Electro-mechanical switches and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9448219-B2
Application number	US-201313893699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2013
Priority date	Jul 22, 2008
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

One aspect of the invention relates to an ultrathin micro-electromechanical chemical sensing device which uses swelling or straining of a reactive organic material for sensing. In certain embodiments, the device comprises a contact on-off switch chemical sensor. For example, the device can comprises a small gap separating two electrodes, wherein the gap can be closed as a result of the swelling or stressing of an organic polymer coating on one or both sides of the gap. In certain embodiments, the swelling or stressing is due to the organic polymer reacting with a target analyte.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising: a first element having a top and bottom; and a second element having a top and bottom;
wherein the bottom of the first element is positioned facing the top of the second element with a gap therebetween; the bottom of the first element is coated with a polymer having a thickness of between about 0.1 μm and about 500 μm the polymer is electrically conducting or is coated with an electrically conductive material; the top of the second element is electrically insulating and comprises on its surface non-contiguous electrically conducting material connected to at least two electrical leads; and upon contact with an analyte the polymer closes the gap as a result of swelling or stressing of the polymer, thereby electrically connecting the non-contiguous electrically conducting material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the width of the gap is between about 0.1 μm and about 10 μm.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-contiguous electrically conducting material comprises one or more nano- or microfabricated conductive lines.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the nano- or microfabricated conductive lines comprise a conductive material selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, aluminum, iron, steel, brass, bronze, rhodium, iridium, platinum, titanium, mercury, graphite, and alloys thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the nano- or microfabricated conductive lines form a closed circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the nano- or microfabricated conductive lines form an open circuit.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the nano- or microfabricated conductive lines comprise gold.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the nano- or microfabricated conductive lines are interdigitated.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive material is selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, aluminum, iron, steel, brass, bronze, rhodium, iridium, platinum, titanium, mercury, graphite, and alloys thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a micro-battery connected to one of the electrical leads.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising reporting circuitry connected to one of the electrical leads.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an RF transmitter connected to one of the electrical leads.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is selected from polymers and co-polymers comprising one or more of the monomers selected from the group consisting of H 2 C═C(R)X, H 2 C═C(R)C(═O)X, H 2 C═C(R)C(═O)OX, H 2 C═C(R)C(═O)N(R 1 )X, H 2 C═C(R)C(═O)SX, H 2 C═C(R)OC(═O)X, H 2 C═C(R)N(R 1 )C(═O)X, H 2 C═C(R)SC(═O)X, H 2 C═C(R)OX, H 2 C═C(R)N(R 1 )X, H 2 C═C(R)SX, H 2 C═C(R)S(═O)X, and H 2 C═C(R)S(═O) 2 X;
wherein, independently for each occurrence:
X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aralkyl, heteroaralkyl, and —(CH 2 ) n Y;
R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl;
R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, aralkyl, heteroaralkyl, and carboxyl; or R 1 taken together with X and the nitrogen to which they are bound, are —CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 — or —CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 —;
Y is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aralkyl, heteroaralkyl, nitro, halo, hydroxyl, alkyoxy, aryloxy, carboxyl, heteroaryloxy, amino, acylamino, amido, carbamoyl, sulfhydryl, sulfonate, and sulfoxido;
and n is 1-10 inclusive.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is selected from polymers and co-polymers comprising one or more of the monomers selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, p-bromophenyl methacrylate, pentabromophenyl methacrylate, N-vinyl carbazole, p-divinyl benzene, styrene, alpha methyl styrene, 2-chlorostyrene, 3-chlorostyrene, 4-chlorostyrene, 2,3-dichlorostyrene, 2,4-dichlorostyrene, 2,5-dichlorostyrene, 2,6-dichlorostyrene, 3,4-dichlorostyrene, 3,5-dichlorostyrene, 2-bromostyrene, 3-bromostyrene, 4-bromostyrene, 2,3-dibromostyrene, 2,4-dibromostyrene, 2,5-dibromostyrene, 2,6-dibromostyrene, 3,4-dibromostyrene, 3,5-dibromostyrene, methyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, n-pentyl acrylate, n-hexyl acrylate, n-heptyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, perfluorocyclohexylmethyl acrylate, benzyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, Et 3 DMAA (N,N-dimethylacetoacetamide), sec-butyl acrylate, tert-butyl acrylate, isobornyl acrylate, ethylene glycol diacrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, n-pentyl methacrylate, n-hexyl methacrylate, n-heptyl methacrylate, sec-butyl methacrylate, tert-amyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, benzyl methacrylate, isobornyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, methacrylic acid, styrene, alpha-methyl styrene, ortho-methyl styrene, meta-methyl styrene, para-methyl styrene, para-ethyl styrene, 2,4-dimethyl styrene, 2,5-dimethyl styrene, m-divinylbenzene, p-divinylbenzene, vinylimidazole, 1,4-divinyloxybutane, diethylene glycol divinyl ether, 1,5-hexadiene-3,4-diol, methyl trans-cinnamate, N-morpholinoethyl acrylate, 2-morpholinoethyl methacrylate, 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate, 2-sulfoethyl methacrylate, 2-methoxyethyl methacrylate, 2-(tert-butylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate, 2-chloroethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, cyclopentyl methacrylate, 2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-bromoethyl methacrylate, 2-phenylethyl methacrylate, and 4-vinylpyridine.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is selected from polymers and co-polymers comprising one or more of the monomers selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, and 4-vinylpyridine.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a polymer or co-polymer comprising 4-vinylpyridine.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises pendant tryptophan, histidine, β-cyclodextrins, hexafluoropropan-2-ol, or imidazole functional groups.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises a crosslinker.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the crosslinker is selected from the group consisting of di(ethylene glycol) di(vinyl ether), ethyleneglycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate, di-, tri- or tetraethylen-glycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate, allyl acrylate or methacrylate, a C 2 -C 8 -alkylene diacrylate or dimethacrylate, divinyl ether, divinyl sulfone, di- and trivinylbenzene, trimethylolpropane triacrylate or trimethacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate or tetramethacrylate, bisphenol diacrylate or dimethacrylate, methylene bisacrylamide or methylene bismethacrylamide, ethylene bisacrylamide or ethylene bismethacrylamide, and triallyl phthalate or diallyl phthalate.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the crosslinker is di(ethylene glycol) di(vinyl ether).

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first element comprises silicon, silicon nitride, silicon oxide, polystyrene, polyimide, epoxy, polynorbornene, polycyclobutene, polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyphenylene ether, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypyrrole, or polythiophen

Assignees

• Arora William Jay
• Gleason Karen K
• Barbastathis George
• Tenhaeff Wyatt E
• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Arora William Jay
• Gleason Karen K
• Barbastathis George
• Tenhaeff Wyatt E

Classifications

• Y10T436/163333

  Organic [e.g., chemical warfare agents, insecticides, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T436/173076

  Nitrite or nitrate · CPC title

• G01N33/0057 Primary

  Warfare agents or explosives · CPC title

• Y10T436/147777

  Plural nitrogen in the same ring [e.g., barbituates, creatinine, etc.] · CPC title

• G01N27/128

  Microapparatus · CPC title