosilicon chemistry is only accessible through elemental silicon. Silicon dioxide (sand or quartz) is converted to chemical-grade elemental silicon in an energy intensive reduction process, a result of the exceptional thermodynamic stability of silica. Then, the silicon is reacted with methyl chloride to give a mixture of methylchlorosilanes catalyzed by cooper containing a variety of tract metals such as tin, zinc etc. The so-called direct process was first discovered at GE in 1940. The methylchlorosilanes are distilled to purify and separate the major reaction components, the most important of which is dimethyldichlorosilane. Polymerization of dimethyldichlorosilane by controlled hydrolysis results in the formation of silicone polymers. Worldwide, the silicones industry produces about 1.3 billion pounds of the basic silicon polymer, polydimethylsiloxane.

Fabrication of a multifunctional nano-in-micro drug delivery platform by microfluidic templated encapsulation of porous silicon in polymer matrix.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongbo; Liu, Dongfei; Shahbazi, Mohammad-Ali; Mäkilä, Ermei; Herranz-Blanco, Bárbara; Salonen, Jarno; Hirvonen, Jouni; Santos, Hélder A

2014-07-09

A multifunctional nano-in-micro drug delivery platform is developed by conjugating the porous silicon nanoparticles with mucoadhesive polymers and subsequent encapsulation into a pH-responsive polymer using microfluidics. The multistage platform shows monodisperse size distribution and pH-responsive payload release, and the released nanoparticles are mucoadhesive. Moreover, this platform is capable of simultaneously loading and releasing multidrugs with distinct properties. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Di-block co-polymer derived nanoporous polymer liquid core waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Mads Brøkner; Gopalakrishnan, Nimi; Sagar, Kaushal Shashikant

2010-01-01

pores. When the PDMS is etched, the hydrophobic PB is left with a porosity of 44%. The polymer is subsequently UV exposed through a shadow mask. This renders the exposed part hydrophilic, making it possible for water to infiltrate these areas. Water infiltration raises the refractive index, thus forming...

Rectangular-cladding silicon slot waveguide with improved nonlinear performance

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zengzhi; Huang, Qingzhong; Wang, Yi; Xia, Jinsong

2018-04-01

Silicon slot waveguides have great potential in hybrid silicon integration to realize nonlinear optical applications. We propose a rectangular-cladding hybrid silicon slot waveguide. Simulation result shows that, with a rectangular-cladding, the slot waveguide can be formed by narrower silicon strips, so the two-photon absorption (TPA) loss in silicon is decreased. When the cladding material is a nonlinear polymer, the calculated TPA figure of merit (FOMTPA) is 4.4, close to the value of bulk nonlinear polymer of 5.0. This value confirms the good nonlinear performance of rectangular-cladding silicon slot waveguides.

Rapid 3D µ-printing of polymer optical whispering-gallery mode resonators.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jushuai; Guo, Xin; Zhang, A Ping; Tam, Hwa-Yaw

2015-11-16

A novel microfabrication method for rapid printing of polymer optical whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators is presented. A 3D micro-printing technology based on high-speed optical spatial modulator (SLM) and high-power UV light source is developed to fabricate suspended-disk WGM resonator array using SU-8 photoresist. The optical spectral responses of the fabricated polymer WGM resonators were measured with a biconically tapered optical fiber. Experimental results reveal that the demonstrated method is very flexible and time-saving for rapid fabrication of complex polymer WGM resonators.

Growth of carbon nanotubes by Fe-catalyzed chemical vapor processes on silicon-based substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Angelucci, Renato; Rizzoli, Rita; Vinciguerra, Vincenzo; Fortuna Bevilacqua, Maria; Guerri, Sergio; Corticelli, Franco; Passini, Mara

2007-03-01

In this paper, a site-selective catalytic chemical vapor deposition synthesis of carbon nanotubes on silicon-based substrates has been developed in order to get horizontally oriented nanotubes for field effect transistors and other electronic devices. Properly micro-fabricated silicon oxide and polysilicon structures have been used as substrates. Iron nanoparticles have been obtained both from a thin Fe film evaporated by e-gun and from iron nitrate solutions accurately dispersed on the substrates. Single-walled nanotubes with diameters as small as 1 nm, bridging polysilicon and silicon dioxide “pillars”, have been grown. The morphology and structure of CNTs have been characterized by SEM, AFM and Raman spectroscopy.

Microfabricated Segmented-Involute-Foil Regenerator for Stirling Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Mounir; Danila, Daniel; Simon, Terrence; Mantell, Susan; Sun, Liyong; Gedeon, David; Qiu, Songgang; Wood, Gary; Kelly, Kevin; McLean, Jeffrey

2010-01-01

An involute-foil regenerator was designed, microfabricated, and tested in an oscillating-flow test rig. The concept consists of stacked involute-foil nickel disks (see figure) microfabricated via a lithographic process. Test results yielded a performance of about twice that of the 90-percent random-fiber currently used in small Stirling converters. The segmented nature of the involute- foil in both the axial and radial directions increases the strength of the structure relative to wrapped foils. In addition, relative to random-fiber regenerators, the involute-foil has a reduced pressure drop, and is expected to be less susceptible to the release of metal fragments into the working space, thus increasing reliability. The prototype nickel involute-foil regenerator was adequate for testing in an engine with a 650 C hot-end temperature. This is lower than that required by larger engines, and high-temperature alloys are not suited for the lithographic microfabrication approach.

The passive optical properties of a silicon nanoparticle-embedded benzocyclobutene polymer waveguide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, J.-J.; Perng, Tsong P

2008-01-01

The passive optical properties of a silicon nanoparticle-embedded benzocyclobutene (BCB) waveguide were investigated. The silicon nanoparticles, of a size varying from 6 to 25 nm, were prepared by vapor condensation. The transmission modes and losses were examined by the prism coupler and cut-back methods. A He-Ne laser beam with a wavelength of 6328 A was used to measure the effective index and thickness of the waveguide. Laser light could be efficiently coupled into the BCB waveguide when the embedded Si nanoparticles were smaller than 6 nm. The film thickness and effective index of the Si-embedded BCB waveguide were measured to be 1.825 μm and 1.565, respectively. The optical transmission losses of the pure BCB and Si-embedded ridge waveguides measured by the cut-back method were 0.85 and 1.63 dB cm -1 , respectively. Although the optical loss was increased by the embedded Si, the disturbance of the output contour was quite small. This result demonstrates that the nanoparticle-embedded polymer waveguide may be used for optoelectronic integrated circuits

Nanoporous metals for advanced energy technologies

CERN Document Server

Ding, Yi

2016-01-01

This book covers the state-of-the-art research in nanoporous metals for potential applications in advanced energy fields, including proton exchange membrane fuel cells, Li batteries (Li ion, Li-S, and Li-O2), and supercapacitors. The related structural design and performance of nanoporous metals as well as possible mechanisms and challenges are fully addressed. The formation mechanisms of nanoporous metals during dealloying, the microstructures of nanoporous metals and characterization methods, as well as miscrostructural regulation of nanoporous metals through alloy design of precursors and surface diffusion control are also covered in detail. This is an ideal book for researchers, engineers, graduate students, and government/industry officers who are in charge of R&D investments and strategy related to energy technologies.

Secondary electron emission in nanostructured porous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruano, G D; Ferron, J; Koropecki, R R, E-mail: gdruano@ceride.gov.a [INTEC-UNL-CONICET, Gueemes 3450 - 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina)

2009-05-01

We studied the reversible reduction induced by ion bombardment of the secondary electron emission (SEE) yield. This effect has been modelled as due to changes in dynamically sustained dipoles related with ions and electrons penetration ranges. Such charge configuration precludes the escape of electrons from the nanoporous silicon, making the SEE dependent on the flux of impinging ions. Since this dipolar momentum depends on the electric conduction of the porous medium, by controlled oxidation of the nanoporous structure we change the conduction features of the sample, studying the impact on the SEE reduction effect. Li ion bombardment was also used with the intention of changing the parameters determining the effect. FT-IR and Auger electron spectroscopy were used to characterize the oxidation degree of the samples at different depth scales

Swelling, Functionalization, and Structural Changes of the Nanoporous Layered Silicates AMH-3 and MCM-22

KAUST Repository

Kim, Wun-gwi

2011-06-21

Nanoporous layered silicate materials contain 2D-planar sheets of nanoscopic thickness and ordered porous structure. In comparison to porous 3D-framework materials such as zeolites, they have advantages such as significantly increased surface area and decreased diffusion limitations because the layers can potentially be exfoliated or intercalated into polymers to form nanocomposite materials. These properties are particularly interesting for applications as materials for enhancing molecular selectivity and throughput in composite membranes. In this report, the swelling and surface modification chemistry of two attractive nanoporous layered silicate materials, AMH-3 and MCM-22, were studied. We first describe a method, using long-chain diamines instead of monoamines, for swelling of AMH-3 while preserving its pore structure to a greater extent during the swelling process. Then, we describe a stepwise functionalization method for functionalizing the layer surfaces of AMH-3 and MCM-22 via silane condensation reactions. The covalently attached hydrocarbon chain molecules increased the hydrophobicity of AMH-3 and MCM-22 layer surfaces and therefore allow the possibility of effectively dispersing these materials in polymer matrices for thin film/membrane applications. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Entropy driven spontaneous formation of highly porous films from polymer-nanoparticle composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korampally, Venumadhav; Yun, Minseong; Rajagopalan, Thiruvengadathan; Gangopadhyay, Keshab; Gangopadhyay, Shubhra; Dasgupta, Purnendu K

2009-01-01

Nanoporous materials have become indispensable in many fields ranging from photonics, catalysis and semiconductor processing to biosensor infrastructure. Rapid and energy efficient process fabrication of these materials is, however, nontrivial. In this communication, we describe a simple method for the rapid fabrication of these materials from colloidal dispersions of Polymethyl Silsesquioxane nanoparticles. Nanoparticle-polymer composites above the decomposition temperature of the polymer are examined and the entropic gain experienced by the nanoparticles in this rubric is harnessed to fabricate novel highly porous films composed of nanoparticles. Optically smooth, hydrophobic films with low refractive indices (as low as 1.048) and high surface areas (as high as 1325 m 2 g -1 ) have been achieved with this approach. In this communication we address the behavior of such systems that are both temperature and substrate surface energy dependent. The method is applicable, in principle, to a variety of nanoparticle-polymer systems to fabricate custom nanoporous materials.

Laser precision microfabrication

CERN Document Server

Sugioka, Koji; Pique, Alberto

2010-01-01

Miniaturization and high precision are rapidly becoming a requirement for many industrial processes and products. As a result, there is greater interest in the use of laser microfabrication technology to achieve these goals. This book composed of 16 chapters covers all the topics of laser precision processing from fundamental aspects to industrial applications to both inorganic and biological materials. It reviews the sate of the art of research and technological development in the area of laser processing.

High-fidelity operations in microfabricated surface ion traps

Science.gov (United States)

Maunz, Peter

2017-04-01

Trapped ion systems can be used to implement quantum computation as well as quantum simulation. To scale these systems to the number of qubits required to solve interesting problems in quantum chemistry or solid state physics, the use of large multi-zone ion traps has been proposed. Microfabrication enables the realization of surface electrode ion traps with complex electrode structures. While these traps may enable the scaling of trapped ion quantum information processing (QIP), microfabricated ion traps also pose several technical challenges. Here, we present Sandia's trap fabrication capabilities and characterize trap properties and shuttling operations in our most recent high optical access trap (HOA-2). To demonstrate the viability of Sandia's microfabricated ion traps for QIP we realize robust single and two-qubit gates and characterize them using gate set tomography (GST). In this way we are able to demonstrate the first single qubit gates with a diamond norm of less than 1 . 7 ×10-4 , below a rigorous fault tolerance threshold for general noise of 6 . 7 ×10-4. Furthermore, we realize Mølmer-Sørensen two qubit gates with a process fidelity of 99 . 58(6) % also characterized by GST. These results demonstrate the viability of microfabricated surface traps for state of the art quantum information processing demonstrations. This research was funded, in part, by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).

Improving the cycling stability of silicon nanowire anodes with conducting polymer coatings

KAUST Repository

Yao, Yan; Liu, Nian; McDowell, Matthew T.; Pasta, Mauro; Cui, Yi

2012-01-01

For silicon nanowires (Si NWs) to be used as a successful high capacity lithium-ion battery anode material, improvements in cycling stability are required. Here we show that a conductive polymer surface coating on the Si NWs improves cycling stability; coating with PEDOT causes the capacity retention after 100 charge-discharge cycles to increase from 30% to 80% over bare NWs. The improvement in cycling stability is attributed to the conductive coating maintaining the mechanical integrity of the cycled Si material, along with preserving electrical connections between NWs that would otherwise have become electrically isolated during volume changes. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Selective hierarchical patterning of silicon nanostructures via soft nanostencil lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Ke; Ding, Junjun; Wathuthanthri, Ishan; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2017-11-17

It is challenging to hierarchically pattern high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on microstructures using conventional lithographic techniques, where photoresist (PR) film is not able to uniformly cover on the microstructures as the aspect ratio increases. Such non-uniformity causes poor definition of nanopatterns over the microstructures. Nanostencil lithography can provide an alternative means to hierarchically construct nanostructures on microstructures via direct deposition or plasma etching through a free-standing nanoporous membrane. In this work, we demonstrate the multiscale hierarchical fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on microstructures of silicon using a free-standing nanostencil, which is a nanoporous membrane consisting of metal (Cr), PR, and anti-reflective coating. The nanostencil membrane is used as a deposition mask to define Cr nanodot patterns on the predefined silicon microstructures. Then, deep reactive ion etching is used to hierarchically create nanostructures on the microstructures using the Cr nanodots as an etch mask. With simple modification of the main fabrication processes, high-aspect-ratio nanopillars are selectively defined only on top of the microstructures, on bottom, or on both top and bottom.

"Thunderstruck": Plasma-Polymer-Coated Porous Silicon Microparticles As a Controlled Drug Delivery System.

Science.gov (United States)

McInnes, Steven J P; Michl, Thomas D; Delalat, Bahman; Al-Bataineh, Sameer A; Coad, Bryan R; Vasilev, Krasimir; Griesser, Hans J; Voelcker, Nicolas H

2016-02-01

Controlling the release kinetics from a drug carrier is crucial to maintain a drug's therapeutic window. We report the use of biodegradable porous silicon microparticles (pSi MPs) loaded with the anticancer drug camphothecin, followed by a plasma polymer overcoating using a loudspeaker plasma reactor. Homogenous "Teflon-like" coatings were achieved by tumbling the particles by playing AC/DC's song "Thunderstruck". The overcoating resulted in a markedly slower release of the cytotoxic drug, and this effect correlated positively with the plasma polymer coating times, ranging from 2-fold up to more than 100-fold. Ultimately, upon characterizing and verifying pSi MP production, loading, and coating with analytical methods such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetry, water contact angle measurements, and fluorescence microscopy, human neuroblastoma cells were challenged with pSi MPs in an in vitro assay, revealing a significant time delay in cell death onset.

Role of non-equilibrium conformations on driven polymer translocation.

Science.gov (United States)

Katkar, H H; Muthukumar, M

2018-01-14

One of the major theoretical methods in understanding polymer translocation through a nanopore is the Fokker-Planck formalism based on the assumption of quasi-equilibrium of polymer conformations. The criterion for applicability of the quasi-equilibrium approximation for polymer translocation is that the average translocation time per Kuhn segment, ⟨τ⟩/N K , is longer than the relaxation time τ 0 of the polymer. Toward an understanding of conditions that would satisfy this criterion, we have performed coarse-grained three dimensional Langevin dynamics and multi-particle collision dynamics simulations. We have studied the role of initial conformations of a polyelectrolyte chain (which were artificially generated with a flow field) on the kinetics of its translocation across a nanopore under the action of an externally applied transmembrane voltage V (in the absence of the initial flow field). Stretched (out-of-equilibrium) polyelectrolyte chain conformations are deliberately and systematically generated and used as initial conformations in translocation simulations. Independent simulations are performed to study the relaxation behavior of these stretched chains, and a comparison is made between the relaxation time scale and the mean translocation time (⟨τ⟩). For such artificially stretched initial states, ⟨τ⟩/N K polymers including single stranded DNA (ssDNA), double stranded DNA (dsDNA), and synthetic polymers. Even when these data are rescaled assuming a constant effective velocity of translocation, it is found that for flexible (ssDNA and synthetic) polymers with N K Kuhn segments, the condition ⟨τ⟩/N K polymers such as ssDNA, a crossover from quasi-equilibrium to non-equilibrium behavior would occur at N K ∼ O(1000).

Fabrication of Biochips with Micro Fluidic Channels by Micro End-milling and Powder Blasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Sam Park

2008-02-01

Full Text Available For microfabrications of biochips with micro fluidic channels, a large number of microfabrication techniques based on silicon or glass-based Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS technologies were proposed in the last decade. In recent years, for low cost and mass production, polymer-based microfabrication techniques by microinjection molding and micro hot embossing have been proposed. These techniques, which require a proper photoresist, mask, UV light exposure, developing, and electroplating as a preprocess, are considered to have some problems. In this study, we propose a new microfabrication technology which consists of micro end-milling and powder blasting. This technique could be directly applied to fabricate the metal mold without any preprocesses. The metal mold with micro-channels is machined by micro end-milling, and then, burrs generated in the end-milling process are removed by powder blasting. From the experimental results, micro end-milling combined with powder blasting could be applied effectively for fabrication of the injection mold of biochips with micro fluidic channels.

Introduction to microfabrication

CERN Document Server

Franssila, Sami

2010-01-01

This accessible text is now fully revised and updated, providing an overview of fabrication technologies and materials needed to realize modern microdevices. It demonstrates how common microfabrication principles can be applied in different applications, to create devices ranging from nanometer probe tips to meter scale solar cells, and a host of microelectronic, mechanical, optical and fluidic devices in between. Latest developments in wafer engineering, patterning, thin films, surface preparation and bonding are covered. This second edition includes:expanded sections on MEMS

Fabrication of amorphous silica nanowires via oxygen plasma treatment of polymers on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhuojie; She, Didi; Chen, Qinghua; Li, Yanmei; Wu, Wengang

2018-02-01

We demonstrate a facile non-catalytic method of fabricating silica nanowires at room temperature. Different polymers including photoresists, parylene C and polystyrene are patterned into pedestals on the silicon substrates. The silica nanowires are obtained via the oxygen plasma treatment on those pedestals. Compared to traditional strategies of silica nanowire fabrication, this method is much simpler and low-cost. Through designing the proper initial patterns and plasma process parameters, the method can be used to fabricate various regiment nano-scale silica structure arrays in any laboratory with a regular oxygen-plasma-based cleaner or reactive-ion-etching equipment.

