University of Massachusetts

Northeastern University

Joey L Mead

Carol M F Barry

Artee Panwar

Hanna Dodiuk-Kenig

Samuel Kenig

Tehila Nahum

Jason Constantinou

Ahmed Busnaina

Ramaswamy Nagarajan

Julie Chen

Ming Wei

Jinde Zhang

Sharavanan Balasubramaniam

Nischay Kodihalli Shivaprakash

John Shearer

Sagar Mitra

Mary K Herndon

Zhenghong Tao

Alkim Akyurtlu

Shivshankar Sivasubramanian

Mahdi Haghzadeh

Mario J Cazeca

Jungrae Park

Ross G Stacer

Helen S Liu

Methods and systems for manufacturing re-entrant structures, such as the structures exhibiting superomniphobic characteristic, in a continuous, well-controlled, high-rate (mass production, volume) manner are disclosed.

Methods and system for mass production, volume manufacturing of re-entrant structures

An object has a superhydrophic, self-cleaning, and icephobic coating includes a substrate and a layer disposed on the substrate, the layer resulting from coating with a formulation having an effective amount of microstructuring microparticles, liquid silane having one or more groups configured to graft to a microstructuring microparticle and at least another group that results in hydrophobicity. The microstructuring microparticles are dispersed in the liquid silane. Another effective amount of synthetic adhesive, selected from thermosetting adhesives, moisture curing adhesives or polymers that form a strong interaction with a surface, is in solution with a solvent. Upon curing, the layer has a contact angle greater than 90&#xb0; and a sliding angle of less than 10&#xb0; and, less than 5% of an area of the layer is removed in a Tape test.

Methods and formulations for superhydrophic, self-cleaning, and icephobic polymer coatings and objects having coatings thereon

An object has a durable superhydrophic, self-cleaning, and icephobic coating includes a substrate and a layer disposed on the substrate, the layer resulting from coating with a formulation having an effective amount of hierarchical structuring micro/nanoparticles, liquid silane having one or more groups configured to graft to a hierarchical structuring micro/nanoparticle and at least another group that results in hydrophobicity. The hierarchical structuring micro/nanoparticles are dispersed in the liquid silane. Another effective amount of synthetic adhesive, selected from thermosetting binders, moisture curing adhesives or polymers that form a strong interaction with a surface, is in solution with a solvent. Upon curing, the layer has a contact angle greater than 90&#xb0; and a sliding angle of less than 10&#xb0; and, less than 5% of an area of the layer is removed in a Tape test.

Methods and formulations for durable superhydrophic, self-cleaning, and superhydrophobic polymer coatings and objects having coatings thereon

Flexible substrates including a polymer selected from a thermoplastic polymer, a thermoset polymer, and/or a polymer blend, and ferroelectric perovskite-type oxide particles dispersed in the polymer, where the ferroelectric perovskite-type oxide has a dielectric constant that varies with applied voltage. The flexible substrates can be used in tunable electronics.

Flexible functionalized ceramic-polymer based substrates

Wireless strain and displacement sensors wirelessly monitor structural health and integrity, and are made by printing inductor-interdigital capacitor sensing circuits on a variety of substrates, including ceramic substrates, with thermally processable conductive inks. Sensors of the invention can be employed to detect strain and displacement of civil structures, such as bridges and buildings. The sensors include sensing elements that are mounted or printed on stiff, inflexible substrates, which prevent the sensing elements from bending, stretching, or otherwise warping when the sensor is strained. An interlayer between the sensing elements allows the sensing elements to move with respect to each other during application of strain. Thus, strain causes the sensing elements to move but not to deform, causing changes in sensor resonance that can be detected through wireless radio-frequency interrogation. Because the sensing elements do not change shape when under strain, the sensor can undergo millions of measurement cycles before breaking.

Wireless passive radio-frequency strain and displacement sensors

Metal flakes, an organic metal precursor, an organic solvent and either no binder, or a volatile or a thermally decomposable binder are combined to form a paste. The paste is deposited in a circuit pattern on a substrate and the circuit pattern is cured. While curing, the organic metal precursor decomposes to leave an electrically conductive path, and the printed circuit is thus formed. A precursor to an electrically conductive circuit material includes an organic metal precursor, metal microparticles, and an organic solvent. The method can be employed to form printed circuits, for a variety of electrical, electronic and sensing application, such as crack detection in ceramic, plastics, concrete, wood, fabric, leather, rubber or paper and composite materials.

Conductive formulations for use in electrical, electronic and RF applications

Nanoscale patterns prepared by lithography are used to direct the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules to form patterned nanosubstrates having a desired distribution of chemical functional moieties. These patterns can be fabricated over a large area and require no special limitations on the chemistry the assembled amphiphiles. Hydrophilic/hydrophobic patterns can be created and used to direct the deposition of a single functional component to specific regions of the surface or to selectively assemble polymer blends to desired sites in a one step fashion with high specificity and selectivity. The selective deposition of functional moieties on a patterned surface can be based on electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonding, or hydrophobic interactions. The methods and patterned nanosubstrates of the invention can be used in the assembly of functional polymer systems, polyelectrolytes, biomolecules, conducting polymers, colloids and nanoparticles, and find wide technological applications in biosensors, biochips, photonics and electronics.

Patterned nanosubstrates made by directed self assembly of amphiphilic molecules

The present invention provides a method for directed assembly of a conducting polymer. A method of the invention comprises providing a template such as an insulated template and electrophorectically assembling a conducting polymer thereon. Preferably, the template comprises a patterned electrode on which the conducting polymer is assembled. Moreover, the invention provides a method for transferring an assembled conducting polymer. For example, a method of the invention comprises providing a substrate such as a polymeric substrate and contacting a surface thereof with an assembled conducting polymer. The assembled conducting polymer can be disposed on a patterned electrode of a template, hi one embodiment, a method comprises removing the substrate. By removing the substrate, the assembled conducting polymer is transferred from the patterned electrode of the template to the substrate. The invention also provides a device with a template or substrate comprising an assembled conducting polymer.

Directed assembly of a conducting polymer

Materials ranging from impact-modified thermoplastics to thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) can be obtained from blends of phase compatibility-treated recycled thermoset rubber with thermoplastic polymers by varying the ratio of components in the blend, or by changing the components themselves. The rubber component may include carbon black, or other fillers and additives, and it may be selected from among a variety of thermoset rubbers, both natural and synthetic. The thermoset rubber component can be obtained from a rubber material recycled according to a variety of known techniques. The thermoplastic component can be virtually any suitable polymer, the properties of which can be advantageously modified by combination with a rubber. Polyolefins are among the more preferred thermoplastic components.

Thermoplastic elastomers and polymers derived from recycled rubber and plastics

Growing community of inventors

Lowell, MA, United States of America

Joey L Mead