Intellectual Property Office
Non-Confidential Disclosures
“Micro and NanoFluidic and Sorting Devices Based on Catalytically Produced Electrokinetic Phenomena”
PSU Invention Disclosure No. 3302
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Field of the Invention/Key Words:
Molecular electronics, Nanomachines, Micromachines, fluidic pumps, particle sorting devices, sensors, MEMS roaming vehicles, Nanorods, Nanomotors and Nanorobotics
Links:
Inventor Website
Inventors:
Jeffrey Catchmark, Shyamala Subramanian
Background:
The creation of localized forces capable of directing the movement of nanoscale objects or fluids is fundamental to many applications including active integrated mechanical systems such as MEMS/NEMS, fluidic devices, and sensors. Due to the complexity of fabricating intricate mechanical structures on the nanoscale, methods for producing controlled forces chemically are being explored. It has been shown that spatially localized catalytic reactions can produce forces capable of propelling both nanoscale and microscale objects such as rods, gears and spheres. The generation of these forces and their impact on particle and fluid flow has been examined using a number of model systems.
Invention description:
The disclosed invention relates to the design and fabrication of devices which use catalytically produced ion gradients as a means of producing sustained localized electric fields capable of generating electroosmotic fluid flows and electrophoretic forces which can act on charged particles and molecules. The invention also relates to the use of surface engineering techniques and novel device structures, which are capable of controlling the direction of the catalytically produced electroosmotic fluid flow. Surface modified, self-assembled monolayer compositions have been formed, which control the direction of the electroosmotic fluid flow as referenced above.
Advantages:
- Applications include microfluidics, biomolecule sorting and microPAGE
- Advantages include no moving parts, a microfluidic flow rate which is regulated by a target solution, independent control over the electroosmotic and electrophoretic forces and device fabrication processes compatible with existing volume MEMS manufacturing
Contact:
Matthew Smith
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
The Pennsylvania State University
113 Technology Center
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 863-1122
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail: mds126@psu.edu |