Mechanisms of material removal and mass transport in focused ion beam nanopore formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Kallol, E-mail: das7@illinois.edu; Johnson, Harley T., E-mail: htj@illinois.edu [Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Green Street, MC-244, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Freund, Jonathan B., E-mail: jbfreund@illinois.edu [Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Green Street, MC-244, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 306 Talbot Laboratory, MC-236, 104 South Wright Street Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

2015-02-28

Despite the widespread use of focused ion beam (FIB) processing as a material removal method for applications ranging from electron microscope sample preparation to nanopore processing for DNA sequencing, the basic material removal mechanisms of FIB processing are not well understood. We present the first complete atomistic simulation of high-flux FIB using large-scale parallel molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of nanopore fabrication in freestanding thin films. We focus on the root mechanisms of material removal and rearrangement and describe the role of explosive boiling in forming nanopores. FIB nanopore fabrication is typically understood to occur via sputter erosion. This can be shown to be the case in low flux systems, where individual ion impacts are sufficiently separated in time that they may be considered as independent events. But our detailed MD simulations show that in high flux FIB processing, above a threshold level at which thermal effects become significant, the primary mechanism of material removal changes to a significantly accelerated, thermally dominated process. Under these conditions, the target is heated by the ion beam faster than heat is conducted away by the material, leading quickly to melting, and then continued heating to nearly the material critical temperature. This leads to explosive boiling of the target material with spontaneous bubble formation and coalescence. Mass is rapidly rearranged at the atomistic scale, and material removal occurs orders of magnitude faster than would occur by simple sputtering. While the phenomenology is demonstrated computationally in silicon, it can be expected to occur at lower beam fluxes in other cases where thermal conduction is suppressed due to material properties, geometry, or ambient thermal conditions.

Mesoporous silicon oxide films and their uses as templates in obtaining nanostructured conductive polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado, R.; Arteaga, G. C.; Arias, J. M.

2018-04-01

Obtaining conductive polymers (CPs) for the manufacture of OLEDs, solar cells, electrochromic devices, sensors, etc., has been possible through the use of electrochemical techniques that allow obtaining films of controlled thickness with positive results in different applications. Current trends point towards the manufacture of nanomaterials, and therefore it is necessary to develop methods that allow obtaining CPs with nanostructured morphology. This is possible by using a porous template to allow the growth of the polymeric materials. However, prior and subsequent treatments are required to separate the material from the template so that it can be evaluated in the applications mentioned above. This is why mesoporous silicon oxide films (template) are essential for the synthesis of nanostructured polymers since both the template and the polymer are obtained on the electrode surface, and therefore it is not necessary to separate the material from the template. Thus, the material can be evaluated directly in the applications mentioned above. The dimensions of the resulting nanostructures will depend on the power, time and technique used for electropolymerization as well as the monomer and the surfactant of the mesoporous film.

Polymer Based Biosensors for Medical Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cherré, Solène; Rozlosnik, Noemi

2015-01-01

, environmental monitoring and food safety. The detected element varies from a single molecule (such as glucose), a biopolymer (such as DNA or a protein) to a whole organism (such as bacteria). Due to their easy use and possible miniaturization, biosensors have a high potential to come out of the lab...... and be available for use by everybody. To fulfil these purposes, polymers represent very appropriate materials. Many nano- and microfabrication methods for polymers are available, allowing a fast and cheap production of devices. This chapter will present the general concept of a biosensor in a first part......The objective of this chapter is to give an overview about the newest developments in biosensors made of polymers for medical applications. Biosensors are devices that can recognize and detect a target with high selectivity. They are widely used in many fields such as medical diagnostic...

All-solid-state ion-selective silicone rubber membrane electrodes with a new conducting polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Eun Rang; Chung, Yeon Joon; Hwang, Sun Woo

2012-01-01

New conducting polymers containing heterocyclic rings with carbazole, ethylene dioxythiophene (EDOT) and benzobisthiazole were synthesized and the characterized by using organic spectroscopic methods. Potentiometric ion-selective membrane electrodes (ISMEs) have been extensively used for ion analysis in clinical, environmental, and industrial fields owing to their wide response range (4 to 7 orders of magnitude), no effect of sample turbidity, fast response time, and ease of miniaturization. Considerable attention has been given to alternative use of room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV)-type silicone rubber (SR) owing to its strong adhesion and high thermal durability. Unfortunately, the high membrane resistance of SR-based ion-selective membranes (ISMs) (2 to 3 higher orders of magnitude compared to those of poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC)-based ones) has significantly restricted their application. Herein, we demonstrate a new method to reduce the membrane resistance via addition of a new conducting polymer into the SR-based ISMs.

Immobilized enzyme studies in a microscale bioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Francis; Forrest, Scott; Palmer, Jim; Lu, Zonghuan; Elmore, John; Elmore, Bill B

2004-01-01

Novel microreactors with immobilized enzymes were fabricated using both silicon and polymer-based microfabrication techniques. The effectiveness of these reactors was examined along with their behavior over time. Urease enzyme was successfully incorporated into microchannels of a polymeric matrix of polydimethylsiloxane and through layer-bylayer self-assembly techniques onto silicon. The fabricated microchannels had cross-sectional dimensions ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers in width and height. The experimental results for continuous-flow microreactors are reported for the conversion of urea to ammonia by urease enzyme. Urea conversions of >90% were observed.

A novel multi-level IC-compatible surface microfabrication technology for MEMS with independently controlled lateral and vertical submicron transduction gaps

Science.gov (United States)

Cicek, Paul-Vahe; Elsayed, Mohannad; Nabki, Frederic; El-Gamal, Mourad

2017-11-01

An above-IC compatible multi-level MEMS surface microfabrication technology based on a silicon carbide structural layer is presented. The fabrication process flow provides optimal electrostatic transduction by allowing the creation of independently controlled submicron vertical and lateral gaps without the need for high resolution lithography. Adopting silicon carbide as the structural material, the technology ensures material, chemical and thermal compatibility with modern semiconductor nodes, reporting the lowest peak processing temperature (i.e. 200 °C) of all comparable works. This makes this process ideally suited for integrating capacitive-based MEMS directly above standard CMOS substrates. Process flow design and optimization are presented in the context of bulk-mode disk resonators, devices that are shown to exhibit improved performance with respect to previous generation flexural beam resonators, and that represent relatively complex MEMS structures. The impact of impending improvements to the fabrication technology is discussed.

A novel multi-level IC-compatible surface microfabrication technology for MEMS with independently controlled lateral and vertical submicron transduction gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cicek, Paul-Vahe; Elsayed, Mohannad; Nabki, Frederic; El-Gamal, Mourad

2017-01-01

An above-IC compatible multi-level MEMS surface microfabrication technology based on a silicon carbide structural layer is presented. The fabrication process flow provides optimal electrostatic transduction by allowing the creation of independently controlled submicron vertical and lateral gaps without the need for high resolution lithography. Adopting silicon carbide as the structural material, the technology ensures material, chemical and thermal compatibility with modern semiconductor nodes, reporting the lowest peak processing temperature (i.e. 200 °C) of all comparable works. This makes this process ideally suited for integrating capacitive-based MEMS directly above standard CMOS substrates. Process flow design and optimization are presented in the context of bulk-mode disk resonators, devices that are shown to exhibit improved performance with respect to previous generation flexural beam resonators, and that represent relatively complex MEMS structures. The impact of impending improvements to the fabrication technology is discussed. (paper)

Correlation of electrical conductivity and photoluminescence in nanoporous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouaicha, M.; Khardani, M.; Bessais, B.

2006-01-01

The effective electrical conductivity of p type porous silicon is determined both theoretically and experimentally for different porosities ranging from 30% to 80%. In this work, Effective Medium Approximation (EMA) model was used as a theoretical support. The porous silicon samples were prepared by the electrochemical etching method for different values of the anodic current. The porous material is assumed to be formed of three phases; vacuum, oxide and Si nanocrystallites. The analytical expression of the electrical conductivity of the Si nanocrystallites was established using the quantum confinement theory. This enables us to correlate the electrical conductivity of a PS layer, to the peak energy of its photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. A perfect agreement between the theoretical and the experimental electrical conductivity values was obtained for all prospected PS porosities. The results are discussed as regard to other works

Large Modulation of Charge Carrier Mobility in Doped Nanoporous Organic Transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Fengjiao [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA; Dai, Xiaojuan [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 P. R. China; Zhu, Weikun [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA; Chung, Hyunjoong [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA; Diao, Ying [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA

2017-05-10

Molecular doping of organic electronics has shown promise to sensitively modulate important device metrics. One critical challenge is the disruption of structure order upon doping of highly crystalline organic semiconductors, which significantly reduces the charge carrier mobility. This paper demonstrates a new method to achieve large modulation of charge carrier mobility via channel doping without disrupting the molecular ordering. Central to the method is the introduction of nanopores into the organic semiconductor thin films via a simple and robust templated meniscus-guided coating method. Using this method, the charge carrier mobility of C8-benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene transistors is boosted by almost sevenfold. This paper further demonstrates enhanced electron transport by close to an order of magnitude in a diketopyrrolopyrrole-based donor–acceptor polymer. Combining spectroscopic measurements, density functional theory calculations, and electrical characterizations, the doping mechanism is identified as partial-charge-transfer induced trap filling. The nanopores serve to enhance the dopant/organic semiconductor charge transfer reaction by exposing the π-electrons to the pore wall.

Stochastic resonance during a polymer translocation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mondal, Debasish; Muthukumar, M.

2016-01-01

We have studied the occurrence of stochastic resonance when a flexible polymer chain undergoes a single-file translocation through a nano-pore separating two spherical cavities, under a time-periodic external driving force. The translocation of the chain is controlled by a free energy barrier determined by chain length, pore length, pore-polymer interaction, and confinement inside the donor and receiver cavities. The external driving force is characterized by a frequency and amplitude. By combining the Fokker-Planck formalism for polymer translocation and a two-state model for stochastic resonance, we have derived analytical formulas for criteria for emergence of stochastic resonance during polymer translocation. We show that no stochastic resonance is possible if the free energy barrier for polymer translocation is purely entropic in nature. The polymer chain exhibits stochastic resonance only in the presence of an energy threshold in terms of polymer-pore interactions. Once stochastic resonance is feasible, the chain entropy controls the optimal synchronization conditions significantly.

Recent Advances in Nanoporous Membranes for Water Purification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhuqing Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoporous materials exhibit wide applications in the fields of electrocatalysis, nanodevice fabrication, energy, and environmental science, as well as analytical science. In this review, we present a summary of recent studies on nanoporous membranes for water purification application. The types and fabrication strategies of various nanoporous membranes are first introduced, and then the fabricated nanoporous membranes for removing various water pollutants, such as salt, metallic ions, anions, nanoparticles, organic chemicals, and biological substrates, are demonstrated and discussed. This work will be valuable for readers to understand the design and fabrication of various nanoporous membranes, and their potential purification mechanisms towards different water pollutants. In addition, it will be helpful for developing new nanoporous materials for quick, economic, and high-performance water purification.

Nanopores formed by DNA origami: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Nicholas A W; Keyser, Ulrich F

2014-10-01

Nanopores have emerged over the past two decades to become an important technique in single molecule experimental physics and biomolecule sensing. Recently DNA nanotechnology, in particular DNA origami, has been used for the formation of nanopores in insulating materials. DNA origami is a very attractive technique for the formation of nanopores since it enables the construction of 3D shapes with precise control over geometry and surface functionality. DNA origami has been applied to nanopore research by forming hybrid architectures with solid state nanopores and by direct insertion into lipid bilayers. This review discusses recent experimental work in this area and provides an outlook for future avenues and challenges. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recent advances in nanopore-based nucleic acid analysis and sequencing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Jidong; Fang, Ying; Hou, Junfeng

2016-01-01

Nanopore-based sequencing platforms are transforming the field of genomic science. This review (containing 116 references) highlights some recent progress on nanopore-based nucleic acid analysis and sequencing. These studies are classified into three categories, biological, solid-state, and hybrid nanopores, according to their nanoporous materials. We begin with a brief description of the translocation-based detection mechanism of nanopores. Next, specific examples are given in nanopore-based nucleic acid analysis and sequencing, with an emphasis on identifying strategies that can improve the resolution of nanopores. This review concludes with a discussion of future research directions that will advance the practical applications of nanopore technology. (author)

High cation transport polymer electrolyte

Science.gov (United States)

Gerald, II, Rex E.; Rathke, Jerome W [Homer Glen, IL; Klingler, Robert J [Westmont, IL

2007-06-05

A solid state ion conducting electrolyte and a battery incorporating same. The electrolyte includes a polymer matrix with an alkali metal salt dissolved therein, the salt having an anion with a long or branched chain having not less than 5 carbon or silicon atoms therein. The polymer is preferably a polyether and the salt anion is preferably an alkyl or silyl moiety of from 5 to about 150 carbon/silicon atoms.

Microfabricated ommatidia using a laser induced self-writing process for high resolution artificial compound eye optical systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Hyukjin; Jeong, Ki-Hun

2009-08-17

A microfabricated compound eye, comparable to a natural compound eye shows a spherical arrangement of integrated optical units called artificial ommatidia. Each consists of a self-aligned microlens and waveguide. The increase of waveguide length is imperative to obtain high resolution images through an artificial compound eye for wide field-of - view imaging as well as fast motion detection. This work presents an effective method for increasing the waveguide length of artificial ommatidium using a laser induced self-writing process in a photosensitive polymer resin. The numerical and experimental results show the uniform formation of waveguides and the increment of waveguide length over 850 microm. (c) 2009 Optical Society of America

Laser precision microfabrication in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Miyamoto, Isamu; Ooie, Toshihiko; Takeno, Shozui

2000-11-01

Electronic devices such as handy phones and micro computers have been rapidly expanding their market recent years due to their enhanced performance, down sizing and cost down. This has been realized by the innovation in the precision micro- fabrication technology of semiconductors and printed wiring circuit boards (PWB) where laser technologies such as lithography, drilling, trimming, welding and soldering play an important role. In phot lithography, for instance, KrF excimer lasers having a resolution of 0.18 micrometers has been used in production instead of mercury lamp. Laser drilling of PWB has been increased up to over 1000 holes per second, and approximately 800 laser drilling systems of PWB are expected to be delivered in the world market this year, and most of these laser processing systems are manufactured in Japan. Trend of laser micro-fabrication in Japanese industry is described along with recent topics of R&D, government supported project and future tasks of industrial laser precision micro-fabrication on the basis of the survey conducted by Japan laser Processing Society.

Formation of nanosize poly(p-phenylene vinylene) in porous silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Rendu, P.; Nguyen, T.P.; Cheah, K.; Joubert, P.

2003-01-01

We report the results of optical investigations in porous silicon (PS)/poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) systems obtained by filling the pores of silicon wafers with polymer. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), IR, and Raman spectroscopy, we observed that the porous silicon layer was thoroughly filled by the polymer with no significant change in the structure of the materials. This suggests that there is no interaction between the components. On the other hand, the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the devices investigated at different temperatures (from 11 to 290 K) showed that both materials are active at low temperatures. Porous silicon has a band located at 398 nm while PPV has two bands at 528 and 570 nm. As the temperature increases, the PL intensity of porous silicon decreases and that PPV is blue shifted. A new band emerging at 473 nm may indicate an energy transfer from the porous silicon to PPV, involving short segments of the polymer. The band of PPV located at 515 nm becomes more dominant and indicates that the nanosize polymer films are formed in the pores of the silicon layer, in agreement with the results obtained by SEM, IR, and Raman analyses

Thiolated polymers: evaluation of their potential as dermoadhesive excipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Grießinger, Julia Anita; Bonengel, Sonja; Partenhauser, Alexandra; Ijaz, Muhammad; Bernkop-Schnürch, Andreas

2017-02-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare four different thiolated polymers regarding their dermoadhesive potential. Therefore, three hydrophilic polymers (poly(acrylic acid), Carbopol 971 and carboxymethylcellulose) and a lipophilic polymer (silicone oil) were chosen to generate thiolated polymers followed by characterization. The total work of adhesion (TWA) and the maximum detachment force (MDF) of formulations containing modified and unmodified polymers were investigated on skin obtained from pig ears using a tensile sandwich technique. The synthesis of thiolated polymers provided 564 µmol, 1079 µmol, 482 µmol and 217 µmol thiol groups per gram poly(acrylic acid), Carbopol 971, carboxymethylcellulose and silicone oil, respectively. Hydrogels containing poly(acrylic acid)-cysteine, Carbopol 971-cysteine, and carboxymethylcellulose-cysteamine exhibited a 6-fold, 25-fold and 9-fold prolonged adhesion on porcine skin than the hydrogel formulations prepared from the corresponding unmodified polymers, respectively. Furthermore, thiolation of silicone oil with thioglycolic acid led to a 5-fold improvement in adhesion compared to the unmodified silicone oil. A comparison between the four thiolated polymer formulations showed a clear correlation between the amount of coupled thiol groups and the TWA. According to these results thiomers might also be useful excipients to provide a prolonged dermal resistance time of various formulations.

Laser shock ignition of porous silicon based nano-energetic films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plummer, A.; Gascooke, J.; Shapter, J.; Kuznetsov, V. A.; Voelcker, N. H.

2014-01-01

Nanoporous silicon films on a silicon wafer were loaded with sodium perchlorate and initiated using illumination with infrared laser pulses to cause laser thermal ignition and laser-generated shock waves. Using Photon Doppler Velocimetry, it was determined that these waves are weak stress waves with a threshold intensity of 131 MPa in the silicon substrate. Shock generation was achieved through confinement of a plasma, generated upon irradiation of an absorptive paint layer held against the substrate side of the wafer. These stress waves were below the threshold required for sample fracturing. Exploiting either the laser thermal or laser-generated shock mechanisms of ignition may permit use of pSi energetic materials in applications otherwise precluded due to their environmental sensitivity

Laser shock ignition of porous silicon based nano-energetic films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plummer, A.; Gascooke, J.; Shapter, J. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, 5042, Bedford Park (Australia); Centre of Expertise in Energetic Materials (CEEM), Bedford Park (Australia); Kuznetsov, V. A., E-mail: nico.voelcker@unisa.edu.au, E-mail: Valerian.Kuznetsov@dsto.defence.gov.au [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, 5042, Bedford Park (Australia); Centre of Expertise in Energetic Materials (CEEM), Bedford Park (Australia); Weapons and Combat Systems Division, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Edinburgh 5111 (Australia); Voelcker, N. H., E-mail: nico.voelcker@unisa.edu.au, E-mail: Valerian.Kuznetsov@dsto.defence.gov.au [Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, 5095, Mawson Lakes (Australia)

2014-08-07

Nanoporous silicon films on a silicon wafer were loaded with sodium perchlorate and initiated using illumination with infrared laser pulses to cause laser thermal ignition and laser-generated shock waves. Using Photon Doppler Velocimetry, it was determined that these waves are weak stress waves with a threshold intensity of 131 MPa in the silicon substrate. Shock generation was achieved through confinement of a plasma, generated upon irradiation of an absorptive paint layer held against the substrate side of the wafer. These stress waves were below the threshold required for sample fracturing. Exploiting either the laser thermal or laser-generated shock mechanisms of ignition may permit use of pSi energetic materials in applications otherwise precluded due to their environmental sensitivity.

