Controlled alteration of pores using fluid flow and fabrication of articles thereby
AssigneeTufts University
InventorsDavid J. Monk, David R. Walt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to microscopic structures and methods of making and using the structures. A method of forming a microscopic structure of a material includes obtaining a solution (310) containing the material, establishing a flowing stream of the solution (310) in a capillary (104), wherein the capillary (104) has an inner dimension that is smaller than about 300 micrometers, and maintaining the stream until a layer is built up along an inner wall of the capillary (104) from material deposited from the flowing stream, thereby forming a microscopic structure.
Claims47
A method of forming a microscopic structure of a material, the method comprising:
- obtaining a solution containing the material, wherein the material comprises a metal;
- establishing a flowing stream of the solution in a capillary, wherein the capillary has an inner dimension that is smaller than about 300 micrometers;
- and
- maintaining the stream until a layer is built up along an inner wall of the capillary from material deposited from the flowing stream, thereby forming a microscopic structure.
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An apparatus comprising:
- a capillary, wherein the capillary has an inner dimension that is smaller than about 300 micrometers;
- and
- an electrically conductive microelectrode formed within the capillary, wherein the microelectrode has a long dimension and a short dimension and the ratio between the long dimension and the short dimension is greater than about 500.
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33-34. (canceled)
A method of stimulating a sample, the method comprising:
- placing an array of electrically conductive microelectrodes formed with an array of capillaries close to, or in contact with, the sample, wherein each capillary of the array has an inner dimension that is smaller than about 300 micrometers and wherein each microelectrode has a long dimension and a short dimension and the ratio between the long dimension and the short dimension is greater than about 500;
- and
- applying an electrical signal to one or more microelectrodes of the array to stimulate the sample.
(canceled)
A method of analyzing a sample, the method comprising:
- placing an array of electrically conductive microelectrodes formed with an array of capillaries close to, or in contact with, the sample, wherein each capillary of the array has an inner dimension that is smaller than about 300 micrometers and wherein each microelectrode has a long dimension and a short dimension and the ratio between the long dimension and the short dimension is greater than about 500;
- and
- detecting electrical signals generated by the sample and transmitted along one or more of the microelectrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.