PROCESS FOR MAKING CUSTOMIZED PARTICLES BY STOCHASTIC EXCITATION

• US 20110061786A1
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Mason, Thomas G.
• Application Number:
  US12/882,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20110061786A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/62.2
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/00 Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor using photoresist structures for special production processes, see the relevant places, e.g. B44C, H01L, e.g. H01L21/00, H05K
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping

Abstract

A method of producing a particle includes fabricating a precursor particle structure that has a first sub-structure, a second sub-structure proximate the first sub-structure and an interconnecting sub-structure connected to the first and second sub-structures, the precursor particle structure being in a first configuration; and exposing the precursor particle structure to a stochastic excitation process to cause a deformation of the interconnecting sub-structure to reconfigure at least one of a position and an orientation of the first sub-structure relative to the second sub-structure from the first configuration to form the particle in a second configuration. The first sub-structure and the second sub-structure are substantially free of deformation during the exposing, and a maximal spatial dimension of the particle in the second configuration is less than about one millimeter. A multi-component composition has a first material component, and a plurality of particles produced according to methods of the current invention that are dispersed in the first material component. A maximal spatial dimension of each of the plurality of particles is less than about 10 micrometers, and the plurality of particles is at least 10 particles.

Claims

1. A method of producing a particle, comprising:

fabricating a precursor particle structure comprising a first sub-structure, a second sub-structure proximate said first sub-structure and an interconnecting sub-structure connected to said first and second sub-structures, said precursor particle structure being in a first configuration; and

exposing said precursor particle structure to a stochastic excitation process to cause a deformation of said interconnecting sub-structure to reconfigure at least one of a position and an orientation of said first sub-structure relative to said second sub-structure from said first configuration to form said particle in a second configuration,

wherein said first sub-structure and said second sub-structure are substantially free of deformation during said exposing; and

wherein a maximal spatial dimension of said particle in said second configuration is less than about one millimeter.

2. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein said maximal spatial dimension of said particle in said second configuration is less than about 10 micrometers.

3. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein said stochastic excitation process is an entropic stochastic excitation process.

4. A method of producing a particle according to claim 2, wherein said fabricating is at least one of a lithographic method, a templating method, an imprinting method, a stamping method, an extrusion method, an embossing method, a relief deposition templating method, a pillar deposition templating method, a well deposition templating method, a spatially patterned radiation exposure method, an etching method, a relief radiation templating method, a particle templating method, a two-patterned surface imprinting method, a bottom-up solution synthesis method, and a patterned deposition method.

5. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, further comprising dispersing said particle into a fluid subsequent to said fabricating.

6. A method of producing a particle according to claim 5, wherein said fluid comprises at least one of a gas, a supercritical fluid, a liquid, an aqueous liquid, a non-aqueous liquid, an isotropic liquid, an anisotropic liquid, an oil, a liquid mixture, a liquid solution, a liquid solution of amphiphilic molecules, a surfactant solution, a micellar solution, a solution containing stabilizer molecules that provide stability against particle aggregation, a complex fluid, a viscoelastic fluid, a liquid crystal, a polymeric solution, a liquid solution of amino acids, a liquid solution of ribonucleic acids, a liquid solution of polypeptides, a liquid solution of diblock copolypeptides, a lithographic developer liquid, a lithographic etching liquid, an acidic liquid, a basic liquid, a chemically reactive liquid, an aqueous solution of protein, an aqueous solution of single-stranded DNA, an aqueous solution of double stranded DNA, an aqueous solution of oligomeric DNA, an emulsion, a nanoemulsion, a solution containing biologically active molecules, a solution containing drug molecules, and a colloidal dispersion in a liquid.

7. A method of producing a particle according to claim 5, wherein said stochastic excitation process is at least one of a random excitation, a periodic excitation having a time-varying amplitude, a pulsed excitation, an entropic excitation, an ultrasonic excitation, a sonic excitation, a vibrational excitation, an electrical excitation, a magnetic excitation, an electromagnetic excitation, an optical excitation, a biological excitation, a flow excitation, a compressional excitation, a shear excitation, a pressure excitation, a cavitation-driven excitation, a turbulent excitation, a chemically driven excitation, a pH-driven excitation, and a collisional excitation.

8. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, further comprising bonding at least a portion of said first sub-structure to at least a portion of said second sub-structure of said particle to fix at least one of a position and an orientation of said first sub-structure relative to said second sub-structure, subsequent to said exposing.

9. A method of producing a particle according to claim 8, further comprising fabricating a bonding sub-structure comprising bonding material such that said bonding sub-structure is attached to at least one of said first sub-structure, said second sub-structure, and said interconnecting sub-structure.

10. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein said deformation is at least one of a shear deformation, an extensional deformation, a plastic deformation, an elastic deformation, a transverse deformation, a longitudinal deformation, an elongational deformation, a strain, a stretching, a dilation, a contracting, a bending, a flexing, a twisting, a torsion, a compression, and an expansion.