Anisotropic Thermal Behavior of Silicone Polymer, DC 745

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, Jillian Cathleen [Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Torres, Joseph Angelo [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Volz, Heather Michelle [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Gallegos, Jennifer Marie [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Yang, Dali [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-09-02

In material applications, it is important to understand how polymeric materials behave in the various environments they may encounter. One factor governing polymer behavior is processing history. Differences in fabrication will result in parts with varied or even unintended properties. In this work, the thermal expansion behavior of silicone DC 745 is studied. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) is used to determine changes in sample dimension resulting from changes in temperature. This technique can measure thermal events such as the linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), melting, glass transitions, cure shrinkage, and internal relaxations. Using a thermomechanical analyzer (Q400 TMA), it is determined that DC 745 expands anisotropically when heated. This means that the material has a different CTE depending upon which direction is being measured. In this study, TMA experiments were designed in order to confirm anisotropic thermal behavior in multiple DC 745 samples of various ages and lots. TMA parameters such as temperature ramp rate, preload force, and temperature range were optimized in order to ensure the most accurate and useful data. A better understanding of the thermal expansion of DC 745 will allow for more accurate modeling of systems using this material.

Development and Studies of Novel Microfabricated Radiation Hard Scintillation Detectors With High Spatial Resolution

CERN Document Server

Mapelli, A; Haguenauer, M; Jiguet, S; Renaud, P; Vico Triviño, N

2011-01-01

A new type of scintillation detector is being developed with standard microfabrication techniques. It consists of a dense array of scintillating waveguides obtained by coupling microfluidic channels filled with a liquid scintillator to photodetectors. Easy manipulation of liquid scintillators inside microfluidic devices allow their flushing, renewal, and exchange making the active medium intrinsically radiation hard. Prototype detectors have been fabricated by photostructuration of a radiation hard epoxy resin (SU-8) deposited on silicon wafers and coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) to read-out the scintillation light. They have been characterized by exciting the liquid scintillator in the 200 micrometers thick microchannels with electrons from a 90Sr yielding approximately 1 photoelectron per impinging Minimum Ionizing Particle (MIP). These promising results demonstrate the concept of microfluidic scintillating detection and are very encouraging for future developments.

Microfabricated rankine cycle steam turbine for power generation and methods of making the same

Science.gov (United States)

Frechette, Luc (Inventor); Muller, Norbert (Inventor); Lee, Changgu (Inventor)

2009-01-01

In accordance with the present invention, an integrated micro steam turbine power plant on-a-chip has been provided. The integrated micro steam turbine power plant on-a-chip of the present invention comprises a miniature electric power generation system fabricated using silicon microfabrication technology and lithographic patterning. The present invention converts heat to electricity by implementing a thermodynamic power cycle on a chip. The steam turbine power plant on-a-chip generally comprises a turbine, a pump, an electric generator, an evaporator, and a condenser. The turbine is formed by a rotatable, disk-shaped rotor having a plurality of rotor blades disposed thereon and a plurality of stator blades. The plurality of stator blades are interdigitated with the plurality of rotor blades to form the turbine. The generator is driven by the turbine and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Interpenetrated polymer networks based on commercial silicone elastomers and ionic networks with high dielectric permittivity and self-healing properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ogliani, Elisa; Yu, Liyun; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

the applicability. One method used to avoid this limitation is to increase the dielectric permittivity of the material in order to improve the actuation response at a given field. Recently, interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) based on covalently cross-linked commercial silicone elastomers and ionic networks...... from amino- and carboxylic acid- functional silicones have been designed[2] (Figure 1). This novel system provides both the mechanical stability and the high breakdown strength given by the silicone part of the IPNs and the high permittivity and the softening effect of the ionic network. Thus......,1 Hz), and the commercial elastomers RT625 and LR3043/30 provide thebest viscoelastic properties to the systems, since they maintain low viscous losses upon addition of ionic network. The values ofthe breakdown strength in all cases remain higher than that of the reference pure PDMS network (ranging...

Solid state synthesis of chitosan and its unsaturated derivatives for laser microfabrication of 3D scaffolds

Science.gov (United States)

Akopova, T. A.; Demina, T. S.; Bagratashvili, V. N.; Bardakova, K. N.; Novikov, M. M.; Selezneva, I. I.; Istomin, A. V.; Svidchenko, E. A.; Cherkaev, G. V.; Surin, N. M.; Timashev, P. S.

2015-07-01

Chitosans with various degrees of deacetylation and molecular weights and their allyl substituted derivatives were obtained through a solvent-free reaction under shear deformation in an extruder. Structure and physical-chemical analysis of the samples were carried out using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet (UV) and infrared radiation (IR) spectroscopy. Photosensitive materials based on the synthesized polymers were successfully used for microfabrication of 3D well-defined architectonic structures by laser stereolithography. Study on the metabolic activity of NCTC L929 cultured in the presence of the cured chitosan extracts indicates that the engineered biomaterials could support adhesion, spreading and growth of adherent-dependent cells, and thus could be considered as biocompatible scaffolds.

Solid state synthesis of chitosan and its unsaturated derivatives for laser microfabrication of 3D scaffolds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akopova, T A; Demina, T S; Istomin, A V; Svidchenko, E A; Cherkaev, G V; Surin, N M; Bagratashvili, V N; Bardakova, K N; Novikov, M M; Selezneva, I I; Timashev, P S

2015-01-01

Chitosans with various degrees of deacetylation and molecular weights and their allyl substituted derivatives were obtained through a solvent-free reaction under shear deformation in an extruder. Structure and physical-chemical analysis of the samples were carried out using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet (UV) and infrared radiation (IR) spectroscopy. Photosensitive materials based on the synthesized polymers were successfully used for microfabrication of 3D well-defined architectonic structures by laser stereolithography. Study on the metabolic activity of NCTC L929 cultured in the presence of the cured chitosan extracts indicates that the engineered biomaterials could support adhesion, spreading and growth of adherent-dependent cells, and thus could be considered as biocompatible scaffolds. (paper)

Highly active thermally stable nanoporous gold catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biener, Juergen; Wittstock, Arne; Biener, Monika M.; Bagge-Hansen, Michael; Baeumer, Marcus; Wichmann, Andre; Neuman, Bjoern

2016-12-20

In one embodiment, a system includes a nanoporous gold structure and a plurality of oxide particles deposited on the nanoporous gold structure; the oxide particles are characterized by a crystalline phase. In another embodiment, a method includes depositing oxide nanoparticles on a nanoporous gold support to form an active structure and functionalizing the deposited oxide nanoparticles.

Adiabatic burst evaporation from bicontinuous nanoporous membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Ichilmann, Sachar; Rücker, Kerstin; Haase, Markus; Enke, Dirk

2015-01-01

Evaporation of volatile liquids from nanoporous media with bicontinuous morphology and pore diameters of a few 10 nm is an ubiquitous process. For example, such drying processes occur during syntheses of nanoporous materials by sol–gel chemistry or by spinodal decomposition in the presence of solvents as well as during solution impregnation of nanoporous hosts with functional guests. It is commonly assumed that drying is endothermic and driven by non-equilibrium partial pressures of the evaporating species in the gas phase. We show that nearly half of the liquid evaporates in an adiabatic mode involving burst-like liquid-to-gas conversions. During single adiabatic burst evaporation events liquid volumes of up to 107 μm3 are converted to gas. The adiabatic liquid-to-gas conversions occur if air invasion fronts get unstable because of the built-up of high capillary pressures. Adiabatic evaporation bursts propagate avalanche-like through the nanopore systems until the air invasion fronts have reached new stable configurations. Adiabatic cavitation bursts thus compete with Haines jumps involving air invasion front relaxation by local liquid flow without enhanced mass transport out of the nanoporous medium and prevail if the mean pore diameter is in the range of a few 10 nm. The results reported here may help optimize membrane preparation via solvent-based approaches, solution-loading of nanopore systems with guest materials as well as routine use of nanoporous membranes with bicontinuous morphology and may contribute to better understanding of adsorption/desorption processes in nanoporous media. PMID:25926406

Electrodeposition at room temperature of amorphous silicon and germanium nanowires in ionic liquid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martineau, F; Namur, K; Mallet, J; Delavoie, F; Troyon, M; Molinari, M [Laboratoire de Microscopies et d' Etude de Nanostructures (LMEN EA3799), Universite de Reims Champagne Ardennes (URCA), Reims Cedex 2 (France); Endres, F, E-mail: michael.molinari@univ-reims.fr [Institute of Particle Technology, Chair of Interface Processes, Clausthal University of Technology, D-36678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)

2009-11-15

The electrodeposition at room temperature of silicon and germanium nanowires from the air- and water-stable ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (P{sub 1,4}) containing SiCl{sub 4} as Si source or GeCl{sub 4} as Ge source is investigated by cyclic voltammetry. By using nanoporous polycarbonate membranes as templates, it is possible to reproducibly grow pure silicon and germanium nanowires of different diameters. The nanowires are composed of pure amorphous silicon or germanium. The nanowires have homogeneous cylindrical shape with a roughness of a few nanometres on the wire surfaces. The nanowires' diameters and lengths well match with the initial membrane characteristics. Preliminary photoluminescence experiments exhibit strong emission in the near infrared for the amorphous silicon nanowires.

Hydrogen storing and electrical properties of hyperbranched polymers-based nanoporous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel Rehim, Mona H.; Ismail, Nahla; Badawy, Abd El-Rahman A.A.; Turky, Gamal

2011-01-01

Highlights: · The hydrogen storage capacity of hyperbranched P-Urea, PAMAM and PAMAM and VO x is studied and electrical properties of the samples are also investigated; the measurements showed complete insulating behavior at hydrogenation measuring temperature. These investigations ensure that the polymer conductivity does not play a role in hydrogen uptake, also hyperbranched polymers are promising materials for hydrogen storage. · Electrical properties measurements for the samples showed complete insulating behavior at hydrogenation measuring temperature. · These investigations ensure that the polymer conductivity does not play a role in hydrogen uptake, also hyperbranched polymers are promising materials for hydrogen storage. - Abstract: Hydrogen storage and electrical properties of different hyperbranched polymer systems beside a nanocomposite are studied. The polymers examined are aliphatic hyperbranched poly urea (P-Urea), polyamide amine (PAMAM) and polyamide amine/vanadium oxide (PAMAM/VO x ) nanocomposite. At 80 K and up to 20 bar hydrogen pressure, the hydrogen storage capacity of hyperbranched P-Urea reached 1.6 wt%, 0.9 wt% in case of PAMAM and 0.6 wt% for VO x . The hydrogen storage capacity significantly enhanced when PAMAM and VO x form a nanocomposite and increased up to 2 wt%. At 298 K and up to 20 bar, all the samples did not show measurable hydrogen uptake. Electrical properties of the samples are also investigated; the measurements showed complete insulating behavior at hydrogenation measuring temperature. These investigations ensure that the polymer conductivity does not play a role in hydrogen uptake, also hyperbranched polymers are promising materials for hydrogen storage.

Silicon micro-fluidic cooling for NA62 GTK pixel detectors

CERN Document Server

Romagnoli, G; Brunel, B; Catinaccio, A; Degrange, J; Mapelli, A; Morel, M; Noel, J; Petagna, P

2015-01-01

Silicon micro-channel cooling is being studied for efficient thermal management in application fields such as high power computing and 3D electronic integration. This concept has been introduced in 2010 for the thermal management of silicon pixel detectors in high energy physics experiments. Combining the versatility of standard micro-fabrication processes with the high thermal efficiency typical of micro-fluidics, it is possible to produce effective thermal management devices that are well adapted to different detector configurations. The production of very thin cooling devices in silicon enables a minimization of material of the tracking sensors and eliminates mechanical stresses due to the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between detectors and cooling systems. The NA62 experiment at CERN will be the first high particle physics experiment that will install a micro-cooling system to perform the thermal management of the three detection planes of its Gigatracker pixel detector.

Solid-State Nanopore

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhishan Yuan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Solid-state nanopore has captured the attention of many researchers due to its characteristic of nanoscale. Now, different fabrication methods have been reported, which can be summarized into two broad categories: “top-down” etching technology and “bottom-up” shrinkage technology. Ion track etching method, mask etching method chemical solution etching method, and high-energy particle etching and shrinkage method are exhibited in this report. Besides, we also discussed applications of solid-state nanopore fabrication technology in DNA sequencing, protein detection, and energy conversion.

Soft contact lens biomaterials from bioinspired phospholipid polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Goda, Tatsuro; Ishihara, Kazuhiko

2006-03-01

Soft contact lens (SCL) biomaterials originated from the discovery of a poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly[HEMA])-based hydrogel in 1960. Incorporation of hydrophilic polymers into poly(HEMA) hydrogels was performed in the 1970-1980s, which brought an increase in the equilibrium water content, leading to an enhancement of the oxygen permeability. Nowadays, the poly(HEMA)-based hydrogels have been applied in disposable SCL. At the same time, high oxygen-permeable silicone hydrogels were produced, which made it possible to continually wear SCL. Recently, numerous trials for improving the water wettability of silicone hydrogels have been performed. However, little attention has been paid to improving their anti-biofouling properties and biocompatibility. Since biomimetic phospholipid polymers possess excellent anti-biofouling properties and biocompatibility they have the potential to play a valuable role in the surface modification of the silicone hydrogel. The representative phospholipid polymers containing a 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) unit suppressed nonspecific protein adsorption, increased cell compatibility and contributed to blood compatible biomaterials. The MPC polymer coating on the silicone hydrogel improved its water wettability and biocompatibility, while maintaining high oxygen permeability compared with the original silicone hydrogel. Furthermore, the newly prepared phospholipid-type intermolecular crosslinker made it possible to synthesize a 100% phospholipid polymer hydrogel that can enhance the anti-biofouling properties and biocompatibility. In this review, the authors discuss how polymer hydrogels should be designed in order to obtain a biocompatible SCL and future perspectives.

Structure-Property Relationships in Polymer Derived Amorphous/Nano-Crystalline Silicon Carbide for Nuclear Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zunjarrao, Suraj C.; Singh, Abhishek K.; Singh, Raman P.

2006-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising candidate for several applications in nuclear reactors owing to its high thermal conductivity, high melting temperature, good chemical stability, and resistance to swelling under heavy ion bombardment. However, fabricating SiC by traditional powder processing route generally requires very high temperatures for pressureless sintering. Polymer derived ceramic materials offer unique advantages such as ability to fabricate net shaped components, incorporate reinforcements and relatively low processing temperatures. Furthermore, for SiC based ceramics fabricated using polymer infiltration process (PIP), the microstructure can be tailored by controlling the processing parameters, to get an amorphous, nanocrystalline or crystalline SiC. In this work, fabrication of polymer derived amorphous and nano-grained SiC is presented and its application as an in-core material is explored. Monolithic SiC samples are fabricated by controlled pyrolysis of allyl-hydrido-poly-carbo-silane (AHPCS) under inert atmosphere. Chemical changes, phase transformations and microstructural changes occurring during the pyrolysis process are studied as a function of the processing temperature. Polymer cross-linking and polymer to ceramic conversion is studied using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) are performed to monitor the mass loss and phase change as a function of temperature. X-ray diffraction studies are done to study the intermediate phases and microstructural changes. Variation in density is carefully monitored as a function of processing temperature. Owing to shrinkage and gas evolution during pyrolysis, precursor derived ceramics are inherently porous and composite fabrication typically involves repeated cycles of polymer re-infiltration and pyrolysis. However, there is a limit to the densification that can be achieved by this method and porosity in the final materials presents

Functionalization of alkyne-terminated thermally hydrocarbonized porous silicon nanoparticles with targeting peptides and antifouling polymers: effect on the human plasma protein adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chang-Fang; Mäkilä, Ermei M; Bonduelle, Colin; Rytkönen, Jussi; Raula, Janne; Almeida, Sérgio; Närvänen, Ale; Salonen, Jarno J; Lecommandoux, Sebastien; Hirvonen, Jouni T; Santos, Hélder A

2015-01-28

Porous silicon (PSi) nanomaterials combine a high drug loading capacity and tunable surface chemistry with various surface modifications to meet the requirements for biomedical applications. In this work, alkyne-terminated thermally hydrocarbonized porous silicon (THCPSi) nanoparticles were fabricated and postmodified using five bioactive molecules (targeting peptides and antifouling polymers) via a single-step click chemistry to modulate the bioactivity of the THCPSi nanoparticles, such as enhancing the cellular uptake and reducing the plasma protein association. The size of the nanoparticles after modification was increased from 176 to 180-220 nm. Dextran 40 kDa modified THCPSi nanoparticles showed the highest stability in aqueous buffer. Both peptide- and polymer-functionalized THCPSi nanoparticles showed an extensive cellular uptake which was dependent on the functionalized moieties presented on the surface of the nanoparticles. The plasma protein adsorption study showed that the surface modification with different peptides or polymers induced different protein association profiles. Dextran 40 kDa functionalized THCPSi nanoparticles presented the least protein association. Overall, these results demonstrate that the "click" conjugation of the biomolecules onto the alkyne-terminated THCPSi nanoparticles is a versatile and simple approach to modulate the surface chemistry, which has high potential for biomedical applications.

Nanopores and nano wires: a challenge for new properties and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legras, R.

