MOLECULAR CONTROL OF SURFACE COVERAGE
First Claim
1. A method for determining a surface coverage of a material, the method comprising:
- providing a predetermined concentration of the material; and
exposing the surface to the provided material until equilibrium is established in a molecular reaction between the surface and the material, wherein;
the surface comprises a surface of a non-piezoelectric portion of a piezoelectric cantilever sensor; and
equilibrium is determined in accordance an amount of mass of the material accumulated on the surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The concentration of a material covering a surface is controlled via an equilibrium process. Equilibrium parameters such as a concentration of the provided material, the exposure time of the material to the surface, and the surface area of an attractor applied to the surface are determined utilizing a millimeter sized piezoelectric cantilever sensor. In an example embodiment, the material is provided at a low concentration to the surface until equilibrium is attained. The amount of material accumulated on the surface is determined utilizing the cantilever sensor. The surface area of the attractor and the measured amount of material are utilized to determine the amount of the attractor surface area having the material bound thereto. Knowledge of the equilibrium parameters allows controlled surface coverage of the material on the attractor for any application. The concentration of the material adsorbed on the surface is precisely determinable and repeatable.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for determining a surface coverage of a material, the method comprising:
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providing a predetermined concentration of the material; and exposing the surface to the provided material until equilibrium is established in a molecular reaction between the surface and the material, wherein; the surface comprises a surface of a non-piezoelectric portion of a piezoelectric cantilever sensor; and equilibrium is determined in accordance an amount of mass of the material accumulated on the surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for determining a surface coverage of a material, the system comprising:
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a piezoelectric cantilever sensor comprising a non-piezoelectric portion, wherein the non-piezoelectric portion comprises the surface; and an exposing portion configured to expose a predetermined concentration of the material to the surface until equilibrium is established in a molecular reaction between the surface and the material, wherein; the surface comprises a surface of a non-piezoelectric portion of a piezoelectric cantilever sensor; and equilibrium is determined in accordance an amount of mass of the material accumulated on the surface. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for coating a surface with a material, the method comprising:
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providing a predetermined concentration of the material; and exposing the surface to the provided material for a predetermined amount of time, wherein; the surface comprises a predetermined surface area of an attractor for attracting the material; and within the predetermined amount of time, equilibrium is established in a molecular reaction between the attractor and the material; and an amount of the material attached to the attractor resulting from equilibrium is less than a total amount of material attractable to the attractor. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification