Switchable surfaces
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsJoerg Lahann, Samir S. Mitragotri, Robert S. Langer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A substrate having a surface with reversibly switchable properties. The surface comprises a nanolayer of a material that switches from a first conformation state to a second conformation state when an external stimulus is applied. When the nanolayer is in the first conformation state, the surface is characterized by a first property, and when the nanolayer is in the second conformation state, the surface is characterized by a second property.
Claims70
A method of reversibly modifying a property of a surface, comprising:
- depositing a nanolayer of a material on a substrate;
- and
- applying an external stimulus to the nanolayer, wherein:
- when the stimulus is applied, the nanolayer shifts from a first conformation state to a second conformation state.
A surface with reversibly switchable properties, comprising:
- a nanolayer of a material characterized in that, when an external stimulus is applied, the nanolayer switches from a first conformation state to a second conformation state, wherein,
- when the nanolayer is in the first conformation state, the surface is characterized by a first property, and
- when the nanolayer is in the second conformation state, the surface is characterized by a second property.
A switch for a waveguide disposed at a junction between an incoming waveguide and first and second outgoing waveguides, the switch comprising:
- a chamber having a surface and containing a liquid and a gas and an interface between them, wherein:
- the surface comprises a nanolayer of a material characterized in that, when an external stimulus is applied, the nanolayer shifts from a first conformation state to a second conformation state,
- when the nanolayer has one of the first or second conformation state, light can pass through the liquid from the incoming waveguide to the first outgoing waveguide, and
- when the material has the other of the first or second conformation state, light from the incoming waveguide is reflected off the liquid-gas interface and directed into the second outgoing waveguide.
A substrate having a surface having at least first and second properties, wherein:
- the first property is defined by a surface property of the substrate,
- the second property is defined by a surface property of a nanolayer deposited on the substrate, and
- the surface density of the nanolayer is adapted and constructed such that the interaction with the surface of a chemical entity having a size less than a predetermined size is defined by the first property and the interaction with the surface of a chemical entity having a size greater than the predetermined size is defined by the second property.
A method of reversibly modifying a property of a surface, comprising:
- depositing a nanolayer of a material on at least a first portion of a substrate;
- and
- applying an external stimulus to the nanolayer, wherein:
- when the stimulus is applied, the nanolayer shifts from a first adsorption affinity to a second adsorption affinity, wherein the affinity is for an entity that adsorbs onto the surface.
A substrate having a surface with reversibly switchable properties, the surface comprising:
- a nanolayer of a material characterized in that, when an external stimulus is applied, the nanolayer switches from a first adsorption affinity to a second adsorption affinity, wherein the affinity is for an entity that adsorbs onto the surface.
A self assembled monolayer comprising an area-per-molecule of 6.756 nm2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.