2002-01-01

Filling the nanosized holes of polymer membranes with various combinations of metals or conductive polymers can produce nanocomposite materials with tailor-made electrical, magnetic or chemical properties. As sophisticated filter devices, these have many potential applications such as use in shielding microwaves ovens and mobile phones in artificial noses or in lab-on-a-chip. Nanocomposites are materials which contain one or more components in shapes such as cylinders, rods or networks with nano-size dimensions. The enormous versatility of possible combinations of such composites, which can have both electrical conductivity and non-conductivity components, offers a real possibility of obtaining materials that combine metal-like properties with non-metallic characteristics. In addition, changes in the features and type of nanostructured component can substantially affect the composite's electrical and chemical properties. If a thin polymer film such as polycarbonate is bombarded with energetic heavy ions (accelerated by a cyclotron), holes are burned out and after track-etching a membrane is produced. As filters, most membranes rely on several different mechanisms to enhance contaminant removal. Track etched membranes, in contrast, capture particles by simple, direct sieving, so particles larger than the pore size cannot pass through. The existing production technology for these membranes has been significantly enhanced to allow the reliable and reproducible manufacture of nanoporous membranes with nanosized holes. They are currently used within the ultra-filtration market as molecular filters for biological applications such as water purification. Now these polymer membranes can be made with a well-controlled pore size and shape in the form of regular, periodic arrays. The nanopores can be filled with another organic or inorganic material, such, as a polymer or metal. If a different material, such as an electrically conductive polymer, is deposited in the holes

Silicon based multilayer photoelectrodes for photoelectrolysis of water to produce hydrogen from the sun

Science.gov (United States)

Faruque, Faisal

The main objective of this work is to study different materials for the direct photosynthesis of hydrogen from water. A variety of photocatalysts such as titanium dioxide, titanium oxy-nitride, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride are being investigated by others for the clean production of hydrogen for fuel cells and hydrogen economy. Our approach was to deposit suitable metallic regions on photocatalyst nanoparticles to direct the efficient synthesis of hydrogen to a particular site for convenient collection. We studied different electrode metals such as gold, platinum, titanium, palladium, and tungsten. We also studied different solar cell materials such as silicon (p- and n-types), silicon carbide and titanium dioxide semiconductors in order to efficiently generate electrons under illumination. We introduced a novel silicon-based multilayer photosynthesis device to take advantage of suitable properties of silicon and tungsten to efficiently produce hydrogen. The device consisted of a silicon (0.5mm) substrate, a deposited atomic layer of Al2O 3 (1nm), a doped polysilicon (0.1microm), and finally a tungsten nanoporous (5-10nm) layer acting as an interface electrode with water. The Al2O 3 layer was introduced to reduce leakage current and to prevent the spreading of the diffused p-n junction layer between the silicon and doped polysilicon layers. The surface of the photoelectrode was coated with nanotextured tungsten nanopores (TNP), which increased the surface area of the electrodes to the electrolyte, assisting in electron-hole mobility, and acting as a photocatalyst. The reported device exhibited a fill factor (%FF) of 27.22% and solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.03174%. This thesis describes the structures of the device, and offers a characterization and comparison between different photoelectrodes.

Microfabrication and Characterization of an Integrated 3-Axis CMOS-MEMS Accelerometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwei QU

2007-10-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of a monolithically integrated 3-axis CMOS-MEMS accelerometer with a single proof mass. An improved microfabrication process has been developed to solve the structure overheating and particle contamination problems in the plasma etching processes of device fabrication. The whole device is made of bulk silicon except for some short thin films for electrical isolation, allowing large sensing capacitance and flat device structure. A low-noise, low-power amplifier is designed for each axis, which provides 40 dB on-chip amplification and consumes only 1 mW power. Quasi-static and dynamic characterization of the fabricated device has been performed. The measured sensitivities of the lateral- and z-axis accelerometers are 560 mV/g and 320 mV/g, respectively, which can be tuned by simply varying the amplitude of the modulation signal. The over-all noise floors of the lateral- and z-axis are 12 μg/ÖHz and 110 μg/ÖHz, respectively when tested at 200 Hz.

DNA Origami-Graphene Hybrid Nanopore for DNA Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Barati Farimani, Amir; Dibaeinia, Payam; Aluru, Narayana R

2017-01-11

DNA origami nanostructures can be used to functionalize solid-state nanopores for single molecule studies. In this study, we characterized a nanopore in a DNA origami-graphene heterostructure for DNA detection. The DNA origami nanopore is functionalized with a specific nucleotide type at the edge of the pore. Using extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we computed and analyzed the ionic conductivity of nanopores in heterostructures carpeted with one or two layers of DNA origami on graphene. We demonstrate that a nanopore in DNA origami-graphene gives rise to distinguishable dwell times for the four DNA base types, whereas for a nanopore in bare graphene, the dwell time is almost the same for all types of bases. The specific interactions (hydrogen bonds) between DNA origami and the translocating DNA strand yield different residence times and ionic currents. We also conclude that the speed of DNA translocation decreases due to the friction between the dangling bases at the pore mouth and the sequencing DNA strands.

Visual Sensor for Sterilization of Polymer Fixtures Using Embedded Mesoporous Silicon Photonic Crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumeria, Tushar; Wang, Joanna; Chan, Nicole; Harris, Todd J; Sailor, Michael J

2018-01-26

A porous photonic crystal is integrated with a plastic medical fixture (IV connector hub) to provide a visual colorimetric sensor to indicate the presence or absence of alcohol used to sterilize the fixture. The photonic crystal is prepared in porous silicon (pSi) by electrochemical anodization of single crystal silicon, and the porosity and the stop band of the material is engineered such that the integrated device visibly changes color (green to red or blue to green) when infiltrated with alcohol. Two types of self-reporting devices are prepared and their performance compared: the first type involves heat-assisted fusion of a freestanding pSi photonic crystal to the connector end of a preformed polycarbonate hub, forming a composite where the unfilled portion of the pSi film acts as the sensor; the second involves generation of an all-polymer replica of the pSi photonic crystal by complete thermal infiltration of the pSi film and subsequent chemical dissolution of the pSi portion. Both types of sensors visibly change color when wetted with alcohol, and the color reverts to the original upon evaporation of the liquid. The sensor performance is verified using E. coli-infected samples.

Synthesis and characterization of ruthenium-decorated nanoporous platinum materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Xinsheng; Koczkur, Kallum; Chen, Aicheng

2007-01-01

We report on the synthesis of novel three-dimensional nanoporous Pt-Ru bimetallic networks by decorating nanoporous Pt networks with Ru using a hydrothermally assisted precipitating process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the morphology and the composition of the nanoporous Pt-Ru networks formed. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that, after protected annealing treatment, Pt-Ru bimetallic material was formed. The electrocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanoporous Pt-Ru networks was characterized using electrochemical oxidation of methanol as a probe. The electrocatalytic activity of the nanoporous Pt networks significantly increases with the increments of decorated Ru and reaches the highest value with 41% of Ru. The peak current of methanol oxidation on the nanoporous Pt-Ru(41%) bimetallic networks is over 180% higher than that on the nanoporous Pt networks without Ru decoration. This is very desirable for fuel cell development and electrochemical sensor design

Granular activated carbon with grafted nanoporous polymer enhances nanoscale zero-valent iron impregnation and water contaminant removal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mines, Paul D.; Uthuppu, Basil; Thirion, Damien

2018-01-01

Granular activated carbon was customized with a chemical grafting procedure of a nanoporous polymeric network for the purpose of nanoscale zero-valent iron impregnation and subsequent water contaminant remediation. Characterization of the prepared composite material revealed that not only was the...

Microfabrication of crosslinked PTFE by synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yasunori; Yamaguchi, Daichi; Oshima, Akihiro; Washio, Masakazu; Katoh, Takanori; Aoki, Yasushi; Ikeda, Shigetoshi; Tanaka, Shigeru

2003-01-01

Microfabrication of crosslinked polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) using synchrotron radiation (SR) has been demonstrated for production of micro-components applicable to radiation fields. The method of microfabrication was readily capable of obtaining a microstructure with aspect-ratio of 25 made of crosslinked PTFE. The etching rate of crosslinked PTFE was higher than that of non-crosslinked PTFE. The results show that the etching rate of crosslinked PTFE depends only on the degree of crosslinking. The effect of molecular motion on etching process was discussed from temperature dependence on etching rate. Moreover, in order to examine whether any change of chemical structures and crystallinity would be induced by SR-irradiation on PTFE, SR-irradiated PTFE was measured by NMR spectroscopy and DSC analysis. The results showed that the crosslinking reaction of PTFE would be induced by SR-irradiation in the solid state. (author)

State of the art in microfabrication

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmitz, Jurriaan

2014-01-01

In this review paper the state of the art in microfabrication is presented. The focus is on trends in integrated circuit fabrication by mainstream industrial players. The article starts with Moore’s Law, describing its inception as well as the evolution of Moore’s metric of the number of components

Ceramic microfabrication by rapid prototyping process chains

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Ceramic microfabrication by rapid prototyping process chains ... is nearly impossible, shaping has to be done by a replication step in the green, unfired state. ... This process chain combines the fast and inexpensive supply of master models by ...

Photovoltaic cells made from conjugated polymers infiltrated into ordered nanoporous hosts

Science.gov (United States)

Coakley, Kevin M.

Semiconducting (conjugated) polymers have several properties which make them ideal candidates for use in low-cost photovoltaic (PV) cells, including their typically high (105 cm-1) optical absorption coefficients, their ability to be cast from solution using a variety of wet-processing techniques, and the ability to tune their band gap. While most approaches for making conjugated polymer-based PV cells involve randomly intermixing the polymers with electron acceptors that act as sites for exciton dissociation, we have sought to obtain a more optimized morphology of the blended materials through a self-assembly technique. In the first half of this dissertation, we describe our preliminary attempts to make PV cells from conjugated polymers infiltrated into a self-assembled mesoporous titanic (TiO 2) electron acceptor that is ordered on the nanometer length scale. We first present a procedure for fabricating films of mesoporous TiO 2 and then show how its pores can be filled with a conjugated polymer, regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). In these films we have achieved precise control of the morphology of the two materials that has not yet been achieved elsewhere. However, as discussed subsequently, the photovoltaic performance of these films has not yet reached the level achieved by other types of conjugated polymer-based PV cells, with a maximum achieved power efficiency of approximately 0.45%. In the second half of this dissertation, we embark on a more fundamental study of the materials requirements for efficient polymer photovoltaics, including models that show how the maximum achievable power efficiency is limited by energy loss during forward electron transfer, and how the maximum achievable photocurrent is limited by the limiting carrier mobility and back electron transfer. Our modeling suggests that, for a back recombination time constant of 1 mus, a limiting carrier mobility of 10-3--10 -2 cm2/Vs is required in order to achieve a large photocurrent

Side-gated ultrathin-channel nanopore FET sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagi, Itaru; Haga, Takanobu; Ando, Masahiko; Yamamoto, Jiro; Mine, Toshiyuki; Ishida, Takeshi; Hatano, Toshiyuki; Akahori, Rena; Yokoi, Takahide; Anazawa, Takashi; Oura, Takeshi

2016-01-01

A side-gated, ultrathin-channel nanopore FET (SGNAFET) is proposed for fast and label-free DNA sequencing. The concept of the SGNAFET comprises the detection of changes in the channel current during DNA translocation through a nanopore and identifying the four types of nucleotides as a result of these changes. To achieve this goal, both p- and n-type SGNAFETs with a channel thicknesses of 2 or 4 nm were fabricated, and the stable transistor operation of both SGNAFETs in air, water, and a KCl buffer solution were confirmed. In addition, synchronized current changes were observed between the ionic current through the nanopore and the SGNAFET’s drain current during DNA translocation through the nanopore. (paper)

Dye sensitized photovoltaic cells: Attaching conjugated polymers to zwitterionic ruthenium dyes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krebs, Frederik C; Biancardo, M.

2006-01-01

The synthesis of a zwitterionic ruthenium dye that binds to anatase surfaces and has a built-in functionality that allows for the attachment of a conjugated polymer chain is presented. The system was found to adsorb on the surface of anatase anchored by the ruthenium dye. Two types of devices were...... prepared: standard photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells and polymer solar cells. The PEC solar cells employed a sandwich geometry between TiO2 nanoporous photoanodes and Pt counter electrodes using LiI/I-2 in CH3CN as an electrolyte. The polymer solar cells employed planar anatase electrodes...

Computer controlling of writing beam in laser microfabrication of diffractive optics

OpenAIRE

Korolkov, V.; Shimansky, R.; Cherkashin, V.; Denk, D.

2003-01-01

Laser microfabrication of diffractive optics with continuous relief is based on the direct local action of focused laser radiation on the recording material. Control of writing beam parameters (beam power, spot size, waist position) is one of the main tasks in microfabrication using laser writing systems. Method of the control defines the correspondence between the fabricated microrelief of the diffractive optical element and a designed one. Complexity of this task consists in the necessity t...

Dewetting of polymer thin films on modified curved surfaces: preparation of polymer nanoparticles with asymmetric shapes by anodic aluminum oxide templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chih-Ting; Tsai, Chia-Chan; Chu, Chien-Wei; Chi, Mu-Huan; Chung, Pei-Yun; Chen, Jiun-Tai

2018-04-18

We study the dewetting behaviors of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films coated in the cylindrical nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates by thermal annealing. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) are introduced to modify the pore surfaces of the AAO templates to induce the dewetting process. By using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the dewetting-induced morphology transformation from the PMMA thin films to PMMA nanoparticles with asymmetric shapes can be observed. The sizes of the PMMA nanoparticles can be controlled by the original PMMA solution concentrations. The dewetting phenomena on the modified nanopores are explained by taking into account the excess intermolecular interaction free energy (ΔG). This work opens a new possibility for creating polymer nanoparticles with asymmetric shapes in confined geometries.

Hydrogel microfabrication technology toward three dimensional tissue engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fumiki Yanagawa

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The development of biologically relevant three-dimensional (3D tissue constructs is essential for the alternative methods of organ transplantation in regenerative medicine, as well as the development of improved drug discovery assays. Recent technological advances in hydrogel microfabrication, such as micromolding, 3D bioprinting, photolithography, and stereolithography, have led to the production of 3D tissue constructs that exhibit biological functions with precise 3D microstructures. Furthermore, microfluidics technology has enabled the development of the perfusion culture of 3D tissue constructs with vascular networks. In this review, we present these hydrogel microfabrication technologies for the in vitro reconstruction and cultivation of 3D tissues. Additionally, we discuss current challenges and future perspectives of 3D tissue engineering.

TRANSFORMATIONS IN NANO-DIAMONDS WITH FORMATION OF NANO-POROUS SILICON CARBIDE AT HIGH PRESSURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. N. Kovalevsky

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The paper contains investigations on regularities of diamond - silicon carbide composite structure formation at impact-wave excitation. It has been determined that while squeezing a porous blank containing Si (SiC nano-diamond by explosive detonation products some processes are taking place such as diamond nano-particles consolidation, reverse diamond transition into graphite, fragments formation from silicon carbide. A method for obtaining high-porous composites with the presence of ultra-disperse diamond particles has been developed. Material with three-dimensional high-porous silicon-carbide structure has been received due to nano-diamond graphitation at impact wave transmission and plastic deformation. The paper reveals nano-diamonds inverse transformation into graphite and its subsequent interaction with the silicon accompanied by formation of silicon-carbide fragments with dimensions of up to 100 nm.

Porous silicon damage enhanced phosphorus and aluminium gettering of p-type Czochralski silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassen, M.; Ben Jaballah, A.; Hajji, M.; Rahmouni, H.; Selmi, A.; Ezzaouia, H.

2005-01-01

In this work, porous silicon damage (PSD) is presented as a simple sequence for efficient external purification techniques. The method consists of using thin nanoporous p-type silicon on both sides of the silicon substrates with randomly hemispherical voids. Then, two main sample types are processed. In the first type, thin aluminium layers (≥1 μm) are thermally evaporated followed by photo-thermal annealing treatments in N 2 atmosphere at one of several temperatures ranging between 600 and 800 deg. C. In the second type, phosphorus is continually diffused in N 2 /O 2 ambient in a solid phase from POCl 3 solution during heating at one of several temperatures ranging between 750 and 1000 deg. C for 1 h. Hall Effect and Van Der Pauw methods prove the existence of an optimum temperature in the case of phosphorus gettering at 900 deg. C yielding a Hall mobility of about 982 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . However, in the case of aluminium gettering, there is no gettering limit in the as mentioned temperature range. Metal/Si Schottky diodes are elaborated to clarify these improvements. In this study, we demonstrate that enhanced metal solubility model cannot explain the gettering effect. The solid solubility of aluminium is higher than that of P atoms in silicon; however, the device yield confirms the effectiveness of phosphorus as compared to aluminium

Antibacterial activity of zinc oxide-coated nanoporous alumina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skoog, S.A. [Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Box 7115, Raleigh, NC 27695-7115 (United States); Bayati, M.R. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Box 7907, Raleigh, NC 27695-7907 (United States); Petrochenko, P.E. [Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Box 7115, Raleigh, NC 27695-7115 (United States); Division of Biology, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993 (United States); Stafslien, S.; Daniels, J.; Cilz, N. [Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, North Dakota State University, 1805 Research Park Drive, Fargo, ND 58102 (United States); Comstock, D.J.; Elam, J.W. [Energy Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Narayan, R.J., E-mail: roger_narayan@msn.com [Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Box 7115, Raleigh, NC 27695-7115 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Box 7907, Raleigh, NC 27695-7907 (United States)

2012-07-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Atomic layer deposition was used to deposit ZnO on nanoporous alumina membranes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Scanning electron microscopy showed continuous coatings of zinc oxide nanocrystals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Activity against B. subtilis, E. coli, S. aureus, and S. epidermidis was shown. - Abstract: Nanoporous alumina membranes, also known as anodized aluminum oxide membranes, are being investigated for use in treatment of burn injuries and other skin wounds. In this study, atomic layer deposition was used for coating the surfaces of nanoporous alumina membranes with zinc oxide. Agar diffusion assays were used to show activity of zinc oxide-coated nanoporous alumina membranes against several bacteria found on the skin surface, including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. On the other hand, zinc oxide-coated nanoporous alumina membranes did not show activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans. These results suggest that zinc oxide-coated nanoporous alumina membranes have activity against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that are associated with skin colonization and skin infection.

Micro-fabrication of Flexible Coils with Copper Filled Through Polymer Via Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Q S; Zhang, Y; Itoh, T; Maeda, R; Toda, A

2013-01-01

In this work, we present one flexible 3D micro-coil. This 3D micro-coil is successfully prepared in a thin polymer film with a thickness of 120μm. The flexible coil is expected to be used in current sensing and energy harvesting MEMS those require a large deformation degree to wrap target object. A typical micro-machined 3D coil is composed of bottom, vertical and top windings. We firstly adopt through polymer vias (TPVs) and metal filling technology to fabricate the vertical windings. A high-speed copper electrodeposition technology of TPVs is developed to obtain void-free vertical windings

Synthesis of ordered large-scale ZnO nanopore arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, G.Q.; Shen, W.Z.; Zheng, M.J.; Fan, D.H.

