University of Illinois

Other

Carnegie Mellon University

Ohio State Innovation Foundation

Semprius, Inc.

Seok Kim

Jun Kyu Park

Jeffrey D Eisenhaure

Hohyun Keum

John A Rogers

Etienne Menard

Andrew Evert Carlson

Zining Yang

Metin Sitti

Moonsub Shim

Yiran Jiang

Lawrence A Bergman

Alexander F Vakakis

Sajith M Dharmasena

Hanna Cho

A method of making a bonded polymeric assembly by transfer printing comprises contacting a stamp with a solid-phase ink comprising a photoresist to form an inked stamp, where the solid-phase ink is reversibly bound to the stamp. The inked stamp is aligned with an object comprising the photoresist and is stamped onto the object. The stamp is then removed, thereby transferring the solid-phase ink onto the object. The solid-phase ink is thermally joined with the object. Thus, a bonded polymeric assembly comprising a bonded joint between the solid-phase ink and the object is formed.

Methods of making a bonded assembly and a re-entrant structure, and method of transfer printing a masking layer

A composite dry adhesive includes (a) an adhesive layer comprising a shape memory polymer and (b) a resistive heating layer comprising a shape memory polymer composite on the adhesive layer. The shape memory polymer composite includes conductive particles dispersed in a shape memory polymer matrix, where the conductive particles have a concentration sufficient to form a conductive path through the resistive heating layer.

Composite dry adhesive and methods of making and using a composite dry adhesive

The present disclosure describes one or more embodiment of a method for creating a patterned quantum dot layer. The method includes bringing a patterning stamp in contact with a layer of quantum dots disposed on a substrate, the patterning stamp comprising a patterned photoresist layer disposed on an elastomer layer, such that a portion of the quantum dots in contact with the patterned photoresist layer adheres to the patterning stamp, the portion of the quantum dots being adhered quantum dots. The method also includes peeling the patterning stamp from the substrate with a peeling speed larger than a pre-determined peeling speed to remove the adhered quantum dots from the substrate. A remaining portion of the quantum dots forms a patterned quantum dot layer on the substrate.

Photoresist contact patterning of quantum dot films

A reusable attaching apparatus includes (a) a reversible adhesive comprising a shape memory polymer and (b) a mounting structure bonded to the reversible adhesive. The shape memory polymer has a glass transition temperature (T) and comprises a deformable state at temperatures above the Tand a rigid state at temperatures below the T.

Reusable attaching apparatus and methods of making and using a reusable attaching apparatus

A food cutting apparatus includes first and second guide panels spaced apart from each other at a preset distance, the first and second guide panels each having a plurality of cutting slots formed downwardly at regular interval, defining a plurality of cutting guide paths to guide a cutting knife there-through to cut food products placed between the guide panels into pieces; a cutting board placed between the first and second guide panels, the cutting board having a predetermined width configured to preset the distance of the first and second guide panels by abutting the first and second guide panels against two opposing side faces of the cutting board placed there-between, thereby, enabling the user to slice the placed food products into multiple pieces using a cutting knife introduced to the plural pairs of corresponding cutting slots of the first and second guide panels; and first and second guide posts coupled perpendicularly to the first and second guide so as to guide and position the first and second guide panels at the preset distance there-between. Multiple cutting boards of different widths can be provided to place and cut different amount or rolls of the food products.

Food cutting apparatus

A method for microassembly of heterogeneous materials comprises contacting a stamp with an ink disposed on a donor substrate to form an inked stamp, where the ink is reversibly bound to the stamp. The inked stamp is stamped onto a receiving substrate or onto an object on the receiving substrate, and the stamp is removed, thereby transferring the ink to the receiving substrate. The ink and the receiving substrate or the ink and the object are thermally joined, thereby forming a microassembly of heterogeneous materials. The ink may comprise a first material and the receiving substrate or the object may comprise a second material different from the first material.

Microassembly of heterogeneous materials

A magnetically-responsive surface structure comprises an array of hybrid microstructures on a substrate, where each hybrid microstructure comprises an elastomeric micropillar attached to the substrate and a rigid tile attached to the elastomeric micropillar. The rigid tiles collectively define a discontinuous, changeable surface. The hybrid microstructures further comprise a ferromagnetic material. The elastomeric micropillars are deflectable under a magnetic field so as to alter an orientation of the rigid tiles, thereby allowing a characteristic of the discontinuous, changeable surface to be manipulated.

Magnetically-responsive surface and method of manipulating properties of a surface

A dry adhesive and a method of forming a dry adhesive. The method includes forming an opening through an etch layer and to a barrier layer, expanding the opening in the etch layer at the barrier layer, filling the opening with a material, removing the barrier layer from the material in the opening, and removing the etch layer from the material in the opening.

Dry adhesives and methods for making dry adhesives

In a method of printing a transferable component, a stamp including an elastomeric post having three-dimensional relief features protruding from a surface thereof is pressed against a component on a donor substrate with a first pressure that is sufficient to mechanically deform the relief features and a region of the post between the relief features to contact the component over a first contact area. The stamp is retracted from the donor substrate such that the component is adhered to the stamp. The stamp including the component adhered thereto is pressed against a receiving substrate with a second pressure that is less than the first pressure to contact the component over a second contact area that is smaller than the first contact area. The stamp is then retracted from the receiving substrate to delaminate the component from the stamp and print the component onto the receiving substrate. Related apparatus and stamps are also discussed.

Printing transferable components using microstructured elastomeric surfaces with pressure modulated reversible adhesion

A cantilever system for use in an atomic force microscope (AFM) is disclosed. The cantilever system comprises a base cantilever portion and a paddle connected to the base cantilever portion with one end free to move relative to the base cantilever portion. The base cantilever portion has an effective bending stiffness, k, and the paddle has an effective bending stiffness, k. The ratio of the effective bending stiffness, k, to the bending stiffness, k, is at least greater than 4. Such a cantilever system provides a stable, i.e., invariant contact resonant frequency, independent of the changes in the local contact stiffness.

Cantilever for atomic force microscopy

A method of transfer printing comprises globally heating an array of stamps, where each stamp comprises a shape memory polymer with a light absorbing agent dispersed therein, and pressing the array of stamps to a donor substrate comprising a plurality of inks. Each stamp is thereby compressed from an undeformed adhesion-off configuration to a deformed adhesion-on configuration. The array of stamps is then cooled to rigidize the shape memory polymer and bind the plurality of inks to the stamps in the deformed adhesion-on configuration. The plurality of inks remain bound to the stamps while the array of stamps is positioned in proximity with a receiving substrate. A selected stamp in the array is then locally heated using a concentrated light source. The selected stamp returns to the undeformed adhesion-off configuration, and the ink bound to the selected stamp is released and transfer printed onto the receiving substrate.

Transfer printing using shape memory polymers

A device for manipulating liquid droplets comprises a structured surface including an array of larger pillars and a number of smaller pillars distributed among the larger pillars, where each of the larger pillars comprises a shape memory polymer having a glass transition temperature T. The structured surface has an undeformed initial configuration, and, upon compression of the larger pillars, the structured surface comprises a deformed configuration. The undeformed initial configuration is recoverable from the deformed configuration by heating the shape memory polymer at or above the T. When exposed to a liquid droplet, the structured surface comprises a first wettability in the deformed configuration and a second wettability in the undeformed initial configuration. Thus, the structured surface exhibits a dynamic wettability for manipulating liquid droplets.

Growing community of inventors

Champaign, IL, United States of America

Seok Kim