The method and apparatus enable the creation of high aspect ratio structures, which are tall and thin 3D shapes. The process involves depositing a special viscoelastic fluid (a mixture of a volatile solvent and a polymer) on a bottom plate, compressing it with a top plate, and then slowly separating the plates. This separation stretches the fluid and allows a low-viscous fluid to penetrate through small holes in the plates. As the solvent evaporates, the desired tall, thin structures are formed. This technique can be applied to various high-tech applications and allows for precise and complex 3D shapes.
Type of IP
Faculty
Category of Patent
Department
The proposed technology has potential for biomimicry, making it valuable for organ-on-a-chip devices and phantom making industries. Additionally, this technology may enable the creation of 3D metamaterials by stacking multiple high aspect ratio hexagonal wells. Array of microwells in a honeycomb shape could also be useful for spheroid formation applications.
- Cost-effective and Time-efficient: The lithography-less process reduces both the cost and time compared to conventional methods.
- Spontaneous Fabrication: Achieves complex 3D geometries through a simple two-step process of fluid squeezing and separation.
- Scalable for Multi-scale Fabrication: Suitable for creating any array structure with high aspect ratio (HAR) walls across various scales without increasing costs.
- Versatile Applications: Capable of producing diverse patterns, such as honeycomb structures, square lattices, and biomimetic designs, ideal for applications in cell research, drug screening, and tissue engineering.
- Metamaterial Potential: Allows for the creation of 3D metamaterials by stacking multiple high aspect ratio hexagonal wells.
- Innovative Fluid Shaping Method: Involves fluid reorganization of the evaporative polymer solution between two strategically modified plates by simply squeezing and lifting.
- Suitable for Biomimicry: Various human organ having high aspect ratio array geometry which can be mimicked with this proposed fabrication method.
- Cost-effective and Time-efficient: The lithography-less process reduces both the cost and time compared to conventional methods.
- Spontaneous Fabrication: Achieves complex 3D geometries through a simple two-step process of fluid squeezing and separation.
- Scalable for Multi-scale Fabrication: Suitable for creating any array structure with high aspect ratio (HAR) walls across various scales without increasing costs.
- Versatile Applications: Capable of producing diverse patterns, such as honeycomb structures, square lattices, and biomimetic designs, ideal for applications in cell research, drug screening, and tissue engineering.
- Metamaterial Potential: Allows for the creation of 3D metamaterials by stacking multiple high aspect ratio hexagonal wells.
- Innovative Fluid Shaping Method: Involves fluid reorganization of the evaporative polymer solution between two strategically modified plates by simply squeezing and lifting.
- Suitable for Biomimicry: Various human organ having high aspect ratio array geometry which can be mimicked with this proposed fabrication method.
4
Several systems and prototypes for multiple scales have been developed based on this technology and tested in the laboratory successfully.
Biomedical Engineering, Microfabrication, Microfluids device fabrication
- Biomedical Devices: Facilitates the creation of intricate structures for biomedical devices like microfluidic chips and implantable sensors.
- Drug Delivery Systems: Supports the development of controlled-release drug delivery systems for precise and targeted therapy.
- Regenerative Medicine: Enables the fabrication of complex tissue scaffolds and microenvironments for tissue engineering and organ regeneration.