2006-01-01

An effective approach is demonstrated for growing ordered large-scale ZnO nanopore arrays through radio-frequency magnetron sputtering deposition on porous alumina membranes (PAMs). The realization of highly ordered hexagonal ZnO nanopore arrays benefits from the unique properties of ZnO (hexagonal structure, polar surfaces, and preferable growth directions) and PAMs (controllable hexagonal nanopores and localized negative charges). Further evidence has been shown through the effects of nanorod size and thermal treatment of PAMs on the yielded morphology of ZnO nanopore arrays. This approach opens the possibility of creating regular semiconducting nanopore arrays for the application of filters, sensors, and templates

Linear electro-optical behavior of hybrid nanocomposites based on silicon carbide nanocrystals and polymer matrices

Science.gov (United States)

Bouclé, J.; Kassiba, A.; Makowska-Janusik, M.; Herlin-Boime, N.; Reynaud, C.; Desert, A.; Emery, J.; Bulou, A.; Sanetra, J.; Pud, A. A.; Kodjikian, S.

2006-11-01

An electro-optical activity has been recently reported for hybrid nanocomposite thin films where inorganic silicon carbide nanocrystals (ncSiC) are incorporated into polymer matrices. The role of the interface SiC polymer is suggested as the origin of the observed second order nonlinear optical susceptibility in the hybrid materials based on poly-(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) or poly-( N -vinylcarbazole) matrices. In this work, we report an analysis of the electro-optical response of this hybrid system as a function of the ncSiC content and surface state in order to precise the interface effect in the observed phenomenon. Two specific ncSiC samples with similar morphology and different surface states are incorporated in the PMMA matrix. The effective Pockels parameters of the corresponding hybrid nanocomposites have been estimated up to 7.59±0.74pm/V ( 1wt.% of ncSiC in the matrix). The interfacial region ncSiC polymer is found to play the main role in the observed effect. Particularly, the electronic defects on the ncSiC nanocrystal surface modify the interfacial electrical interactions between the two components. The results are interpreted and discussed on the basis of the strong influence of these active centers in the interfacial region at the nanoscale, which are found to monitor the local hyperpolarizabilities and the macroscopic nonlinear optical susceptibilities. This approach allows us to complete the description and understanding of the electro-optical response in the hybrid SiC /polymer systems.

Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer deposition in cylindrical nanopores.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazzara, Thomas D; Lau, K H Aaron; Abou-Kandil, Ahmed I; Caminade, Anne-Marie; Majoral, Jean-Pierre; Knoll, Wolfgang

2010-07-27

Layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes within nanopores in terms of the pore size and the ionic strength was experimentally studied. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes, which have aligned, cylindrical, nonintersecting pores, were used as a model nanoporous system. Furthermore, the AAO membranes were also employed as planar optical waveguides to enable in situ monitoring of the LbL process within the nanopores by optical waveguide spectroscopy (OWS). Structurally well-defined N,N-disubstituted hydrazine phosphorus-containing dendrimers of the fourth generation, with peripherally charged groups and diameters of approximately 7 nm, were used as the model polyelectrolytes. The pore diameter of the AAO was varied between 30-116 nm and the ionic strength was varied over 3 orders of magnitude. The dependence of the deposited layer thickness on ionic strength within the nanopores is found to be significantly stronger than LbL deposition on a planar surface. Furthermore, deposition within the nanopores can become inhibited even if the pore diameter is much larger than the diameter of the G4-polyelectrolyte, or if the screening length is insignificant relative to the dendrimer diameter at high ionic strengths. Our results will aid in the template preparation of polyelectrolyte multilayer nanotubes, and our experimental approach may be useful for investigating theories regarding the partitioning of nano-objects within nanopores where electrostatic interactions are dominant. Furthermore, we show that the enhanced ionic strength dependence of polyelectrolyte transport within the nanopores can be used to selectively deposit a LbL multilayer atop a nanoporous substrate.

Characterization of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silicon substrate comparative with polymer substrate for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moldovan, Carmen; Mihailescu, Carmen; Stan, Dana; Ruta, Lavinia; Iosub, Rodica; Gavrila, Raluca; Purica, Munizer; Vasilica, Schiopu

2009-01-01

This article presents the characterization of two substrates, silicon and polymer coated with gold, that are functionalized by mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in order to efficiently immobilize the anti-Escherichia coli O157:H7 polyclonal purified antibody. A biosurface functionalized by SAMs (self-assembled monolayers) technique has been developed. Immobilization of goat anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody was performed by covalently bonding of thiolate mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) realized on two substrates: polymer coated with gold and silicon coated with gold. The F(ab') 2 fragments of the antibodies have been used for eliminating nonspecific bindings between the Fc portions of antibodies and the Fc receptor on cells. The properties of the monolayers and the biofilm formatted with attached antibody molecules were analyzed at each step using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). In our study the gold-coated silicon substrates approach yielded the best results. These experimental results revealed the necessity to investigate each stage of the immobilization process taking into account in the same time the factors that influence the chemistry of the surface and the further interactions as well and also provide a solid basis for further studies aiming at elaborating sensitive and specific immunosensor or a microarray for the detection of E. coli O157:H7.

Characterization of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silicon substrate comparative with polymer substrate for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moldovan, Carmen, E-mail: carmen.moldovan@imt.ro [National Institute for R and D in Microtechnologies, IMT-Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae, 077190 Bucharest (Romania); Mihailescu, Carmen, E-mail: carmen_mihail28@yahoo.com [University of Bucharest, 90-92 Sos Panduri, Bucharest (Romania); Stan, Dana, E-mail: dana_stan2005@yahoo.com [DDS Diagnostic, 1 Segovia Street, Bucharest (Romania); Ruta, Lavinia, E-mail: laviniacoco@yahoo.com [University of Bucharest, 90-92 Sos Panduri, Bucharest (Romania); Iosub, Rodica, E-mail: rodica.iosub@imt.ro [National Institute for R and D in Microtechnologies, IMT-Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae, 077190 Bucharest (Romania); Gavrila, Raluca, E-mail: raluca.gavrila@imt.ro [National Institute for R and D in Microtechnologies, IMT-Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae, 077190 Bucharest (Romania); Purica, Munizer, E-mail: munizer.purica@imt.ro [National Institute for R and D in Microtechnologies, IMT-Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae, 077190 Bucharest (Romania); Vasilica, Schiopu, E-mail: vasilica.schiopu@imt.ro [National Institute for R and D in Microtechnologies, IMT-Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae, 077190 Bucharest (Romania)

2009-08-30

This article presents the characterization of two substrates, silicon and polymer coated with gold, that are functionalized by mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in order to efficiently immobilize the anti-Escherichia coli O157:H7 polyclonal purified antibody. A biosurface functionalized by SAMs (self-assembled monolayers) technique has been developed. Immobilization of goat anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody was performed by covalently bonding of thiolate mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) realized on two substrates: polymer coated with gold and silicon coated with gold. The F(ab'){sub 2} fragments of the antibodies have been used for eliminating nonspecific bindings between the Fc portions of antibodies and the Fc receptor on cells. The properties of the monolayers and the biofilm formatted with attached antibody molecules were analyzed at each step using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). In our study the gold-coated silicon substrates approach yielded the best results. These experimental results revealed the necessity to investigate each stage of the immobilization process taking into account in the same time the factors that influence the chemistry of the surface and the further interactions as well and also provide a solid basis for further studies aiming at elaborating sensitive and specific immunosensor or a microarray for the detection of E. coli O157:H7.

Translocation of a polymer through a nanopore across a viscosity gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

de Haan, Hendrick W; Slater, Gary W

2013-04-01

The translocation of a polymer through a pore in a membrane separating fluids of different viscosities is studied via several computational approaches. Starting with the polymer halfway, we find that as a viscosity difference across the pore is introduced, translocation will predominately occur towards one side of the membrane. These results suggest an intrinsic pumping mechanism for translocation across cell walls which could arise whenever the fluid across the membrane is inhomogeneous. Somewhat surprisingly, the sign of the preferred direction of translocation is found to be strongly dependent on the simulation algorithm: for Langevin dynamics (LD) simulations, a bias towards the low viscosity side is found while for Brownian dynamics (BD), a bias towards the high viscosity is found. Examining the translocation dynamics in detail across a wide range of viscosity gradients and developing a simple force model to estimate the magnitude of the bias, the LD results are demonstrated to be more physically realistic. The LD results are also compared to those generated from a simple, one-dimensional random walk model of translocation to investigate the role of the internal degrees of freedom of the polymer and the entropic barrier. To conclude, the scaling of the results across different polymer lengths demonstrates the saturation of the directional preference with polymer length and the nontrivial location of the maximum in the exponent corresponding to the scaling of the translocation time with polymer length.

Nanoparticle mechanics: deformation detection via nanopore resistive pulse sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Darvish, Armin; Goyal, Gaurav; Aneja, Rachna; Sundaram, Ramalingam V. K.; Lee, Kidan; Ahn, Chi Won; Kim, Ki-Bum; Vlahovska, Petia M.; Kim, Min Jun

2016-07-01

Solid-state nanopores have been widely used in the past for single-particle analysis of nanoparticles, liposomes, exosomes and viruses. The shape of soft particles, particularly liposomes with a bilayer membrane, can greatly differ inside the nanopore compared to bulk solution as the electric field inside the nanopores can cause liposome electrodeformation. Such deformations can compromise size measurement and characterization of particles, but are often neglected in nanopore resistive pulse sensing. In this paper, we investigated the deformation of various liposomes inside nanopores. We observed a significant difference in resistive pulse characteristics between soft liposomes and rigid polystyrene nanoparticles especially at higher applied voltages. We used theoretical simulations to demonstrate that the difference can be explained by shape deformation of liposomes as they translocate through the nanopores. Comparing our results with the findings from electrodeformation experiments, we demonstrated that the rigidity of liposomes can be qualitatively compared using resistive pulse characteristics. This application of nanopores can provide new opportunities to study the mechanics at the nanoscale, to investigate properties of great value in fundamental biophysics and cellular mechanobiology, such as virus deformability and fusogenicity, and in applied sciences for designing novel drug/gene delivery systems.Solid-state nanopores have been widely used in the past for single-particle analysis of nanoparticles, liposomes, exosomes and viruses. The shape of soft particles, particularly liposomes with a bilayer membrane, can greatly differ inside the nanopore compared to bulk solution as the electric field inside the nanopores can cause liposome electrodeformation. Such deformations can compromise size measurement and characterization of particles, but are often neglected in nanopore resistive pulse sensing. In this paper, we investigated the deformation of various

Microfabrication of biocompatible hydrogels by proton beam writing

Science.gov (United States)

Nagasawa, Naotsugu; Kimura, Atsushi; Idesaki, Akira; Yamada, Naoto; Koka, Masashi; Satoh, Takahiro; Ishii, Yasuyuki; Taguchi, Mitsumasa

2017-10-01

Functionalization of biocompatible materials is expected to be widely applied in biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine fields. Hydrogel has been expected as a biocompatible scaffold which support to keep an organ shape during cell multiplying in regenerative medicine. Therefore, it is important to understanding a surface microstructure (minute shape, depth of flute) and a chemical characteristic of the hydrogel affecting the cell culture. Here, we investigate the microfabrication of biocompatible polymeric materials, such as the water-soluble polysaccharide derivatives hydroxypropyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose, by use of proton beam writing (PBW). These polymeric materials were dissolved thoroughly in pure water using a planetary centrifugal mixer, and a sample sheet (1 mm thick) was formed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Crosslinking to form hydrogels was induced using a 3.0 MeV focused proton beam from the single-ended accelerator at Takasaki Ion Accelerators for Advanced Radiation Application. The aqueous samples were horizontally irradiated with the proton beam through the PET cover film, and then rinsed with deionized water. Microstructured hydrogels were obtained on the PET film using the PBW technique without toxic crosslinking reagents. Cell adhesion and proliferation on the microfabricated biocompatible hydrogels were investigated. Microfabrication of HPC and CMC by the use of PBW is expected to produce new biocompatible materials that can be applied in biological and medical applications.

Performance of a polymer coated silicon microarray for simultaneous detection of food allergen-specific IgE and IgG4.

Science.gov (United States)

Sievers, S; Cretich, M; Gagni, P; Ahrens, B; Grishina, G; Sampson, H A; Niggemann, B; Chiari, M; Beyer, K

2017-08-01

Microarray-based component-resolved diagnostics (CRD) has become an accepted tool to detect allergen-specific IgE sensitization towards hundreds of allergens in parallel from one drop of serum. Nevertheless, specificity and sensitivity as well as a simultaneous detection of allergen-specific IgG 4 , as a potential parameter for tolerance development, remain to be optimized. We applied the recently introduced silicon chip coated with a functional polymer named copoly(DMA-NAS-MAPS) to the simultaneous detection of food allergen-specific IgE and IgG 4 , and compared it with ImmunoCAP and ImmunoCAP ISAC. Inter- and intraslide variation, linearity of signal and working range, sensitivity and application of internal calibrations for IgE and IgG 4 were assessed. Native and recombinant allergenic proteins from hen's egg and cow's milk were spotted on silicon chips coated with copoly(DMA-NAS-MAPS) along with known concentrations for human IgE and IgG 4 . A serum pool and 105 patient samples were assessed quantitatively and semi-quantitatively with the ImmunoCAP and ImmunoCAP ISAC and correlated with IgE- and IgG 4 -specific fluorescence on silicon microarrays. Allergen-specific IgE and IgG 4 were detected in parallel using two fluorescent dyes with no crosstalk. Results from the ImmunoCAP correlated better with microarray fluorescence than with ImmunoCAP ISAC except for the allergen ovomucoid. The working range of the silicon microarray for total hen's egg-specific IgE was comparable to the range of 0.1 to >100 kU A /L of the ImmunoCAP system, whereas for total cow's milk, the silicon microarray was less sensitive. Detectable allergen-specific IgG 4 could be determined only for low concentrations, but still correlated positively with ImmunoCAP results. We confirmed the ability of the polymer coated silicon microarray to be comparably sensitive to the ImmunoCAP ISAC for various food allergens. This suggests that the copoly(DMA-NAS-MAPS) microarray is a low-cost, self

Nanoporous hard data: optical encoding of information within nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Abel; Law, Cheryl Suwen; Pereira, Taj; Losic, Dusan

2016-04-21

Herein, we present a method for storing binary data within the spectral signature of nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. A rationally designed multi-sinusoidal anodisation approach makes it possible to engineer the photonic stop band of nanoporous anodic alumina with precision. As a result, the transmission spectrum of these photonic nanostructures can be engineered to feature well-resolved and selectively positioned characteristic peaks across the UV-visible spectrum. Using this property, we implement an 8-bit binary code and assess the versatility and capability of this system by a series of experiments aiming to encode different information within the nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. The obtained results reveal that the proposed nanosized platform is robust, chemically stable, versatile and has a set of unique properties for data storage, opening new opportunities for developing advanced nanophotonic tools for a wide range of applications, including sensing, photonic tagging, self-reporting drug releasing systems and secure encoding of information.

Meso-/Nanoporous Semiconducting Metal Oxides for Gas Sensor Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Duc Hoa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Development and/or design of new materials and/or structures for effective gas sensor applications with fast response and high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability are very important issues in the gas sensor technology. This critical review introduces our recent progress in the development of meso-/nanoporous semiconducting metal oxides and their applications to gas sensors. First, the basic concepts of resistive gas sensors and the recent synthesis of meso-/nanoporous metal oxides for gas sensor applications are introduced. The advantages of meso-/nanoporous metal oxides are also presented, taking into account the crystallinity and ordered/disordered porous structures. Second, the synthesis methods of meso-/nanoporous metal oxides including the soft-template, hard-template, and temple-free methods are introduced, in which the advantages and disadvantages of each synthetic method are figured out. Third, the applications of meso-/nanoporous metal oxides as gas sensors are presented. The gas nanosensors are designed based on meso-/nanoporous metal oxides for effective detection of toxic gases. The sensitivity, selectivity, and stability of the meso-/nanoporous gas nanosensors are also discussed. Finally, some conclusions and an outlook are presented.

Micro-fabricated flexible PZT cantilever using d33 mode for energy harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Hyunok; Park, Jongcheol; Park, Jae Yeong

2017-12-01

This paper presents a micro-fabricated flexible and curled PZT [Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3] cantilever using d33 piezoelectric mode for vibration based energy harvesting applications. The proposed cantilever based energy harvester consists of polyimide, PZT thin film, and inter-digitated IrOx electrodes. The flexible cantilever was formed using bulk-micromachining on a silicon wafer to integrate it with ICs. The d33 piezoelectric mode was applied to achieve a large output voltage by using inter-digitated electrodes, and the PZT thin film on polyimide layer has a remnant polarization and coercive filed of approximately 2 P r = 47.9 μC/cm2 and 2 E c = 78.8 kV/cm, respectively. The relative dielectric constant was 900. The fabricated micro-electromechanical systems energy harvester generated output voltages of 1.2 V and output power of 117 nW at its optimal resistive load of 6.6 MΩ from its resonant frequency of 97.8 Hz with an acceleration of 5 m/s2.

Simple Stacking Methods for Silicon Micro Fuel Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianmario Scotti

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We present two simple methods, with parallel and serial gas flows, for the stacking of microfabricated silicon fuel cells with integrated current collectors, flow fields and gas diffusion layers. The gas diffusion layer is implemented using black silicon. In the two stacking methods proposed in this work, the fluidic apertures and gas flow topology are rotationally symmetric and enable us to stack fuel cells without an increase in the number of electrical or fluidic ports or interconnects. Thanks to this simplicity and the structural compactness of each cell, the obtained stacks are very thin (~1.6 mm for a two-cell stack. We have fabricated two-cell stacks with two different gas flow topologies and obtained an open-circuit voltage (OCV of 1.6 V and a power density of 63 mW·cm−2, proving the viability of the design.

Covalent organic polymer functionalization of activated carbon surfaces through acyl chloride for environmental clean-up

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mines, Paul D.; Thirion, Damien; Uthuppu, Basil

2017-01-01

Nanoporous networks of covalent organic polymers (COPs) are successfully grafted on the surfaces of activated carbons, through a series of surface modification techniques, including acyl chloride formation by thionyl chloride. Hybrid composites of activated carbon functionalized with COPs exhibit...

