US2010172898A1PendingUtilityA1

Microstructure synthesis by flow lithography and polymerization

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Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INST TECHNOLOGYPriority: Oct 25, 2005Filed: Mar 15, 2010Published: Jul 8, 2010
Est. expiryOct 25, 2025(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Patrick S. DoyleDaniel Colin PregibonDhananjay Dendukuri
G03F 7/0037B81C 99/0095B81C 2201/0159G03F 7/2012G03F 7/2035G03F 7/2053Y10T428/24273Y10T428/24298Y10T428/1352Y10T428/24H01B 1/20G02B 1/04H01F 1/42
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Claims

Abstract

In a method for synthesizing polymeric microstructures, a monomer stream is flowed, at a selected flow rate, through a fluidic channel. At least one shaped pulse of illumination is projected to the monomer stream, defining in the monomer stream a shape of at least one microstructure corresponding to the illumination pulse shape while polymerizing that microstructure shape in the monomer stream by the illumination pulse. An article of manufacture includes a non-spheroidal polymeric microstructure that has a plurality of distinct material regions.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A non-spheroidal polymeric microstructure having a plurality of distinct material regions. 
     
     
         2 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 1  provided in a population of monodisperse non-spheroidal polymeric microstructures. 
     
     
         3 . A planar polymeric microstructure having a plurality of distinct material regions. 
     
     
         4 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the polymeric microstructure is characterized by an anisotropic material composition. 
     
     
         5 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein at least two of the distinct regions are of a distinct polymeric composition. 
     
     
         6 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein at least one of the distinct regions includes a porogen. 
     
     
         7 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein at least one of the distinct regions includes a covalently bonded moiety. 
     
     
         8 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein at least one of the distinct regions is hydrophobic and at least one of the distinct regions is hydrophilic. 
     
     
         9 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  further comprising three-dimensional features. 
     
     
         10 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  further comprising two-dimensional extruded features. 
     
     
         11 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  further comprising at least one straight edge. 
     
     
         12 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 11  further comprising a plurality of straight edges. 
     
     
         13 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  further comprising at least one rounded feature. 
     
     
         14 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is hollow. 
     
     
         15 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is cylindrical. 
     
     
         16 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is non-continuous across a plane of the microstructure. 
     
     
         17 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 16  wherein apertures in the microstructure result in the non-continuity of the microstructure. 
     
     
         18 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 17  wherein at least one aperture is straight-edged. 
     
     
         19 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 17  wherein at least one aperture is rounded. 
     
     
         20 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is characterized by a sensitivity to temperature. 
     
     
         21 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is characterized by a sensitivity to pH. 
     
     
         22 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is characterized by a sensitivity to illumination. 
     
     
         23 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is characterized by a responsiveness to at least one antigen. 
     
     
         24 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure is biodegradable. 
     
     
         25 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes biological material. 
     
     
         26 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises DNA. 
     
     
         27 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises RNA. 
     
     
         28 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises a polypeptide. 
     
     
         29 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises an enzyme. 
     
     
         30 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises an antibody. 
     
     
         31 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises at least a portion of a cell. 
     
     
         32 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 25  wherein the biological material comprises mitochondria. 
     
     
         33 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes a fluorophore. 
     
     
         34 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes a chromophore. 
     
     
         35 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes a porogen. 
     
     
         36 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes particles. 
     
     
         37 . The polymeric microstructure of  3  wherein the microstructure includes quantum dots. 
     
     
         38 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         39 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes emulsified liquid droplets. 
     
     
         40 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes gas bubbles. 
     
     
         41 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes electrically conducting particles. 
     
     
         42 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes magnetizable particles. 
     
     
         43 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes three-dimensional structures. 
     
     
         44 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure includes liquid crystals. 
     
     
         45 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  wherein the microstructure comprises a microstructure chain in which microstructures are linked to the chain by an overlapping polymerized region. 
     
     
         46 . The polymeric microstructure of  claim 3  provided in a population of monodisperse polymeric microstructures.

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