Introducing surface functionality on thermoformed polymeric films

Altres ajuts: this work has been performed within the PLASTFUN project (Planta Pilot de Peces Plàstiques amb Superficies Funcionals Avançades), within the Industries of the Future community (IDF) RIS3CAT, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the operative frame FEDER of Catalonia 2014-2020 EC [COMRDI 16-1-0018], included in the 7th Framework Program. AF, NK and CMST acknowledge support from the CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya.We present a fabrication process for the production of 3-dimensional micro-structured polymeric films. The microstructures are fabricated in a single step using thermal nanoimprint lithography as patterning technique. The micro-structured polymer films are then transformed into a 3D shape by means of a plug-assisted thermoforming process, while keeping the functionality of the micro-patterned areas. The preserved functionality is characterized by water contact angle measurements, while the deformation of the micro-structured topographies due to the thermoforming process is analyzed using confocal microscopy and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) techniques. This combined fabrication process represents a promising solution to complement in-mold decoration approaches, enabling the production of new functional surfaces. As the microstructures are fabricated by means of a mechanical modification of the surface, without the need of chemical treatments or coatings, the presented technique represents a promising, simple and green solution, suitable for the industrial fabrication of 3D nonplanar shaped functional surfaces

Thermodynamics of Mixtures Containing Amines. XV. Liquid–Liquid Equilibria for Benzylamine + CH3(CH2)nCH3 (n = 8, 9, 10, 12, 14)

Coexistence curves for the liquid−liquid equilibria (LLE) of 1-phenylmethanamine (benzylamine) + CH3(CH2)nCH3 (n = 8, 9, 10, 12, 14) have been determined using the critical opalescence method by means of a laser scattering technique. All of the LLE curves show an upper critical solution temperature (UCST), which increases with increasing n. For systems including a given n-alkane, the UCST decreases in the sequence aniline > 2-methylaniline (o-toluidine) > benzylamine > N-methylaniline > pyridine. This means that amine−amine interactions become weaker in the same order. Most of the DISQUAC interaction parameters for the aliphatic/amine (a,n) and aromatic/ amine (b,n) contacts previously determined for solutions with aniline, o-toluidine, or N-methylaniline have been used for the representation of the LLE data. Only the first dispersive interaction parameter of the (a,n) contact has been modified. The coordinates of the critical points are correctly represented by the model

Nano-confinement of block copolymers in high accuracy topographical guiding patterns: modelling the emergence of defectivity due to incommensurability

Extreme ultraviolet interference lithography (EUV-IL) is used to manufacture topographical guiding patterns to direct the self-assembly of block copolymers. High-accuracy silicon oxide-like patterns with trenches ranging from 68 nm to 117 nm width are fabricated by exposing a hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) resist layer using EUV-IL. We investigate how the accuracy, the low line width roughness and the low line edge roughness of the resulting patterns allow achieving DSA line/space patterns of a PS-b-PMMA (polystyrene-block-poly methyl methacrylate) block copolymer of 11 nm half-pitch with low defectivity. We conduct an in-depth study of the dependence of the DSA pattern morphology on the trench width and on how the neutral brush covers the guiding pattern. We identify the relation between trench width and the emergence of defects with nanometer precision. Based on these studies, we develop a model that extends available free energy models, which allows us to predict the patterning process window

Internalization and Viability Studies of Suspended Nanowire Silicon Chips in HeLa Cells

© 2020 by the authors.Micrometer-sized silicon chips have been demonstrated to be cell-internalizable, offering the possibility of introducing in cells even smaller nanoelements for intracellular applications. On the other hand, silicon nanowires on extracellular devices have been widely studied as biosensors or drug delivery systems. Here, we propose the integration of silicon nanowires on cell-internalizable chips in order to combine the functional features of both approaches for advanced intracellular applications. As an initial fundamental study, the cellular uptake in HeLa cells of silicon 3 µm × 3 µm nanowire-based chips with two different morphologies was investigated, and the results were compared with those of non-nanostructured silicon chips. Chip internalization without affecting cell viability was achieved in all cases; however, important cell behavior differences were observed. In particular, the first stage of cell internalization was favored by silicon nanowire interfaces with respect to bulk silicon. In addition, chips were found inside membrane vesicles, and some nanowires seemed to penetrate the cytosol, which opens the door to the development of silicon nanowire chips as future intracellular sensors and drug delivery systems.This research was financed by the Spanish government through projects MINAHE6 (TEC2017-85059-C3) with FEDER funding and partially by FORCEFORFUTURE (CSD2010-00024).Peer reviewe