Piezoresistance of Silicon and Strained Si0.9Ge0.1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richter, Jacob; Hansen, Ole; Larsen, A. Nylandsted

2005-01-01

We present experimentally obtained results of the piezoresistive effect in p-type silicon and strained Si0.9Ge0.1. Today, strained Si1-xGex is used for high speed electronic devices. This paper investigates if this area of use can be expanded to also cover piezoresistive micro electro mechanical...... systems (MEMS) devices. The measurements are performed on microfabricated test chips where resistors are defined in layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (0 0 1) silicon substrates. A uniaxial stress along the [1 1 0] direction is applied to the chip, with the use of a four point bending fixture....... The investigation covers materials with doping levels of N-A = 10(18) cm(-3) and NA = 1019 cm(-3), respectively. The results show that the pi(66) piezoresistive coefficient in strained Si0.9Ge0.1 is approximately 30% larger than the comparable pi(44) piezoresistive coefficient in silicon at a doping level of N...

Investigation of a nanoconfined, ceramic composite, solid polymer electrolyte

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayasekara, Indumini; Poyner, Mark; Teeters, Dale

2017-01-01

The challenges for further development of lithium rechargeable batteries are finding electrolyte materials that are safe, have mechanical and thermal stability and have sufficiently high ionic conduction. Polymer electrolytes have many of these advantages, but suffer with low ionic conduction. This study involves the use of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes having nanochannels filled with polymer electrolyte to make composite solid electrolytes having ionic conductivity several orders of magnitude higher (10 −4 Ω ‐1 cm −1 ) than non-confined polymer. SEM, ac impedance spectroscopy, temperature dependence studies, XRD, ATR- FTIR and DSC studies were done in order to characterize and understand the behavior of nanoconfined polymer electrolytes. The composite polymer electrolyte was found to be more amorphous with polymer chains aligned in the direction of the nanochannels, which is felt to promote ion conduction. The electrolyte systems, confined in nanoporous membranes, can be used as electrolytes for the fabrication of a room temperature all solid state battery.

Temperature dependent evolution of wrinkled single-crystal silicon ribbons on shape memory polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Yu, Kai; Qi, H Jerry; Xiao, Jianliang

2017-10-25

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) can remember two or more distinct shapes, and thus can have a lot of potential applications. This paper presents combined experimental and theoretical studies on the wrinkling of single-crystal Si ribbons on SMPs and the temperature dependent evolution. Using the shape memory effect of heat responsive SMPs, this study provides a method to build wavy forms of single-crystal silicon thin films on top of SMP substrates. Silicon ribbons obtained from a Si-on-insulator (SOI) wafer are released and transferred onto the surface of programmed SMPs. Then such bilayer systems are recovered at different temperatures, yielding well-defined, wavy profiles of Si ribbons. The wavy profiles are shown to evolve with time, and the evolution behavior strongly depends on the recovery temperature. At relatively low recovery temperatures, both wrinkle wavelength and amplitude increase with time as evolution progresses. Finite element analysis (FEA) accounting for the thermomechanical behavior of SMPs is conducted to study the wrinkling of Si ribbons on SMPs, which shows good agreement with experiment. Merging of wrinkles is observed in FEA, which could explain the increase of wrinkle wavelength observed in the experiment. This study can have important implications for smart stretchable electronics, wrinkling mechanics, stimuli-responsive surface engineering, and advanced manufacturing.

Materials preparation and fabrication of pyroelectric polymer/silicon MOSFET detector arrays. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bloomfield, P.

1992-01-01

The authors have delivered several 64-element linear arrays of pyroelectric elements fully integrated on silicon wafers with MOS readout devices. They have delivered detailed drawings of the linear arrays to LANL. They have processed a series of two inch wafers per submitted design. Each two inch wafer contains two 64 element arrays. After spin-coating copolymer onto the arrays, vacuum depositing the top electrodes, and polarizing the copolymer films so as to make them pyroelectrically active, each wafer was split in half. The authors developed a thicker oxide coating separating the extended gate electrode (beneath the polymer detector) from the silicon. This should reduce its parasitic capacitance and hence improve the S/N. They provided LANL three processed 64 element sensor arrays. Each array was affixed to a connector panel and selected solder pads of the common ground, the common source voltage supply connections, the 64 individual drain connections, and the 64 drain connections (for direct pyroelectric sensing response rather than the MOSFET action) were wire bonded to the connector panel solder pads. This entails (64 + 64 + 1 + 1) = 130 possible bond connections per 64 element array. This report now details the processing steps and the progress of the individual wafers as they were carried through from beginning to end

Nanopore wall-liquid interaction under scope of molecular dynamics study: Review

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukanov, A. A.; Psakhie, S. G.

2017-12-01

The present review is devoted to the analysis of recent molecular dynamics based on the numerical studies of molecular aspects of solid-fluid interaction in nanoscale channels. Nanopore wall-liquid interaction plays the crucial role in such processes as gas separation, water desalination, liquids decontamination, hydrocarbons and water transport in nano-fractured geological formations. Molecular dynamics simulation is one of the most suitable tools to study molecular level effects occurred in such multicomponent systems. The nanopores are classified by their geometry to four groups: nanopore in nanosheet, nanotube-like pore, slit-shaped nanopore and soft-matter nanopore. The review is focused on the functionalized nanopores in boron nitride nanosheets as novel selective membranes and on the slit-shaped nanopores formed by minerals.

Biological Nanopores: Confined Spaces for Electrochemical Single-Molecule Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Chan; Long, Yi-Tao

2018-02-20

Nanopore sensing is developing into a powerful single-molecule approach to investigate the features of biomolecules that are not accessible by studying ensemble systems. When a target molecule is transported through a nanopore, the ions occupying the pore are excluded, resulting in an electrical signal from the intermittent ionic blockade event. By statistical analysis of the amplitudes, duration, frequencies, and shapes of the blockade events, many properties of the target molecule can be obtained in real time at the single-molecule level, including its size, conformation, structure, charge, geometry, and interactions with other molecules. With the development of the use of α-hemolysin to characterize individual polynucleotides, nanopore technology has attracted a wide range of research interest in the fields of biology, physics, chemistry, and nanoscience. As a powerful single-molecule analytical method, nanopore technology has been applied for the detection of various biomolecules, including oligonucleotides, peptides, oligosaccharides, organic molecules, and disease-related proteins. In this Account, we highlight recent developments of biological nanopores in DNA-based sensing and in studying the conformational structures of DNA and RNA. Furthermore, we introduce the application of biological nanopores to investigate the conformations of peptides affected by charge, length, and dipole moment and to study disease-related proteins' structures and aggregation transitions influenced by an inhibitor, a promoter, or an applied voltage. To improve the sensing ability of biological nanopores and further extend their application to a wider range of molecular sensing, we focus on exploring novel biological nanopores, such as aerolysin and Stable Protein 1. Aerolysin exhibits an especially high sensitivity for the detection of single oligonucleotides both in current separation and duration. Finally, to facilitate the use of nanopore measurements and statistical analysis

Surface effects on the mechanical properties of nanoporous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Re; Li Xide; Feng Xiqiao; Qin Qinghua; Liu Jianlin

2011-01-01

Using the theory of surface elasticity, we investigate the mechanical properties of nanoporous materials. The classical theory of porous materials is modified to account for surface effects, which become increasingly important as the characteristic sizes of microstructures shrink to nanometers. First, a refined Timoshenko beam model is presented to predict the effective elastic modulus of nanoporous materials. Then the surface effects on the elastic microstructural buckling behavior of nanoporous materials are examined. In particular, nanoporous gold is taken as an example to illustrate the application of the proposed model. The results reveal that both the elastic modulus and the critical buckling behavior of nanoporous materials exhibit a distinct dependence on the characteristic sizes of microstructures, e.g. the average ligament width.

Surface effects on the mechanical properties of nanoporous materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia Re [School of Power and Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Li Xide; Feng Xiqiao [AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Qin Qinghua [School of Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia); Liu Jianlin, E-mail: fengxq@tsinghua.edu.cn [Department of Engineering Mechanics, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266555 (China)

2011-07-01

Using the theory of surface elasticity, we investigate the mechanical properties of nanoporous materials. The classical theory of porous materials is modified to account for surface effects, which become increasingly important as the characteristic sizes of microstructures shrink to nanometers. First, a refined Timoshenko beam model is presented to predict the effective elastic modulus of nanoporous materials. Then the surface effects on the elastic microstructural buckling behavior of nanoporous materials are examined. In particular, nanoporous gold is taken as an example to illustrate the application of the proposed model. The results reveal that both the elastic modulus and the critical buckling behavior of nanoporous materials exhibit a distinct dependence on the characteristic sizes of microstructures, e.g. the average ligament width.

Conductive polymer and Si nanoparticles composite secondary particles and structured current collectors for high loading lithium ion negative electrode application

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Gao

2017-07-11

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a composition of matter comprising a silicon (Si) nanoparticle coated with a conductive polymer. Another embodiment discloses a method for preparing a composition of matter comprising a plurality of silicon (Si) nanoparticles coated with a conductive polymer comprising providing Si nanoparticles, providing a conductive polymer, preparing a Si nanoparticle, conductive polymer, and solvent slurry, spraying the slurry into a liquid medium that is a non-solvent of the conductive polymer, and precipitating the silicon (Si) nanoparticles coated with the conductive polymer. Another embodiment discloses an anode comprising a current collector, and a composition of matter comprising a silicon (Si) nanoparticle coated with a conductive polymer.

Fiscal 1993 R and D project for industrial science and technology. Report on results of R and D on silicon-based high polymer material; 1993 nendo keisokei kobunshi zairyo no kenkyu kaihtsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-03-01

R and D was conducted on the silicon-based high polymer that are hoped for superior electronic/optical functions and heat/flame-resistant dynamical properties, for the purpose of establishing fundamental technologies such as molecular design, synthesis, material forming and evaluation method, with the fiscal 1993 results summarized. In the synthesis of electrically conductive silicon-based polymeric materials, a concept of indirect doping was presented, revealing that workability and electrically conductive properties were enhanced by additives. In the synthesis of new silicon-based polymeric materials capable of circuit plotting, studies were made on Si-Si bond forming reaction of alkoxydisilanes as well as on the correlation between polysilane skeleton structure and its property. In the synthesis of new silicon-based polymeric materials having for example a light-emitting function, evaluation was made on synthesis and light emitting property concerning the compound that controlled the silicon skeleton structure. In addition, R and D was conducted on the precision synthesis technology of compounds, on which manifestation of photoelectric conversion function was expected. Further, research was done on unsaturated and high coordination organosilicic compound, functionality of silicon-based high polymer, and synthesis/polymerization of silicon monomer. (NEDO)

Study of drug release and tablet characteristics of silicone adhesive matrix tablets.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolia, Gaurav; Li, S Kevin

2012-11-01

Matrix tablets of a model drug acetaminophen (APAP) were prepared using a highly compressible low glass transition temperature (T(g)) polymer silicone pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) at various binary mixtures of silicone PSA/APAP ratios. Matrix tablets of a rigid high T(g) matrix forming polymer ethyl cellulose (EC) were the reference for comparison. Drug release study was carried out using USP Apparatus 1 (basket), and the relationship between the release kinetic parameters of APAP and polymer/APAP ratio was determined to estimate the excipient percolation threshold. The critical points attributed to both silicone PSA and EC tablet percolation thresholds were found to be between 2.5% and 5% w/w. For silicone PSA tablets, satisfactory mechanical properties were obtained above the polymer percolation threshold; no cracking or chipping of the tablet was observed above this threshold. Rigid EC APAP tablets showed low tensile strength and high friability. These results suggest that silicone PSA could eliminate issues related to drug compressibility in the formulation of directly compressed oral controlled release tablets of poorly compressible drug powder such as APAP. No routinely used excipients such as binders, granulating agents, glidants, or lubricants were required for making an acceptable tablet matrix of APAP using silicone PSA. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Asphaltenes-based polymer nano-composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, III, Daniel E

2013-12-17

Inventive composite materials are provided. The composite is preferably a nano-composite, and comprises an asphaltene, or a mixture of asphaltenes, blended with a polymer. The polymer can be any polymer in need of altered properties, including those selected from the group consisting of epoxies, acrylics, urethanes, silicones, cyanoacrylates, vulcanized rubber, phenol-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, imides, esters, cyanate esters, allyl resins.

Microfabricated pressure and shear stress sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chang (Inventor); Chen, Jack (Inventor); Engel, Jonathan (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A microfabricated pressure sensor. The pressure sensor comprises a raised diaphragm disposed on a substrate. The diaphragm is configured to bend in response to an applied pressure difference. A strain gauge of a conductive material is coupled to a surface of the raised diaphragm and to at least one of the substrate and a piece rigidly connected to the substrate.

Nanopore Electrochemistry: A Nexus for Molecular Control of Electron Transfer Reactions

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Pore-based structures occur widely in living organisms. Ion channels embedded in cell membranes, for example, provide pathways, where electron and proton transfer are coupled to the exchange of vital molecules. Learning from mother nature, a recent surge in activity has focused on artificial nanopore architectures to effect electrochemical transformations not accessible in larger structures. Here, we highlight these exciting advances. Starting with a brief overview of nanopore electrodes, including the early history and development of nanopore sensing based on nanopore-confined electrochemistry, we address the core concepts and special characteristics of nanopores in electron transfer. We describe nanopore-based electrochemical sensing and processing, discuss performance limits and challenges, and conclude with an outlook for next-generation nanopore electrode sensing platforms and the opportunities they present. PMID:29392173

Nanopore Electrochemistry: A Nexus for Molecular Control of Electron Transfer Reactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaiyu Fu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Pore-based structures occur widely in living organisms. Ion channels embedded in cell membranes, for example, provide pathways, where electron and proton transfer are coupled to the exchange of vital molecules. Learning from mother nature, a recent surge in activity has focused on artificial nanopore architectures to effect electrochemical transformations not accessible in larger structures. Here, we highlight these exciting advances. Starting with a brief overview of nanopore electrodes, including the early history and development of nanopore sensing based on nanopore-confined electrochemistry, we address the core concepts and special characteristics of nanopores in electron transfer. We describe nanopore-based electrochemical sensing and processing, discuss performance limits and challenges, and conclude with an outlook for next-generation nanopore electrode sensing platforms and the opportunities they present.

Microfabrication, separations, and detection by mass spectrometry on ultrathin-layer chromatography plates prepared via the low-pressure chemical vapor deposition of silicon nitride onto carbon nanotube templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanyal, Supriya S; Häbe, Tim T; Cushman, Cody V; Dhunna, Manan; Roychowdhury, Tuhin; Farnsworth, Paul B; Morlock, Gertrud E; Linford, Matthew R

2015-07-24

Microfabrication of ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) plates via conformal deposition of silicon nitride by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition onto patterned carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffolds was demonstrated. After removal of the CNTs and hydroxylation, the resulting UTLC phase showed no expansion or distortion of their microfeatures and the absence/reduction of remaining nitrogenic species. Developing time of a mixture of lipophilic dyes on this UTLC plates was 86% shorter than on high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates. A water-soluble food dye mixture was also separated resulting in low band broadening and reduced developing time compared to HPTLC. For the latter example, mobile phase optimization on a single UTLC plate consisted of 14 developments with different mobile phases, each preceded by a plate prewashing step. The same plate was again reused for additional 11 separations under varying conditions resulting in a development procedure with a mean separation efficiency of 233,000theoretical plates/m and a reduced mobile phase consumption of only 400μL. This repeated use proved the physical robustness of the ultrathin layer and its resistance to damage. The layer was highly suited for hyphenation to ambient mass spectrometry, including desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry imaging and direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

About possible mechanisms of current transfer in the bio-polymer - semiconductor heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlov, A.A.; Dosmailov, M.A.; Karibaeva, M.K.; Kenshinbaev, N.K.; Kokanbaev, M.; Uristembekov, B.B.; Tynyshtykbaev, K.B.

2003-01-01

Earlier by the bio-polymer films deposition on silicon the bio-polymer - semiconductor heterostructures were created. The influence of silicon surface atoms on self-organization processes in these bio-molecules were studied. Particularly the silicon - bio-cholesterol aqueous solution and the silicon - bio-chlorophyll aqueous solution spectral photo-sensitivity were considered. In this case the of photo-response broadening in the spectral photo-sensitivity short-wave part of these systems have been observed. The similar broadening is explained by both the passivation of surface recombination centers by OH-groups and the anti-reflecting properties of aqueous solutions. Besides it is possible the additional charge carriers generation caused by quasi-inter-zone transfers in the bio-polymers depending on electron-conformation properties of macromolecules. In the paper the possible mechanisms of current transfer in the bio-polymer - semiconductor heterostructure are discussed

Nanoporous layered silicate AMH-3/cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for gas separations

KAUST Repository

Kim, Wun-gwi

2013-08-01

Nanoporous layered silicate/polymer composite membranes are of interest because they can exploit the high aspect ratio of exfoliated selective flakes/layers to enhance molecular sieving and create a highly tortuous transport path for the slower molecules. In this work, we combine membrane synthesis, detailed microstructural characterization, and mixed gas permeation measurements to demonstrate that nanoporous flake/polymer membranes allows significant improvement in gas permeability while maintaining selectivity. We begin with the primary-amine-intercalated porous layered silicate SAMH-3 and show that it can be exfoliated using a high shear rate generated by a high-speed mixer. The exfoliated SAMH-3 flakes were used to form SAMH-3/cellulose acetate (CA) membranes. Their microstructure was analyzed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), revealing a high degree of exfoliation of AMH-3 layers in the CA membrane with a small number of layers (4-8) in the exfoliated flakes. TEM analysis visualized the thickness of the flakes as 15-30nm, and is consistent with the SAXS analysis. The CO2/CH4 gas separation performance of the CA membrane was significantly increased by incorporating only 2-6wt% of SAMH-3 flakes. There was a large increase in CO2 permeability with maintenance of selectivity. This cannot be explained by conventional models of transport in flake-containing membranes, and indicates complex transport paths in the membrane. It is also in contrast to the much higher loadings of isotropic particles required for similar enhancements. The present approach may allow avoidance of particle aggregation and poor interfacial adhesion associated with larger quantities of inorganic fillers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Nanoporous-carbon adsorbers for chemical microsensors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Overmyer, Donald L.; Siegal, Michael P.; Staton, Alan W.; Provencio, Paula Polyak; Yelton, William Graham

2004-11-01

Chemical microsensors rely on partitioning of airborne chemicals into films to collect and measure trace quantities of hazardous vapors. Polymer sensor coatings used today are typically slow to respond and difficult to apply reproducibly. The objective of this project was to produce a durable sensor coating material based on graphitic nanoporous-carbon (NPC), a new material first studied at Sandia, for collection and detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC), toxic industrial chemicals (TIC), chemical warfare agents (CWA) and nuclear processing precursors (NPP). Preliminary studies using NPC films on exploratory surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices and as a {micro}ChemLab membrane preconcentrator suggested that NPC may outperform existing, irreproducible coatings for SAW sensor and {micro}ChemLab preconcentrator applications. Success of this project will provide a strategic advantage to the development of a robust, manufacturable, highly-sensitive chemical microsensor for public health, industrial, and national security needs. We use pulsed-laser deposition to grow NPC films at room-temperature with negligible residual stress, and hence, can be deposited onto nearly any substrate material to any thickness. Controlled deposition yields reproducible NPC density, morphology, and porosity, without any discernable variation in surface chemistry. NPC coatings > 20 {micro}m thick with density < 5% that of graphite have been demonstrated. NPC can be 'doped' with nearly any metal during growth to provide further enhancements in analyte detection and selectivity. Optimized NPC-coated SAW devices were compared directly to commonly-used polymer coated SAWs for sensitivity to a variety of VOC, TIC, CWA and NPP. In every analyte, NPC outperforms each polymer coating by multiple orders-of-magnitude in detection sensitivity, with improvements ranging from 103 to 108 times greater detection sensitivity! NPC-coated SAW sensors appear capable of detecting most analytes

Streaming current magnetic fields in a charged nanopore

Science.gov (United States)

Mansouri, Abraham; Taheri, Peyman; Kostiuk, Larry W.

