Nanomotor-based patterning of surface microstructures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9352963-B2
Application number	US-201013392521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2010
Priority date	Aug 25, 2009
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

Among other things, methods, systems and apparatus are described for implementing nanomotor-based micro- and nanofabrication. In one aspect, a method of fabricating nanoobjects comprises functionalizing a nanomotor with a reagent. The method also includes controlling a movement of the functionalized nanomotor in a solution containing material to react with the reagent to induce a localized deposition or precipitation of a product onto a surface of a substrate or etching of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating nanomotors, comprising:
functionalizing a nanomotor with a reagent; and
controlling a movement of the functionalized nanomotor in a solution containing material to react with the reagent to induce a localized deposition or precipitation of a product onto a surface of a substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selectively choosing the reagent and a specific reaction to fabricate different microstructures made of different materials.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomotor comprises a self-propelled nanomotor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomotor comprises non-fuel based nanomotor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomotor comprises a fuel based nanomotor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomotor is selected from different nanomotors having different shapes.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the different shapes comprises a sphere or a cylinder.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomotor motion is accomplished using a fuel-based on fuel-less propulsion system.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the fuel-less propulsion system is driven using magnetic or electrical fields.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
propelling the functionalized nanomotor over a controlled path on the surface of the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the reagent includes a peroxidase and the nanomotor includes platinum, nickel, and an alloy comprising gold and silver.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the solution includes aniline and hydrogen peroxide, and the product includes polyaniline (PANI).

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
applying an external magnetic field to steer the functionalized nanomotor over the controlled path.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the nanomotor is structured to include a multi-segmented nanorod, the nanorod including:
an anode segment including a metallic oxidizing material to oxidize an electron donor substance in the solution, a ferromagnetic segment including a ferromagnetic material and coupled to the anode segment to respond to a magnetic field allowing magnetic control of the movement of the nanomotor, and a cathode segment coupled to the ferromagnetic segment and including a metallic reducing material to reduce at least one electron acceptor substance in the solution.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the nanorod further includes a non-metallic redox agent coupled to the anode segment, the cathode segment, or both, to increase a rate of a redox reaction in the solution to propel the nanomotor in the solution.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
applying an external magnetic field to steer the functionalized nanomotor over the controlled path.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the reagent includes a peroxidase and the nanomotor includes platinum and an alloy comprising gold and silver.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the solution includes aniline and hydrogen peroxide, and the product includes polyaniline (PANI).

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized nanomotor is operable in basic pH conditions.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a nanometer scale or a micrometer scale pattern of the product onto the surface of the substrate.

Assignees

• Wang Joseph
• Manesh Kalayil Manian
• Balasubramanian Shankar
• Univ California

Inventors

• Wang Joseph
• Manesh Kalayil Manian
• Balasubramanian Shankar

Classifications

• B05D3/107

  Post-treatment of applied coatings · CPC title

• B05D2350/60

  Adding a layer before coating · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• B05D2401/00

  Form of the coating product, e.g. solution, water dispersion, powders or the like · CPC title

• B05D3/10

  by other chemical means · CPC title