Silicon-nanowire based attachment of silicon chips for mouse embryo labelling

© 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry. The adhesion of small silicon chips to cells has many potential applications as direct interconnection of the cells to the external world can be accomplished. Hence, although some typical applications of silicon nanowires integrated into microsystems are focused on achieving a cell-on-a-chip strategy, we are interested in obtaining chip-on-a-cell systems. This paper reports the design, technological development and characterization of polysilicon barcodes featuring silicon nanowires as nanoscale attachment to identify and track living mouse embryos during their in vitro development. The chips are attached to the outer surface of the Zona Pellucida, the cover that surrounds oocytes and embryos, to avoid the direct contact between the chip and the embryo cell membrane. Two attachment methodologies, rolling and pushpin, which allow two entirely different levels of applied forces to attach the chips to living embryos, are evaluated. The former consists of rolling the mouse embryos over one barcode with the silicon nanowires facing upwards, while in the latter, the barcode is pushed against the embryo with a micropipette. The effect on in vitro embryo development and the retention rate related to the calculated applied forces are stated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy inspection, which allowed high-resolution imaging, also confirms the physical attachment of the nanowires with some of them piercing or wrapped by the Zona Pellucida and revealed extraordinary bent silicon nanowires.Peer Reviewe

Horizontally patterned Si nanowire growth for nanomechanical devices

We report a method to pattern horizontal vapor-liquid-solid growth of Si nanowires at vertical sidewalls of Si microstructures. The method allows one to produce either single nanowire structures or well-ordered nanowire arrays with predefined growth positions, thus enabling a practical development of nanomechanical devices that exploit the singular properties of Si nanowires. In particular, we demonstrate the fabrication of doubly clamped nanowire resonators and resonator arrays whose mechanical resonances can be measured by optical or electrical readout. We also show that the fabrication method enables the electrical readout of the resonant mode splitting of nanowire resonators in the VHF range, which allows the application of such an effect for enhanced nanomechanical sensing with nanowire resonators. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.We acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Science Ministry through projects YOCTOMASA (TEC2009-07707-E), ANEM! (TEC2009-14517-C02) and ForceForFuture (CSD2010-00024).Peer Reviewe

Recent Achievements in sub-10 nm DSA lithography for Line/Space patterning

Silicon-containing and modified PS-b-PMMA high-χ block copolymers materials were produced to achieve lamellar mesostructure as low as 14 nm intrinsic period (L$_0$) and ordered by graphoepitaxy or chemoepitaxy processes. Line Edge Roughness (LER) measurements of 2.5 nm (3 σ) can be extracted from CD-SEM pictures of poly [(1,1-dimethylsilacyclobutane)-b-styrene] after etching step. Materials integrations on a 300 mm track process are highlighted. In fingerprint, new BCPs LWR L/S values are 1.5/1.1 nm in comparison to a graphoepitaxy flow where the LWR L/S values are 2.0/1.1 nm. Alternative methods to create high-resolution guiding patterns for directed self-assembly of block co-polymers and the scale-up to obtain industrial BCPs meeting electronic requirement are also reported.Pilot Line For Self Assembly Copolymer Deliver

Nanomechanical mass sensing and stiffness spectrometry based on two-dimensional vibrations of resonant nanowires

One-dimensional nanomechanical resonators based on nanowires and nanotubes have emerged as promising candidates for mass sensors1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. When the resonator is clamped at one end and the atoms or molecules being measured land on the other end (which is free to vibrate), the resonance frequency of the device decreases by an amount that is proportional to the mass of the atoms or molecules. However, atoms and molecules can land at any position along the resonator, and many biomolecules have sizes that are comparable to the size of the resonator, so the relationship between the added mass and the frequency shift breaks down7, 8, 9, 10. Moreover, whereas resonators fabricated by top-down methods tend to vibrate in just one dimension because they are usually shaped like diving boards, perfectly axisymmetric one-dimensional nanoresonators can support flexural vibrations with the same amplitude and frequency in two dimensions11. Here, we propose a new approach to mass sensing and stiffness spectroscopy based on the fact that the nanoresonator will enter a superposition state of two orthogonal vibrations with different frequencies when this symmetry is broken. Measuring these frequencies allows the mass, stiffness and azimuthal arrival direction of the adsorbate to be determined.The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Science Ministry through projects TEC2009-14517-C02, CSD2007-00010 and MAT2009-08650 and from CSIC under project PIF06-037.Peer reviewe