2016-01-01

Magnetic fields induced by currents created in pressure driven flows inside a solid-state charged nanopore were modeled by numerically solving a system of steady state continuum partial differential equations, i.e., Poisson, Nernst-Planck, Ampere and Navier-Stokes equations (PNPANS). This analysis was based on non-dimensional transport governing equations that were scaled using Debye length as the characteristic length scale, and applied to a finite length cylindrical nano-channel. The comparison of numerical and analytical studies shows an excellent agreement and verified the magnetic fields density both inside and outside the nanopore. The radially non-uniform currents resulted in highly non-uniform magnetic fields within the nanopore that decay as 1/r outside the nanopore. It is worth noting that for either streaming currents or streaming potential cases, the maximum magnetic field occurred inside the pore in the vicinity of nanopore wall, as opposed to a cylindrical conductor that carries a steady electric current where the maximum magnetic fields occur at the perimeter of conductor. Based on these results, it is suggested and envisaged that non-invasive external magnetic fields readouts generated by streaming/ionic currents may be viewed as secondary electronic signatures of biomolecules to complement and enhance current DNA nanopore sequencing techniques. PMID:27833119

A Scalable Route to Nanoporous Large-Area Atomically Thin Graphene Membranes by Roll-to-Roll Chemical Vapor Deposition and Polymer Support Casting.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidambi, Piran R; Mariappan, Dhanushkodi D; Dee, Nicholas T; Vyatskikh, Andrey; Zhang, Sui; Karnik, Rohit; Hart, A John

2018-03-28

Scalable, cost-effective synthesis and integration of graphene is imperative to realize large-area applications such as nanoporous atomically thin membranes (NATMs). Here, we report a scalable route to the production of NATMs via high-speed, continuous synthesis of large-area graphene by roll-to-roll chemical vapor deposition (CVD), combined with casting of a hierarchically porous polymer support. To begin, we designed and built a two zone roll-to-roll graphene CVD reactor, which sequentially exposes the moving foil substrate to annealing and growth atmospheres, with a sharp, isothermal transition between the zones. The configurational flexibility of the reactor design allows for a detailed evaluation of key parameters affecting graphene quality and trade-offs to be considered for high-rate roll-to-roll graphene manufacturing. With this system, we achieve synthesis of uniform high-quality monolayer graphene ( I D / I G casting and postprocessing, show size-selective molecular transport with performance comparable to that of membranes made from conventionally synthesized graphene. Therefore, this work establishes the feasibility of a scalable manufacturing process of NATMs, for applications including protein desalting and small-molecule separations.

Nano- and microfabrication for industrial and biomedical applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luttge, R.

2016-01-01

Nano- and Microfabrication for Industrial and Biomedical Applications, Second Edition, focuses on the industrial perspective on micro- and nanofabrication methods, including large-scale manufacturing, the transfer of concepts from lab to factory, process tolerance, yield, robustness, and cost. The

Polyacrylic acid polymer brushes as substrates for the incorporation of anthraquinone derivatives. Unprecedented application of decorated polymer brushes on organocatalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Muelle, Ana Belén; Contreras-Cáceres, Rafael; Oña-Burgos, Pascual; Rodríguez-Dieguez, Antonio; López-Romero, Juan Manuel; Fernández, Ignacio

2018-01-01

The synthesis of amino-terminated anthraquinone derivatives and their incorporation onto polymer brushes for the fabrication of silicon-based nanometric functional coatings are described for the first time. The general process involves the covalent grafting of anthraquinone 1 onto two different polymer-brushes by amidation reactions. They are composed by amino- and carboxy-terminated poly(acrylic acid) chains (PAA-NH2- and PAA-COOH, respectively) tethered by one end to an underlying silicon oxide (SiO2) substrate in a polymer brush configuration. A third substrate is fabricated by UV induced hydrosilylation reaction using undecenoic acid as adsorbate on hydrogen-terminated Si(111) surfaces. One- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), FT-IR, MS and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize anthraquinone 1. Ellipsometric and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements demonstrated the presence of the polymer brushes on the silicon wafers, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study its surface morphology. The covalent linkage between anthraquinone and polymer brushes was proven by XPS and confocal fluorescence microscopy. The resulting surfaces were assayed in the heterogenous organocatalytic transformation of (1H)-indole into 3-benzyl indole with moderate yields but with high recyclability.

Electronic conductance model in constricted MoS{sub 2} with nanopores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarathy, Aditya [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Leburton, Jean-Pierre, E-mail: jleburto@illinois.edu [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

2016-02-01

We describe a self-consistent model for electronic transport in a molybdenum di-sulphide (MoS{sub 2}) layer containing a nanopore in a constricted geometry. Our approach is based on a semi-classical thermionic Poisson-Boltzmann technique using a two-valley model within the effective mass approximation to investigate perturbations caused by the nanopore on the electronic current. In particular, we show that the effect of the nanopore on the conductance is reduced as the nanopore is moved from the center to the layer edges. Our model is applied to the detection of DNA translocating through the nanopore, which reveals current features similar to those as predicted in nanopore graphene layers.

High-Throughput Fabrication of Nanocone Substrates through Polymer Injection Moulding For SERS Analysis in Microfluidic Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Viehrig, Marlitt; Matteucci, Marco; Thilsted, Anil H.

analysis. Metal-capped silicon nanopillars, fabricated through a maskless ion etch, are state-of-the-art for on-chip SERS substrates. A dense cluster of high aspect ratio polymer nanocones was achieved by using high-throughput polymer injection moulding over a large area replicating a silicon nanopillar...... structure. Gold-capped polymer nanocones display similar SERS sensitivity as silicon nanopillars, while being easily integrable into a microfluidic chips....

Influence of nanopore surface charge and magnesium ion on polyadenosine translocation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepoitevin, Mathilde; Bechelany, Mikhael; Janot, Jean-Marc; Balme, Sebastien; Coulon, Pierre Eugène; Cambedouzou, Julien

2015-01-01

We investigate the influence of a nanopore surface state and the addition of Mg 2+ on poly-adenosine translocation. To do so, two kinds of nanopores with a low aspect ratio (diameter ∼3–5 nm, length 30 nm) were tailored: the first one with a negative charge surface and the second one uncharged. It was shown that the velocity and the energy barrier strongly depend on the nanopore surface. Typically if the nanopore and polyA exhibit a similar charge, the macromolecule velocity increases and its global energy barrier of entrance in the nanopore decreases, as opposed to the non-charged nanopore. Moreover, the addition of a divalent chelating cation induces an increase of energy barrier of entrance, as expected. However, for a negative nanopore, this effect is counterbalanced by the inversion of the surface charge induced by the adsorption of divalent cations. (paper)

Evidence for CO₂ reactive adsorption on nanoporous S- and N-doped carbon at ambient conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bandosz, Teresa J. [City College of New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Seredych, Mykola [City College of New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Rodríguez-Castellón, Enrique [Univ. of Malaga (Spain). Dept. of Inorganic Chemistry; Cheng, Yongqiang [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical and Engineering Materials Division; Daemen, Luke L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical and Engineering Materials Division; Ramírez-Cuesta, Anibal J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical and Engineering Materials Division

2015-10-08

CO₂ interactions with nanoporous S- and N-doped polymer-derived carbon and commercial wood-based carbon were investigated in a broad range of conditions. The results showed that during CO₂ adsorption nitrogen and sulfur species as well as water were released from the carbon surface as a result of chemical reactions of the surface groups with CO₂. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments provided the unprecedented ability to characterize very small amounts of CO₂ and H₂O and revealed for the first time their physical/chemical status in the confined space of nanoporous carbons. The results obtained suggest that the reactivity of the carbon surface should be considered when CO₂ storage media are chosen and when CO₂ is used as a probe to determine the microporosity of carbon materials.

Excimer laser decomposition of silicone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laude, L.D.; Cochrane, C.; Dicara, Cl.; Dupas-Bruzek, C.; Kolev, K.

2003-01-01

Excimer laser irradiation of silicone foils is shown in this work to induce decomposition, ablation and activation of such materials. Thin (100 μm) laminated silicone foils are irradiated at 248 nm as a function of impacting laser fluence and number of pulsed irradiations at 1 s intervals. Above a threshold fluence of 0.7 J/cm 2 , material starts decomposing. At higher fluences, this decomposition develops and gives rise to (i) swelling of the irradiated surface and then (ii) emission of matter (ablation) at a rate that is not proportioned to the number of pulses. Taking into consideration the polymer structure and the foil lamination process, these results help defining the phenomenology of silicone ablation. The polymer decomposition results in two parts: one which is organic and volatile, and another part which is inorganic and remains, forming an ever thickening screen to light penetration as the number of light pulses increases. A mathematical model is developed that accounts successfully for this physical screening effect

Linear and nonlinear characterization of low-stress high-confinement silicon-rich nitride waveguides.

Science.gov (United States)

Krückel, Clemens J; Fülöp, Attila; Klintberg, Thomas; Bengtsson, Jörgen; Andrekson, Peter A; Torres-Company, Víctor

2015-10-05

In this paper we introduce a low-stress silicon enriched nitride platform that has potential for nonlinear and highly integrated optics. The manufacturing process of this platform is CMOS compatible and the increased silicon content allows tensile stress reduction and crack free layer growth of 700 nm. Additional benefits of the silicon enriched nitride is a measured nonlinear Kerr coefficient n(2) of 1.4·10(-18) m(2)/W (5 times higher than stoichiometric silicon nitride) and a refractive index of 2.1 at 1550 nm that enables high optical field confinement allowing high intensity nonlinear optics and light guidance even with small bending radii. We analyze the waveguide loss (∼1 dB/cm) in a spectrally resolved fashion and include scattering loss simulations based on waveguide surface roughness measurements. Detailed simulations show the possibility for fine dispersion and nonlinear engineering. In nonlinear experiments we present continuous-wave wavelength conversion and demonstrate that the material does not show nonlinear absorption effects. Finally, we demonstrate microfabrication of resonators with high Q-factors (∼10(5)).

Gassmann Theory Applies to Nanoporous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Gor, Gennady Y.; Gurevich, Boris

2018-01-01

Recent progress in extraction of unconventional hydrocarbon resources has ignited the interest in the studies of nanoporous media. Since many thermodynamic and mechanical properties of nanoscale solids and fluids differ from the analogous bulk materials, it is not obvious whether wave propagation in nanoporous media can be described using the same framework as in macroporous media. Here we test the validity of Gassmann equation using two published sets of ultrasonic measurements for a model nanoporous medium, Vycor glass, saturated with two different fluids, argon, and n-hexane. Predictions of the Gassmann theory depend on the bulk and shear moduli of the dry samples, which are known from ultrasonic measurements and the bulk moduli of the solid and fluid constituents. The solid bulk modulus can be estimated from adsorption-induced deformation or from elastic effective medium theory. The fluid modulus can be calculated according to the Tait-Murnaghan equation at the solvation pressure in the pore. Substitution of these parameters into the Gassmann equation provides predictions consistent with measured data. Our findings set up a theoretical framework for investigation of fluid-saturated nanoporous media using ultrasonic elastic wave propagation.

Nanopore fabricated in pyramidal HfO2 film by dielectric breakdown method

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yifan; Chen, Qi; Deng, Tao; Liu, Zewen

2017-10-01

The dielectric breakdown method provides an innovative solution to fabricate solid-state nanopores on insulating films. A nanopore generation event via this method is considered to be caused by random charged traps (i.e., structural defects) and high electric fields in the membrane. Thus, the position and number of nanopores on planar films prepared by the dielectric breakdown method is hard to control. In this paper, we propose to fabricate nanopores on pyramidal HfO2 films (10-nm and 15-nm-thick) to improve the ability to control the location and number during the fabrication process. Since the electric field intensity gets enhanced at the corners of the pyramid-shaped film, the probability of nanopore occurrence at vertex and edge areas increases. This priority of appearance provides us chance to control the location and number of nanopores by monitoring a sudden irreversible discrete increase in current. The experimental results showed that the probability of nanopore occurrence decreases in an order from the vertex area, the edge area to the side face area. The sizes of nanopores ranging from 30 nm to 10 nm were obtained. Nanopores fabricated on the pyramid-shaped HfO2 film also showed an obvious ion current rectification characteristic, which might improve the nanopore performance as a biomolecule sequencing platform.

Impedance nanopore biosensor: influence of pore dimensions on biosensing performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kant, Krishna; Yu, Jingxian; Priest, Craig; Shapter, Joe G; Losic, Dusan

2014-03-07

Knowledge about electrochemical and electrical properties of nanopore structures and the influence of pore dimensions on these properties is important for the development of nanopore biosensing devices. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of nanopore dimensions (diameter and length) on biosensing performance using non-faradic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Nanoporous alumina membranes (NPAMs) prepared by self-ordered electrochemical anodization of aluminium were used as model nanopore sensing platforms. NPAMs with different pore diameters (25-65 nm) and lengths (4-18 μm) were prepared and the internal pore surface chemistry was modified by covalently attaching streptavidin and biotin. The performance of this antibody nanopore biosensing platform was evaluated using various concentrations of biotin as a model analyte. EIS measurements of pore resistivity and conductivity were carried out for pores with different diameters and lengths. The results showed that smaller pore dimensions of 25 nm and pore lengths up to 10 μm provide better biosensing performance.

Fabrication of Low Noise Borosilicate Glass Nanopores for Single Molecule Sensing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jayesh A Bafna

Full Text Available We show low-cost fabrication and characterization of borosilicate glass nanopores for single molecule sensing. Nanopores with diameters of ~100 nm were fabricated in borosilicate glass capillaries using laser assisted glass puller. We further achieve controlled reduction and nanometer-size control in pore diameter by sculpting them under constant electron beam exposure. We successfully fabricate pore diameters down to 6 nm. We next show electrical characterization and low-noise behavior of these borosilicate nanopores and compare their taper geometries. We show, for the first time, a comprehensive characterization of glass nanopore conductance across six-orders of magnitude (1M-1μM of salt conditions, highlighting the role of buffer conditions. Finally, we demonstrate single molecule sensing capabilities of these devices with real-time translocation experiments of individual λ-DNA molecules. We observe distinct current blockage signatures of linear as well as folded DNA molecules as they undergo voltage-driven translocation through the glass nanopores. We find increased signal to noise for single molecule detection for higher trans-nanopore driving voltages. We propose these nanopores will expand the realm of applications for nanopore platform.

Microfabricated inserts for magic angle coil spinning (MACS wireless NMR spectroscopy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlad Badilita

Full Text Available This article describes the development and testing of the first automatically microfabricated probes to be used in conjunction with the magic angle coil spinning (MACS NMR technique. NMR spectroscopy is a versatile technique for a large range of applications, but its intrinsically low sensitivity poses significant difficulties in analyzing mass- and volume-limited samples. The combination of microfabrication technology and MACS addresses several well-known NMR issues in a concerted manner for the first time: (i reproducible wafer-scale fabrication of the first-in-kind on-chip LC microresonator for inductive coupling of the NMR signal and reliable exploitation of MACS capabilities; (ii improving the sensitivity and the spectral resolution by simultaneous spinning the detection microcoil together with the sample at the "magic angle" of 54.74° with respect to the direction of the magnetic field (magic angle spinning - MAS, accompanied by the wireless signal transmission between the microcoil and the primary circuit of the NMR spectrometer; (iii given the high spinning rates (tens of kHz involved in the MAS methodology, the microfabricated inserts exhibit a clear kinematic advantage over their previously demonstrated counterparts due to the inherent capability to produce small radius cylindrical geometries, thus tremendously reducing the mechanical stress and tearing forces on the sample. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the microfabrication technology, we have designed MACS probes for various Larmor frequencies (194, 500 and 700 MHz testing several samples such as water, Drosophila pupae, adamantane solid and LiCl at different magic angle spinning speeds.

Information Dynamics of a Nonlinear Stochastic Nanopore System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claire Gilpin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Nanopores have become a subject of interest in the scientific community due to their potential uses in nanometer-scale laboratory and research applications, including infectious disease diagnostics and DNA sequencing. Additionally, they display behavioral similarity to molecular and cellular scale physiological processes. Recent advances in information theory have made it possible to probe the information dynamics of nonlinear stochastic dynamical systems, such as autonomously fluctuating nanopore systems, which has enhanced our understanding of the physical systems they model. We present the results of local (LER and specific entropy rate (SER computations from a simulation study of an autonomously fluctuating nanopore system. We learn that both metrics show increases that correspond to fluctuations in the nanopore current, indicating fundamental changes in information generation surrounding these fluctuations.

Additive direct-write microfabrication for MEMS: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Teh, Kwok Siong

2017-12-01

manufacturing technologies, it is possible to fabricate unsophisticated micrometer scale structures at adequate resolutions and precisions using materials that range from polymers, metals, ceramics, to composites. In both academia and industry, direct-write additive manufacturing offers extraordinary promises to revolutionize research and development in microfabrication and MEMS technologies. Importantly, direct-write additive manufacturing could appreciably augment current MEMS fabrication technologies, enable faster design-to-product cycle, empower new paradigms in MEMS designs, and critically, encourage wider participation in MEMS research at institutions or for individuals with limited or no access to cleanroom facilities. This article aims to provide a limited review of the current landscape of direct-write additive manufacturing techniques that are potentially applicable for MEMS microfabrication.

