/pdf/new-approaches-to-nanofabrication-molding-printing-and-other-9d730ga5zp.pdf

New approaches to nanofabrication: molding, printing, and other techniques.

The present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention may be adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/311/5758/208.full.pdf

Stretchable form of single crystal silicon for high performance electronics on rubber substrates

3D nanostructures have attracted much attention because of their unique properties and potential applications. The simplest synthetic route to 3D nanostructures is probably selfassembly, in which ordered aggregates are formed in a spontaneous process. However, it is still a big challenge to develop simple and reliable synthetic methods for hierarchically selfassembled architectures with designed chemical components and controlled morphologies, which strongly affect the properties of nanomaterials. Iron oxides have been extensively studied in diverse fields including catalysis, environment protection, sensors, magnetic storage media, and clinical diagnosis and treatment. Various iron oxide structures, such as nanocrystals, particles, cubes, spindles, rods, wires, tubes, and flakes, have been successfully fabricated by a variety of methods. However, the self-assembly of these low-dimensional building blocks into complex 3D ordered nanostructures is still considerably more difficult. In order to further understand the mechanism of self-organization and expand the applications of iron oxide nanomaterials, self-assembled iron oxide 3D nanostructures need to be explored in more detail. Herein, we report the synthesis of novel 3D flowerlike iron oxide nanostructures by an ethylene glycol (EG)-mediated self-assembly process. Such a method has been adopted previously for the preparation of V2O5 hollow microspheres, [7]

Self‐Assembled 3D Flowerlike Iron Oxide Nanostructures and Their Application in Water Treatment

Self-assembly is a process in which components, either separate or linked, spontaneously form ordered aggregates. Self-assembly can occur with components having sizes from the molecular to the macroscopic, provided that appropriate conditions are met. Although much of the work in self-assembly has focused on molecular components, many of the most interesting applications of self-assembling processes can be found at larger sizes (nanometers to micrometers). These larger systems also offer a level of control over the characteristics of the components and over the interactions among them that makes fundamental investigations especially tractable.

/pdf/beyond-molecules-self-assembly-of-mesoscopic-and-macroscopic-48ms0goz32.pdf

Beyond molecules: Self-assembly of mesoscopic and macroscopic components

▪ Abstract Semiconductor nanowires and nanotubes exhibit novel electronic and optical properties owing to their unique structural one-dimensionality and possible quantum confinement effects in two dimensions. With a broad selection of compositions and band structures, these one-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures are considered to be the critical components in a wide range of potential nanoscale device applications. To fully exploit these one-dimensional nanostructures, current research has focused on rational synthetic control of one-dimensional nanoscale building blocks, novel properties characterization and device fabrication based on nanowire building blocks, and integration of nanowire elements into complex functional architectures. Significant progress has been made in a few short years. This review highlights the recent advances in the field, using work from this laboratory for illustration. The understanding of general nanocrystal growth mechanisms serves as the foundation for the rational sy...

/pdf/semiconductor-nanowires-and-nanotubes-27j4coa812.pdf

Semiconductor nanowires and nanotubes

This report describes the spontaneous folding of flat elastomeric sheets, patterned with magnetic dipoles, into free-standing, 3D objects that are the topological equivalents of spherical shells. The path of the self-assembly is determined by a competition between mechanical and magnetic interactions. The potential of this strategy for the fabrication of 3D electronic devices is demonstrated by generating a simple electrical circuit surrounding a spherical cavity.

/pdf/magnetic-self-assembly-of-three-dimensional-surfaces-from-3gbsj4w6f9.pdf

Magnetic self-assembly of three-dimensional surfaces from planar sheets

Self-assembly—the spontaneous generation of order in systems of components—is ubiquitous in chemistry; in biology, it generates much of the functionality of the living cell. Self-assembly is relatively unused in microfabrication, although it offers opportunities to simplify processes, lower costs, develop new processes, use components too small to be manipulated robotically, integrate components made using incompatible technologies, and generate structures in three dimensions and on curved surfaces. The major limitations to the self-assembly of micrometer- to millimeter-sized components (mesoscale self-assembly) do not seem to be intrinsic, but rather operational: selfassembly can, in fact, be reliable and insensitive to small process variations, but fabricating the small, complex, functional components that future applications may require will necessitate the development of new methodologies. Proof-of-concept experiments in mesoscale self-assembly demonstrate that this technique poses fascinating scientific and technical challenges and offers the potential to provide access to hard-to-fabricate structures.

Making Things by Self-Assembly

Self-assembly is a concept familiar to chemists. In the molecular and nanoscale regimes, it is often used as a strategy in fabricating regular 3D structures—that is, crystals. Self-assembly of components with sizes in the µm-to-mm range is less familiar to chemists; this type of self-assembly may, however, become technologically important in the future. In this size range, self-assembly offers methods to form regular 3D structures from components too small or too numerous to be manipulated by other means, and methods to incorporate function into these structures; it also offers simplicity and economy. This paper focuses on the use of self-assembly to build functional systems of compo- nents with sizes in the range from microns to millimeters. It compares the principles of self- assembly at the molecular and millimeter scales, reviews the possible applications of meso- scale, self-assembled systems, and outlines some of the most important issues in the use of self-assembly to build functional systems.

/pdf/millimeter-scale-self-assembly-and-its-applications-2wi2g1u5og.pdf

Millimeter-scale self-assembly and its applications

This paper introduces a biomimetic strategy for the fabrication of asymmetrical, three-dimensional electronic devices modeled on the folding of a chain of polypeptide structural motifs into a globular protein. Millimeter-size polyhedra—patterned with logic devices, wires, and solder dots—were connected in a linear string by using flexible wire. On self-assembly, the string folded spontaneously into two domains: one functioned as a ring oscillator, and the other one as a shift register. This example demonstrates that biomimetic principles of design and self-organization can be applied to generate multifunctional electronic systems of complex, three-dimensional architecture.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/99/8/4937.full.pdf

Mila Boncheva

Papers

Beyond molecules: Self-assembly of mesoscopic and macroscopic components

Magnetic self-assembly of three-dimensional surfaces from planar sheets

Making Things by Self-Assembly

Millimeter-scale self-assembly and its applications

Biomimetic self-assembly of a functional asymmetrical electronic device