Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sanha Kim

Anastasios John Hart

Karen K Gleason

Hossein Sojoudi

Kevin T Turner

Yijie Jiang

Piran Ravichandran Kidambi

Dhanushkodi Durai Mariappan

An apparatus for manipulating an object includes a substrate, an electrically conductive layer disposed on the substrate, and a porous medium comprising an electrically conductive material. The apparatus also includes a dielectric layer conformally disposed on the porous medium to insulate the porous medium from the object during use. The porosity of the porous medium is about 90% or greater. The adhesive strength of the porous medium is about 1 kPa or lower, and the modulus of the porous medium is about 1 GPa or lower.

Nanocomposite surfaces with electrically switchable adhesion

Methods and apparatus for contacting printing via electrostatic force. In one example, an apparatus for contact printing using an ink includes a substrate, a conductive layer disposed on the substrate, and a group of microstructures disposed on the conductive layer. Each microstructure includes a group of conductive porous medium extending from the conductive layer. The apparatus also includes a dielectric layer conformally disposed on the microstructures and configured to electrically insulate the microstructures from the ink during use. The conductive layer is configured to apply a voltage on the group of microstructures to facilitate the loading and dispensing of ink.

Apparatus and methods for contact-printing using electrostatic nanoporous stamps

Controllable electromechanical adhesive devices including three-dimensional dielectrically-coated microstructures that are mechanically compliant are provided. The microstructures can be controlled to provide tunable electromechanical surface adhesion, allowing for dexterous gripping of microscale and/or macroscale objects. For example, the devices can tune the surface adhesion strength of one or more microstructures without complex mechanical actuation in a wide range of on/off ratios with low voltage. The devices can be configured as a force sensor capable of providing tactile feedback for determining the load applied against the microstructures by the surface of an object. For example, the devices can provide output indicative of changes in an electrical property of one or more microstructures for determining the applied load of an object. The devices can be pixelated or otherwise configured to provide localized force sensing and/or surface adhesion. Related systems and methods for controlling the disclosed electromechanical adhesive devices are also described.

Three-dimensional electromechanical adhesive devices and related systems and methods

Systems, devices, and related methods are disclosed for electromechanical transfer printing of 2D materials disposed on one substrate to another. The printing device can be configured to transfer a 2D material from a source substrate to the target substrate by applying a combination of mechanical and electrostatic forces to facilitate electromechanical adhesion between the 2D material layer and the target substrate. Some embodiments of the printing device can effect direct transfer printing of a 2D material from a source substrate to a target substrate without the use of etchants and adhesives.

Systems and methods for electromechanical transfer printing of two dimensional materials

Methods of printing nanoparticulate ink using nanoporous print stamps are disclosed. A nanoporous print stamp can include a substrate, a patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes disposed on the substrate, and a secondary material disposed on the carbon nanotubes to reduce capillary-induced deformation of the patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes when printing nanoparticulate ink. Some methods include loading a nanoporous print stamp with nanoparticulate colloidal ink such that the nanoparticulate colloidal ink is drawn into microstructures of the patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes via capillary wicking. Nanoparticulate colloidal ink can include nanoparticles dispersed in a solution. The method also includes contacting a nanoporous stamp to a target substrate to form nanoscale contact points between the target substrate and the patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes of the nanoporous print stamp so that nanoparticulate colloidal ink is drawn out of the nanoporous print stamp and onto the target substrate to form a pattern.

Nanoporous stamp printing of nanoparticulate inks

A nanoporous stamp for printing a variety of materials is disclosed. The nanoporous stamp may include a substrate and an array of carbon nanotubes disposed on and attached to the substrate. The array of carbon nanotubes can have an etched top surface and a wettable, nanoporous structure, and may include a coating thereon. The nanoporous stamp can be used in a variety of printing applications, and can print, among other things, colloidal and non-colloidal inks on a variety of substrates with a high degree of accuracy and fidelity.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Sanha Kim