Apparatus and methods for contact-printing using electrostatic nanoporous stamps
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsAnastasios John Hart, Sanha Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
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.
Claims29
An apparatus for contact printing using an ink, the apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
- a conductive layer disposed on the substrate;
- a plurality of microstructures disposed on the conductive layer, each microstructure including a porous medium comprising a conductive material;
- and
- a dielectric layer conformally disposed on the plurality of microstructures and configured to electrically insulate the plurality of microstructures from the ink during use.
A method of contact printing using a nanoporous print stamp, the method comprising:
- contacting the nanoporous print stamp with an ink;
- applying a voltage between a conductive layer in the nanoporous print stamp and the ink to load the ink into a dielectric-coated porous medium disposed on the conductive layer based at least in part on an electrostatic force between the nanoporous print stamp and the ink, the dielectric-coated porous medium including a conductive porous medium conformally coated with a dielectric layer;
- contacting the nanoporous print stamp with a target substrate;
- and
- adjusting an amplitude of the voltage between the conductive layer and the ink to release the ink from the nanoporous print stamp and onto the target substrate so as to form a pattern.
An nanoporous print stamp for contact printing using an ink, the stamp comprising:
- a substrate;
- an array of electrodes disposed on the substrate;
- an array of microstructures, each microstructure being disposed on a corresponding electrode in the array of electrodes, each microstructure including a plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes extending from the corresponding electrode, the plurality of carbon nanotubes having:
- (a) a top section having an average pore size of about 100 nm or less, and (b) a lateral size of about 1 μm to about 100 μm;
- and
- a dielectric layer conformally disposed on the array of microstructures and configured to electrically insulate the plurality of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes of each microstructure in the array of microstructures from the ink during use.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.