Stevens Institute of Technology

Eui-Hyeok Yang, Jr

Brendan Englot

Chang-Hwan Choi

Wei Xu

Jian Xu

Vikram Patil

Kitu Kumar

Runzhi Zhang

Ronald Besser

Junjun Ding

Youn-su Kim

Xiaotian Wang

Frank Fisher

Kyung Nam Kang

Kyungnam Kang

Youn-Su Kim

Siwei Chen

Stefan Strauf

Smart membranes are integrated into a small, unmanned surface vessel to enable the efficient, automated cleanup of oil spills. Such a vessel has the potential to provide a low-cost, modular solution for day-to-day oil-spill cleanup operations, especially in confined aquatic areas (e.g., under piers or in the small spaces between marine vessels and piers). The membranes are provided on the surface of a conveyor belt that circulates the membranes through the surrounding body of water for oil collection, as well as through an internal reduction chamber of the vessel for oil release. The smart membranes are adapted to attract and repel oil in response to low-voltage commands applied across the conveyor belt, using a process that is repeatable for a number of cycles, offering high efficiency and long durability. Segments of the conveyor belt can be electrically isolated from one another to allow disparate electrical potentials to be imposed thereon.

In situ oil cleanup and recovery using smart polymer integrated surface vessels

Smart membranes () are integrated into a small, unmanned surface vessel () to enable the efficient, automated cleanup of oil spills. Such a vessel () has the potential to provide a low-cost, modular solution for day-to-day oil-spill cleanup operations, especially in confined aquatic areas, such as under piers and in the small spaces between marine vessels and piers. The smart membranes () are provided on the surface of a conveyor belt () that circulates the membranes () through the surrounding body of water () for oil collection, as well as through an internal reduction chamber () of the vessel () for oil release. The smart membranes () are adapted to attract and repel oil () in response to low-voltage commands applied across the conveyor belt (), using a process that is repeatable for a number of cycles, offering high efficiency and long durability (FIG.).

Flexible and stretchable supercapacitors are made using carbon nanostructures produced by providing a first composite structure which includes a temporary substrate and an array of carbon nanotubes arranged in a stack on a surface of the temporary substrate such that the stack of carbon nanotubes is oriented generally perpendicular to the surface of the temporary substrate, which may include silicon dioxide. The stack of carbon nanotubes is transferred from the temporary substrate to another substrate, which includes a curable polymer, thereby forming another composite structure comprising the stack of carbon nanotubes and the cured polymer.

Stretchable supercapacitors with vertically-aligned embedded carbon nanotubes

Flexible and stretchable electronics, including supercapacitors and pressure sensors, are made using carbon nanostructures produced by providing a first composite structure which includes a temporary substrate and an array of carbon nanotubes arranged in a stack on a surface of the temporary substrate such that the stack of carbon nanotubes is oriented generally perpendicular to the surface of the temporary substrate, which may include silicon dioxide. The stack of carbon nanotubes is transferred from the temporary substrate to another substrate, which includes a curable polymer, thereby forming another composite structure comprising the stack of carbon nanotubes and the cured polymer.

VACNT-based flexible electronics for sensing and capacitance applications

The exemplary embodiments describe techniques for a controlled chemical vapor deposition growth and transfer of arrayed TMD monolayers on predetermined locations, which enable the formation of single crystalline TMD monolayer arrays on specific locations. The unique growth process includes the patterning of transition metal oxide (e.g., MoO) on the source substrate contacting the growth substrate face-to-face, where the growth of single crystalline TMD monolayers with controlled size and location, exclusively on predetermined locations on the growth substrates is accomplished. These TMD arrays can be align-transferred using a unique process that combines the wet and stamping transfer processes onto any target substrate with a pin-point accuracy, which dramatically enhances the integrity of transferred TMDs.

Location-specific growth and transfer of single crystalline TMD monolayer arrays

Graphene-carbon nanotube multi-stack three-dimensional architectures (graphene-CNT stacks) are formed by a 'popcorn-like' growth method, in which carbon nanotubes are grown throughout the architecture in a continuous step. Alternating layers of graphene and a transition metal are grown by a vapor deposition process. The metal is fragmented and etched to form an array of catalytic sites. Carbon nanotubes grow from the catalytic sites in a vapor-solid-liquid process. The graphene-CNT stacks have applications in electrical energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries. The directly grown carbon nanotube array between graphene layers provides ease of ion diffusion and electron transfer, in addition to being an active material, spacer and electron pathway.

Popcorn-like growth of graphene-carbon nanotube multi-stack hybrid three-dimensional architecture for energy storage devices

A method for growing a transition metal dichalcogenide on a substrate, the method including providing a growth substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; providing a source substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; depositing a transition metal oxide on at least a portion of the first side of the source substrate; combining the growth substrate with the source substrate such that the first side of the growth substrate contacts the transition metal oxide, the combining producing a substrate stack; exposing the substrate stack to a chalcogenide gas, whereby the transition metal oxide reacts with the chalcogenide gas to produce a layer of a transition metal dichalcogenide on at least a portion of the first side of the growth substrate; and removing the source substrate from the growth substrate having the layer of the transition metal dichalcogenide thereon.

Direct and pre-patterned synthesis of two-dimensional heterostructures

A method of high-throughput printing and selective transfer of graphene onto a substrate includes the steps of: providing a thermal release tape having graphene adhered thereto; placing a substrate onto the graphene; pressing the thermal tape and the graphene against the substrate at a uniformly-distributed pressure; heating localized portions of the thermal tape and graphene using a localized heat source, thereby diminishing the adhesive properties of the thermal release tape in the localized portions and transferring graphene from said localized portions to the substrate; and separating the thermal release tape from the substrate. The method may include the further step of moving the localized heat source to selected positions on the thermal release tape during the heating step, thereby forming a pattern of heated portions. The method may use a laser beam as the localized heat source, movement of the laser beam being performed by a computer-controlled deflectable mirror.

High-throughput graphene printing and selective transfer using a localized laser heating technique

In a method for adjusting the sensitivity of a photodetector, the bandgap of the photodetection material is adjusted by inducing strain in the photodetection material. Such adjustments can be made in situ and continuously, in a reproducible and repeatable manner. In embodiments of the method, the photodetection material is graphene, carbon nanotubes or graphene nanoribbon. The use of graphene permits a dynamically-adjustable sensitivity over a dynamic range of radiation having wavelengths of 1.38 microns or less, up to at least 60 microns. In an adjustable photodetector, a graphene layer is suspended over a silicon substrate by a layer of an insulating material. Adjusting the voltage across the graphene layer and the silicon substrate induces strain in the graphene layer by electrostatic attraction.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Lee, NJ, United States of America

Eui-Hyeok Yang, Jr