Development of Nanoporous Polymer Membranes by Swift Heavy Ion Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Dinesh, Divya; Predeep, P.

2011-10-01

This study reveals the preparation of conical pores in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by track etching. The polymer membrane is etched from one side by keeping between the clamps of conductivity cell followed by irradiation with swift heavy ion of 197Au. Electrical stopping supports chemical stopping. During etching process current is measured as a function of time till a sharp increase -breakthrough-observed. After etching membranes are thoroughly washed with stopping solution and water. Resultant films are characterized using Optical microscope and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Polymer films with uniform pores can be a cheaper templating material in the fields of photonic crystals and micro- electronics.

Modulation of Molecular Flux Using a Graphene Nanopore Capacitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Shankla, Manish; Aksimentiev, Aleksei

2017-04-20

Modulation of ionic current flowing through nanoscale pores is one of the fundamental biological processes. Inspired by nature, nanopores in synthetic solid-state membranes are being developed to enable rapid analysis of biological macromolecules and to serve as elements of nanofludic circuits. Here, we theoretically investigate ion and water transport through a graphene-insulator-graphene membrane containing a single, electrolyte-filled nanopore. By means of all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the charge state of such a graphene nanopore capacitor can regulate both the selectivity and the magnitude of the nanopore ionic current. At a fixed transmembrane bias, the ionic current can be switched from being carried by an equal mixture of cations and anions to being carried almost exclusively by either cationic or anionic species, depending on the sign of the charge assigned to both plates of the capacitor. Assigning the plates of the capacitor opposite sign charges can either increase the nanopore current or reduce it substantially, depending on the polarity of the bias driving the transmembrane current. Facilitated by the changes of the nanopore surface charge, such ionic current modulations are found to occur despite the physical dimensions of the nanopore being an order of magnitude larger than the screening length of the electrolyte. The ionic current rectification is accompanied by a pronounced electro-osmotic effect that can transport neutral molecules such as proteins and drugs across the solid-state membrane and thereby serve as an interface between electronic and chemical signals.

Inkjet printing technology and conductive inks synthesis for microfabrication techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dang, Mau Chien; Dung Dang, Thi My; Fribourg-Blanc, Eric

2013-01-01

Inkjet printing is an advanced technique which reliably reproduces text, images and photos on paper and some other substrates by desktop printers and is now used in the field of materials deposition. This interest in maskless materials deposition is coupled with the development of microfabrication techniques for the realization of circuits or patterns on flexible substrates for which printing techniques are of primary interest. This paper is a review of some results obtained in inkjet printing technology to develop microfabrication techniques at Laboratory for Nanotechnology (LNT). Ink development, in particular conductive ink, study of printed patterns, as well as application of these to the realization of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on flexible substrates, are presented. (paper)

The influence of polymer topology on pharmacokinetics: differences between cyclic and linear PEGylated poly(acrylic acid) comb polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bo; Jerger, Katherine; Fréchet, Jean M J; Szoka, Francis C

2009-12-16

Water-soluble polymers for the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs passively target solid tumors as a consequence of reduced renal clearance and the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. Elimination of the polymers in the kidney occurs due to filtration through biological nanopores with a hydrodynamic diameter comparable to the polymer. Therefore we have investigated chemical features that may broadly be grouped as "molecular architecture" such as: molecular weight, chain flexibility, number of chain ends and branching, to learn how they impact polymer elimination. In this report we describe the synthesis of four pairs of similar molecular weight cyclic and linear polyacrylic acid polymers grafted with polyethylene glycol (23, 32, 65, 114 kDa) with low polydispersities using ATRP and "click" chemistry. The polymers were radiolabeled with (125)I and their pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution after intravenous injection were determined in normal and C26 adenocarcinoma tumored BALB/c mice. Cyclic polymers above the renal threshold of 30 kDa had a significantly longer elimination time (between 10 and 33% longer) than did the comparable linear polymer (for the 66 kDa cyclic polymer, t(1/2,beta)=35+/-2 h) and a greater area under the serum concentration versus time curve. This resulted in a greater tumor accumulation of the cyclic polymer than the linear polymer counterpart. Thus water-soluble cyclic comb polymers join a growing list of polymer topologies that show greatly extended circulation times compared to their linear counterparts and provide alternative polymer architecture for use as drug carriers.

Performance Enhancement of Silicon Alloy-Based Anodes Using Thermally Treated Poly(amide imide) as a Polymer Binder for High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hwi Soo; Kim, Sang-Hyung; Kannan, Aravindaraj G; Kim, Seon Kyung; Park, Cheolho; Kim, Dong-Won

2016-04-05

The development of silicon-based anodes with high capacity and good cycling stability for next-generation lithium-ion batteries is a very challenging task due to the large volume changes in the electrodes during repeated cycling, which results in capacity fading. In this work, we synthesized silicon alloy as an active anode material, which was composed of silicon nanoparticles embedded in Cu-Al-Fe matrix phases. Poly(amide imide)s, (PAI)s, with different thermal treatments were used as polymer binders in the silicon alloy-based electrodes. A systematic study demonstrated that the thermal treatment of the silicon alloy electrodes at high temperature made the electrodes mechanically strong and remarkably enhanced the cycling stability compared to electrodes without thermal treatment. The silicon alloy electrode thermally treated at 400 °C initially delivered a discharge capacity of 1084 mAh g(-1) with good capacity retention and high Coulombic efficiency. This superior cycling performance was attributed to the strong adhesion of the PAI binder resulting from enhanced secondary interactions, which maintained good electrical contacts between the active materials, electronic conductors, and current collector during cycling. These findings are supported by results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and a surface and interfacial cutting analysis system.

Al2O3 e-Beam Evaporated onto Silicon (100)/SiO2, by XPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Madaan, Nitesh; Kanyal, Supriya S.; Jensen, David S.; Vail, Michael A.; Dadson, Andrew; Engelhard, Mark H.; Samha, Hussein; Linford, Matthew R.

2013-09-25

We report the XPS characterization of a thin film of Al2O3 (35 nm) deposited via e-beam evaporation onto silicon (100). The film was characterized with monochromatic Al Ka radiation. An XPS survey scan, an Al 2p narrow scan, and the valence band spectrum were collected. The Al2O3 thin film is used as a diffusion barrier layer for templated carbon nanotube (CNT) growth in the preparation of microfabricated thin layer chromatography plates.

Nanoporous Pirani sensor based on anodic aluminum oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Gwang-Jae; Kim, Woo Young; Shim, Hyun Bin; Lee, Hee Chul

2016-09-01

A nanoporous Pirani sensor based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) is proposed, and the quantitative relationship between the performance of the sensor and the porosity of the AAO membrane is characterized with a theoretical model. The proposed Pirani sensor is composed of a metallic resistor on a suspended nanoporous membrane, which simultaneously serves as the sensing area and the supporting structure. The AAO membrane has numerous vertically-tufted nanopores, resulting in a lower measurable pressure limit due to both the increased effective sensing area and the decreased effective thermal loss through the supporting structure. Additionally, the suspended AAO membrane structure, with its outer periphery anchored to the substrate, known as a closed-type design, is demonstrated using nanopores of AAO as an etch hole without a bulk micromachining process used on the substrate. In a CMOS-compatible process, a 200 μm × 200 μm nanoporous Pirani sensor with porosity of 25% was capable of measuring the pressure from 0.1 mTorr to 760 Torr. With adjustment of the porosity of the AAO, the measurable range could be extended toward lower pressures of more than one decade compared to a non-porous membrane with an identical footprint.

Polymer waveguides for electro-optical integration in data centers and high-performance computers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dangel, Roger; Hofrichter, Jens; Horst, Folkert; Jubin, Daniel; La Porta, Antonio; Meier, Norbert; Soganci, Ibrahim Murat; Weiss, Jonas; Offrein, Bert Jan

2015-02-23

To satisfy the intra- and inter-system bandwidth requirements of future data centers and high-performance computers, low-cost low-power high-throughput optical interconnects will become a key enabling technology. To tightly integrate optics with the computing hardware, particularly in the context of CMOS-compatible silicon photonics, optical printed circuit boards using polymer waveguides are considered as a formidable platform. IBM Research has already demonstrated the essential silicon photonics and interconnection building blocks. A remaining challenge is electro-optical packaging, i.e., the connection of the silicon photonics chips with the system. In this paper, we present a new single-mode polymer waveguide technology and a scalable method for building the optical interface between silicon photonics chips and single-mode polymer waveguides.

DNA and ion transport through solid-state nanopores

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smeets, R.M.M.

2008-01-01

This thesis describes experimental work on a novel type of devices capable of detecting single-(bio)molecules; nanometer-sized pores, or nanopores. Individual nanopores are placed in between two electrolyte-filled liquid compartments and (bio)molecules are electrophoretically driven through them.

The spatial distribution of microfabric around gravel grains: indicator of till formation processes

Science.gov (United States)

KalväNs, Andis; Saks, Tomas

2010-05-01

Till micromorphology studies in thin sections is an established tool in the field of glacial geology. Often the thin sections are inspected only visually with help of mineralogical microscope. This can lead to subjective interpretation of observed structures. More objective method used in till micromorphology is measurement of apparent microfabric, usually seen as preferred orientation of elongated sand grains. In theses studies only small fraction of elongated sand grains often confined to small area of thin section usually are measured. We present a method for automated measurement of almost all elongated sand grains across the full area of the thin section. Apparently elongated sand grains are measured using simple image analysis tools, the data are processed in a way similar to regular till fabric data and visualised as a grid of rose diagrams. The method allows to draw statistical information about spatial variation of microfabric preferred orientation and fabric strength with resolution as fine as 1 mm. Late Weichselian tills from several sites in Western Latvia were studied and large variations in fabric strength and spatial distribution were observed in macroscopically similar till units. The observed types of microfabric spatial distributions include strong, monomodal and uniform distribution; weak and highly variable in small distances distribution; consistently bimodal distribution and domain-like pattern of preferred sand grain orientation. We suggest that the method can be readily used to identify the basic deformation and sedimentation processes active during the final stages of till formation. It is understood that the microfabric orientation will be significant affected by nearby large particles. The till is highly heterogonous sediment and the source of microfabric perturbations observed in thin section might lie outside the section plane. Therefore we suggest that microfabric distribution around visible sources of perturbation - gravel grains cut

Microencapsulation of silicon cavities using a pulsed excimer laser

KAUST Repository

Sedky, Sherif M.

2012-06-07

This work presents a novel low thermal-budget technique for sealing micromachined cavities in silicon. Cavities are sealed without deposition, similar to the silicon surface-migration sealing process. In contrast to the 1100°C furnace anneal required for the migration process, the proposed technique uses short excimer laser pulses (24ns), focused onto an area of 23mm 2, to locally heat the top few microns of the substrate, while the bulk substrate remains near ambient temperature. The treatment can be applied to selected regions of the substrate, without the need for special surface treatments or a controlled environment. This work investigates the effect of varying the laser pulse energy from 400 mJ cm 2to 800 mJ cm 2, the pulse rate from 1Hz to 50Hz and the pulse count from 200 to 3000 pulses on sealing microfabricated cavities in silicon. An analytical model for the effect of holes on the surface temperature distribution is derived, which shows that much higher temperatures can be achieved by increasing the hole density. A mechanism for sealing the cavities is proposed, which indicates how complete sealing is feasible. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Energy absorption behaviors of nanoporous materials functionalized (NMF) liquids

OpenAIRE

Kim, Tae Wan

2011-01-01

For many decades, people have been actively investigating high-performance energy absorption materials, so as to develop lightweight and small-sized protective and damping devices, such as blast mitigation helmets, vehicle armors, etc. Recently, the high energy absorption efficiency of nanoporous materials functionalized (NMF) liquids has drawn considerable attention. A NMF liquid is usually a liquid suspension of nanoporous particles with large nanopore surface areas (100 - 2,000 m²/g). The ...

Microfabricated Bulk Piezoelectric Transformers

Science.gov (United States)

Barham, Oliver M.

Piezoelectric voltage transformers (PTs) can be used to transform an input voltage into a different, required output voltage needed in electronic and electro- mechanical systems, among other varied uses. On the macro scale, they have been commercialized in electronics powering consumer laptop liquid crystal displays, and compete with an older, more prevalent technology, inductive electromagnetic volt- age transformers (EMTs). The present work investigates PTs on smaller size scales that are currently in the academic research sphere, with an eye towards applications including micro-robotics and other small-scale electronic and electromechanical sys- tems. PTs and EMTs are compared on the basis of power and energy density, with PTs trending towards higher values of power and energy density, comparatively, indicating their suitability for small-scale systems. Among PT topologies, bulk disc-type PTs, operating in their fundamental radial extension mode, and free-free beam PTs, operating in their fundamental length extensional mode, are good can- didates for microfabrication and are considered here. Analytical modeling based on the Extended Hamilton Method is used to predict device performance and integrate mechanical tethering as a boundary condition. This model differs from previous PT models in that the electric enthalpy is used to derive constituent equations of motion with Hamilton's Method, and therefore this approach is also more generally applica- ble to other piezoelectric systems outside of the present work. Prototype devices are microfabricated using a two mask process consisting of traditional photolithography combined with micropowder blasting, and are tested with various output electri- cal loads. 4mm diameter tethered disc PTs on the order of .002cm. 3 , two orders smaller than the bulk PT literature, had the followingperformance: a prototype with electrode area ratio (input area / output area) = 1 had peak gain of 2.3 (+/- 0.1), efficiency of 33 (+/- 0

Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sangmoo

2012-06-13

Recently, hybrid Si/organic solar cells have been studied for low-cost Si photovoltaic devices because the Schottky junction between the Si and organic material can be formed by solution processes at a low temperature. In this study, we demonstrate a hybrid solar cell composed of Si nanocones and conductive polymer. The optimal nanocone structure with an aspect ratio (height/diameter of a nanocone) less than two allowed for conformal polymer surface coverage via spin-coating while also providing both excellent antireflection and light trapping properties. The uniform heterojunction over the nanocones with enhanced light absorption resulted in a power conversion efficiency above 11%. Based on our simulation study, the optimal nanocone structures for a 10 μm thick Si solar cell can achieve a short-circuit current density, up to 39.1 mA/cm 2, which is very close to the theoretical limit. With very thin material and inexpensive processing, hybrid Si nanocone/polymer solar cells are promising as an economically viable alternative energy solution. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sangmoo; Garnett, Erik C.; Wang, Shuang; Yu, Zongfu; Fan, Shanhui; Brongersma, Mark L.; McGehee, Michael D.; Cui, Yi

2012-01-01

Recently, hybrid Si/organic solar cells have been studied for low-cost Si photovoltaic devices because the Schottky junction between the Si and organic material can be formed by solution processes at a low temperature. In this study, we demonstrate a hybrid solar cell composed of Si nanocones and conductive polymer. The optimal nanocone structure with an aspect ratio (height/diameter of a nanocone) less than two allowed for conformal polymer surface coverage via spin-coating while also providing both excellent antireflection and light trapping properties. The uniform heterojunction over the nanocones with enhanced light absorption resulted in a power conversion efficiency above 11%. Based on our simulation study, the optimal nanocone structures for a 10 μm thick Si solar cell can achieve a short-circuit current density, up to 39.1 mA/cm 2, which is very close to the theoretical limit. With very thin material and inexpensive processing, hybrid Si nanocone/polymer solar cells are promising as an economically viable alternative energy solution. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Radiation effects of ion beams on polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tagawa, Seiichi

1993-01-01

Recent progress in the radiation effects of ion beams on polymers are reviewed briefly. Our recent work on the radiation effects of ion beams on polystyrene thin films on silicon wafers and time resolved emission studies on polymers are described. (orig.)

The development of microfabricated biocatalytic fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sasaki, Satoshi; Karube, Isao [University of Tokyo (Japan). Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology

1999-02-01

The production of electricity by biocatalytic fuel cells has been feasible for almost two decades and can produce electric power at a practical level. These fuel cells use immobilized microorganisms or enzymes as catalysts, and glucose as a fuel. A microfabricated enzyme battery has recently been made that is designed to function as a power supply for microsurgery robots or artificial organs. (author)

Molecular sieving through a graphene nanopore: non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Chengzhen Sun; Bofeng Bai

2017-01-01

Two-dimensional graphene nanopores have shown great promise as ultra-permeable molecular sieves based on their size-sieving effects.We design a nitrogen/hydrogen modified graphene nanopore and conduct a transient non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation on its molecular sieving effects.The distinct time-varying molecular crossing numbers show that this special nanopore can efficiently sieve CO2 and H2S molecules from CH4 molecules with high selectivity.By analyzing the molecular structure and pore functionalization-related molecular orientation and permeable zone in the nanopore,density distribution in the molecular adsorption layer on the graphene surface,as well as other features,the molecular sieving mechanisms of graphene nanopores are revealed.Finally,several implications on the design of highly-efficient graphene nanopores,especially for determining the porosity and chemical functionalization,as gas separation membranes are summarized based on the identified phenomena and mechanisms.

A novel and facile strategy for highly flame retardant polymer foam composite materials: Transforming silicone resin coating into silica self-extinguishing layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qian; Zhang, Qian; Zhao, Li; Li, Shi-Neng; Wu, Lian-Bin; Jiang, Jian-Xiong; Tang, Long-Cheng

2017-08-15

In this study, a novel strategy was developed to fabricate highly flame retardant polymer foam composite materials coated by synthesized silicone resin (SiR) polymer via a facile dip-coating processing. Applying the SiR polymer coating, the mechanical property and thermal stability of SiR-coated polymer foam (PSiR) composites are greatly enhanced without significantly altering their structure and morphology. The minimum oxygen concentration to support the combustion of foam materials is greatly increased, i.e. from LOI 14.6% for pure foam to LOI 26-29% for the PSiR composites studied. Especially, adjusting pendant group to SiOSi group ratio (R/Si ratio) of SiRs produces highly flame retardant PSiR composites with low smoke toxicity. Cone calorimetry results demonstrate that 44-68% reduction in the peak heat release rate for the PSiR composites containing different R/Si ratios over pure foam is achieved by the presence of appropriate SiR coating. Digital and SEM images of post-burn chars indicate that the SiR polymer coating can be transformed into silica self-extinguishing porous layer as effective inorganic barrier effect, thus preserving the polymer foam structure from fire. Our results show that the SiR dip-coating technique is a promising strategy for producing flame retardant polymer foam composite materials with improved mechanical properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.