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Photoactuated Pens for Molecular Printing
Zhongjie Huang1, Le Li2, Xu A Zhang1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|December 23, 2017
Summary
Researchers demonstrate photoactuated pens for molecular printing using polydimethylsiloxane carbon nanotube composites. These pens exhibit microscale motion under light, enabling precise, scalable printing applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Actuator Technology
Background:
- Conventional nanolithography faces scalability challenges.
- Photoactuation offers a promising alternative for microscale motion control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore photoactuation in polydimethylsiloxane carbon nanotube composites.
- To demonstrate the first photoactuated pens for molecular printing.
- To investigate the potential for scalable micro-actuator arrays.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of photoactuation using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
- Synthesis of polydimethylsiloxane carbon nanotube composite pen arrays.
- Microscale motion analysis under controlled illumination.
Main Results:
- Achieved microscale motion with actuation efficiency up to 200 nm/mW on a sub-second timescale.
- Demonstrated selective pen actuation exceeding 3 µm displacement via local illumination.
- Showcased controllable, high-quality printing with simultaneous deactivation of non-illuminated pens.
Conclusions:
- Photoactuated pens offer a scalable alternative to nanolithography for molecular printing.
- This technology enables arbitrary control of individual pens in large arrays.
- The scalable soft actuator approach has potential applications in soft robotics and microfluidics.