11. A method of producing a particle according to claim 4, further comprising, prior to said fabricating, providing a solid substrate having at least a portion of a surface coated with a release material.

12. A method of producing a particle according to claim 11, wherein said particle having said precursor particle structure is released from said solid substrate by at least one of a removing, a dissolving, a developing, a degradation, an etching, a reacting, a heating, a cooling, a melting, a sublimation, a chemical reaction, and a phase change of said release material.

13. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a shape of at least one of said first sub-structure, said second sub-structure, and said interconnecting sub-structure is designed and fabricated to provide a portion of a desired shape of said particle in said second configuration.

14. A method of producing a particle according to claim 8, wherein said second configuration of said particle subsequent to said bonding defines an internal compartment within said particle that is at least partially enclosed by said first sub-structure and said second sub-structure.

15. A method of producing a particle according to claim 2, wherein said particle comprises at least one of an organic material, an inorganic material, a metallic material, an organic-inorganic material, an electrically conducting material, a magnetically responsive material, a semiconductor material, a dielectric material, a birefringent material, an electrically insulating material, a thermally insulating material, an energy storage material, a bio-compatible material, a bio-degradable material, a bio-inert material, a bio-resistant material, a bio-polymer material, a bio-erodible material, a bio-nutrient material, a bio-inhibitor material, a bio-catalytic material, a bio-reactive material, a bio-responsive material, a bio-digestible material, a bio-absorbable material, a bio-derived material, a protein, an enzyme, a vitamin, a nutrient, a collagen, a gelatin, an albumin, an actin, a tubulin, a polypeptide, a copolypeptide, a polysaccharide, a starch, a modified starch, a porous material, an elastic material, an extensible material, a functionalized material, and a biopolymer material.

16. A method of producing a particle according to claim 4, further comprising providing a pre-designed lithographic mask having a mask pattern prior to said fabricating, wherein said pre-designed lithographic mask facilitates said fabricating of at least one of said first sub-structure, said second sub-structure, and said interconnecting sub-structure of said precursor particle structure of said particle.

17. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, further comprising fabricating a plurality of precursor particle structures, each comprising a first sub-structure, a second sub-structure proximate a corresponding first sub-structure and an interconnecting sub-structure connected to respective said first and second sub-structures;

and

exposing said plurality of precursor particle structures to a stochastic excitation process to cause a deformation of each said interconnecting sub-structure to reconfigure at least one of a position and an orientation of each said first sub-structure relative to a corresponding said second sub-structure to form a plurality of particles.

18. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein said exposing causes said first sub-structure and second sub-structure to reconfigure by varying degrees of deformation of said interconnecting structure such that said particle in said second configuration exhibits a shape that fluctuates in a stochastic manner over time.

19. A method of producing a particle according to claim 5, further comprising adding a depletion agent to said fluid to cause said bonding.

20. A method of producing a particle according to claim 8, further comprising adding a depletion agent to said fluid to cause said bonding.

21. A method of producing a particle according to claim 5, further comprising adding a stabilizing agent to said fluid to inhibit agglomeration of said particle when there are additional similar particles present in said fluid.

22. A method of producing a particle according to claim 12, further comprising adding a stabilizing agent to said fluid to inhibit agglomeration of said particle when there are additional similar particles present in said fluid.

23. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein said stochastic excitation process causes a strain of said deformation of said interconnecting sub-structure to exceed about 1%.

24. A method of producing a particle according to claim 5, wherein a temperature of said fluid is changed to alter the strength of said stochastic excitation process.

25. A method of producing a particle according to claim 5, wherein a composition of said fluid is changed to make said interconnecting sub-structure more readily deformable.

26. A method of producing a particle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a thickness, a width, a length, and a minimal spatial dimension of said interconnecting sub-structure is less than about one micrometer.

27. A multi-component composition, comprising:

a first material component; and

a plurality of particles produced according to claim 2 and dispersed in said first material component,

wherein a maximal spatial dimension of each of said plurality of particles is less than about 10 micrometers, and

wherein said plurality of particles is at least 10 particles.

28. A multi-component composition according to claim 27, wherein said first material component comprises at least one of a fluid, a liquid, a polymeric solution, a biopolymer solution, a surfactant solution, a micellar solution, a ferrofluid, a liquid crystal, a dispersion, a mixture, a gel, an emulsion, a nanoemulsion, and a solution, such that said multi-component composition forms a stable dispersion of said plurality of particles in said first material component.

29. A multi-component composition according to claim 27, wherein at least one of said plurality of particles contains at least one of a therapeutic material, an anti-fungal material, an anti-viral material, an anti-bacterial material, an anti-microbial material, an anti-wart material, an anti-blemish material, an anti-cancer material, and an anti-burn material, such that said multi-component material is a health-improving agent.

30. A multi-component composition according to claim 27, wherein at least one of said plurality of complex particles contains at least one of an electrically conducting material, an electrically semi-conducting material, an electrically resistive material, and an electrically insulating material, such that said multi-component material is an electrically functional material.