Soft nanocomposite electroadhesives for digital micro- and nanotransfer printing
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Automated handling of microscale objects is essential for manufacturing of next-generation electronic systems. Yet, mechanical pick-and-place technologies cannot manipulate smaller objects whose surface forces dominate over gravity, and emerging microtransfer printing methods require multidirectional motion, heating, and/or chemical bonding to switch adhesion. We introduce soft nanocomposite electroadhesives (SNEs), comprising sparse forests of dielectric-coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have electrostatically switchable dry adhesion. SNEs exhibit 40-fold lower nominal dry adhesion than typical solids, yet their adhesion is increased >100-fold by applying 30 V to the CNTs. We characterize the scaling of adhesion with surface morphology, dielectric thickness, and applied voltage and demonstrate digital transfer printing of films of Ag nanowires, polymer and metal microparticles, and unpackaged light-emitting diodes.
Source: Science Advances
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Awards: G3127619834, G3759517695, Collaborative Research: Exploiting Tunable Stiffness for Dynamic Adhesion Control at the Macro- and Micro-Scale, GOALI/Collaborative Research: Manufacturing of Carbon Nanotube Contacts for High-Performance Microelectromechanical Switches, GOALI/Collaborative Research: Manufacturing of Carbon Nanotube Contacts for High-Performance Microelectromechanical Switches
OpenAlex ID: W2979301880