MICROPOLYHEDRA AND THEIR APPLICATIONS AS A CHEMICAL DISPLAY

Chemical display;controlled release;Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Hong, JinpyoGracias, David H. ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: Chemical display;    controlled release;    Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/38126/HONG-THESIS-2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Inspired by the readily observed phenomenon of self-assembly in nature, multiple self-assembling microfabrication techniques have been developed to fabricate various 3D structures in both micro and nanoscale. Among the structures that can be fabricated via self-assembly are polyhedra, an attractive model system for studying a wide range of disciplines including mathematics, chemistry and biology.While polyhedra have been considered as an attractive model system with a wide range of implications in multiple fields of study, they are also an effective choice of encapsulant in particle technology to enable spatially controlled chemical reactions. From the formation of milk from fat globules to the development of the central nervous system (CNS) through diffusible chemoattractants, nature has benefitted from selecting and fine-tuning particles to enable spatially controlled chemistry. In past studies, scientists have mainly utilized particle technology to develop an effective system of drug delivery in micro and nanoscale.However, the potential application of particle technology is unlimited; we were inspired to develop a novel application of a chemical display in addition to other existing applications of particle technology. We herein describe a concept of a chemical display system that can generate a dynamic pattern based on a controlled chemical release from an array of porous self-assembled micropolyhedra with various tunable properties such as dimensions, pore sizes, chemical concentrations and arrangements.Based on the idea of controlled chemical release via particle technology, our goal is to develop a chemical display system that would be able to address an inherent limitation that exists in conventional electronic display. A concept of a chemical display would benefit from the absence of components or interfaces that connect each pixel, allowing increased freedom in both design and utility. We fabricated our chemical display system based on an array of self-assembled micropolyhedra, a structure that can be produced in parallel at high efficiency.In this study, we have successfully demonstrated the viability of a chemical display system by loading porous self-folded metallic cubes with chemicals and by precisely controlling the porosity, volume and chemical concentration.We expect that our highly tunable chemical display system based on a self-assembled micropolyhedra would be able to benefit current display systems by complementing currently existing electronic displays. We also anticipate that the technology could open up new possibilities in other fields such as biotechnology, benefitting from a sequential release of chemicals, cells and more.Advisor: Dr. David H. GraciasReader: Dr. Honggang Cui