Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Other

William Jay Arora

George Barbastathis

Karen K Gleason

Wyatt E Tenhaeff

Anthony John Nichol

Fernando J Castano

One aspect of the invention relates to an ultrathin micro-electromechanical chemical sensing device which uses swelling or straining of a reactive organic material for sensing. In certain embodiments, the device comprises a contact on-off switch chemical sensor. For example, the device can comprises a small gap separating two electrodes, wherein the gap can be closed as a result of the swelling or stressing of an organic polymer coating on one or both sides of the gap. In certain embodiments, the swelling or stressing is due to the organic polymer reacting with a target analyte.

Electro-mechanical switches and methods of use thereof

An optical structure is provided. The optical structure includes a substrate structure. A photosensitive material layer is positioned on said substrate structure. The photosensitive material layer having uniform periodic geometry and a period length throughout associated with a 2D periodic pattern. The 2D periodic pattern includes a period length greater than the exposing light wavelength and spatial variation in the duty cycle of the features of a mask layer used in the formation of said 2D periodic pattern.

Method of forming a locally periodic 3D structure with larger-scale variation in periodic properties and applications thereof

A passive nanomagnet alignment method is described to self-align a membrane to another surface. The membrane and the surface each have a plurality of nanomagnets patterned on it, wherein the nanomagnets are magnetized based on an applied external magnetic field. The membrane is brought into close proximity and coarse alignment to the surface by a positioning mechanism (e.g., an actuation force), such that the nanomagnets on the membrane attract to and self-align with the nanomagnets on said surface based on the nanomagnet magnetizations.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

William Jay Arora