Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130222881 | ADAPTIVE SHADING, DISPLAY AND COLOR CONTROL - An substrate having a second material on a surface of the substrate or embedded as a layer within the substrate are described. The second material has a different index of refraction and/or stiffness than the substrate so that stretching and unstretching of the substrate and the second material can induce wrinkles in the second material that interacts with light thereby allowing reversible change from a transparent state to an opaque or iridescent state, and vice versa. The present disclosure is useful as a shading system and/or displays. | 08-29-2013 |
20130330501 | HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURED SURFACES TO CONTROL WETTING CHARACTERISTICS - A hierarchical surface having improved control of the wetting characteristics and methods for forming the same is described. The hierarchical surface includes a primary structure having at least one primary characteristic features; a secondary structure having at least one secondary characteristic features, wherein the size of the at least one secondary characteristic features are larger than the size of the at least one primary characteristic features. Moreover, the primary structure and the secondary structure synergistically provide improved mechanical properties and control of the wetting characteristics over that of the primary structure or the secondary structure alone. | 12-12-2013 |
20140016177 | ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIVE OPTICAL MICROSTRUCTURED HYBRID ACTUATOR ASSEMBLIES AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF - Microstructured hybrid actuator assemblies in which microactuators carrying designed surface properties to be revealed upon actuation are embedded in a layer of responsive materials. The microactuators in a microactuator array reversibly change their configuration in response to a change in the environment without requiring an external power source to switch their optical properties. | 01-16-2014 |
20140147627 | SLIPPERY SURFACES WITH HIGH PRESSURE STABILITY, OPTICAL TRANSPARENCY, AND SELF-HEALING CHARACTERISTICS - The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS). Roughened (e.g., porous) surfaces can be utilized to lock in place a lubricating fluid, referred to herein as Liquid B to repel a wide range of materials, referred to herein as Object A (Solid A or Liquid A). SLIPS outperforms other conventional surfaces in its capability to repel various simple and complex liquids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and blood), maintain low-contact-angle hysteresis (<2.5°), quickly restore liquid-repellency after physical damage (within 0.1-1 s), resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion, and function at high pressures (up to at least 690 atm). Some exemplary application where SLIPS will be useful include energy-efficient fluid handling and transportation, optical sensing, medicine, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments. | 05-29-2014 |
20140290731 | SLIPPERY SURFACES WITH HIGH PRESSURE STABILITY, OPTICAL TRANSPARENCY, AND SELF-HEALING CHARACTERISTICS - The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS). Roughened (e.g., porous) surfaces can be utilized to lock in place a lubricating fluid, referred to herein as Liquid B to repel a wide range of materials, referred to herein as Object A (Solid A or Liquid A). SLIPS outperforms other conventional surfaces in its capability to repel various simple and complex liquids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and blood), maintain low-contact-angle hysteresis (<2.5°), quickly restore liquid-repellency after physical damage (within 0.1-1 s), resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion, and function at high pressures (up to at least 690 atm). Some exemplary application where SLIPS will be useful include energy-efficient fluid handling and transportation, optical sensing, medicine, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments. | 10-02-2014 |
20140290732 | SLIPPERY SURFACES WITH HIGH PRESSURE STABILITY, OPTICAL TRANSPARENCY, AND SELF-HEALING CHARACTERISTICS - The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS). Roughened (e.g., porous) surfaces can be utilized to lock in place a lubricating fluid, referred to herein as Liquid B to repel a wide range of materials, referred to herein as Object A (Solid A or Liquid A). SLIPS outperforms other conventional surfaces in its capability to repel various simple and complex liquids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and blood), maintain low-contact-angle hysteresis (<2.5°), quickly restore liquid-repellency after physical damage (within 0.1-1 s), resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion, and function at high pressures (up to at least 690 atm). Some exemplary application where SLIPS will be useful include energy-efficient fluid handling and transportation, optical sensing, medicine, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments. | 10-02-2014 |
20140342954 | MODIFICATION OF SURFACES FOR FLUID AND SOLID REPELLENCY - Articles, methods of making, and uses for modifying surfaces for liquid repellency are disclosed. The liquid repellant surfaces comprise a surface comprising an anchoring layer. The anchoring layer, which forms an immobilized molecular anchoring layer on the surface, has a head group that is covalently linked to, or adsorbed onto, the surface and a functional group. The functional group of the treated surface has an affinity for a lubricating layer, which is applied to the treated surface. The anchoring layer and replenishable lubricating layer are held together by non-covalent attractive forces. Together, these layers form an ultra-repellant slippery surface that repels certain immiscible liquids and prevents adsorption, coagulation, and surface fouling by components contained within. | 11-20-2014 |
20150093823 | Environmentally Responsive Microstructured Hybrid Actuator Assemblies For Use in Mechanical Stimulation of Cells - A method for mechanical stimulation of cells includes providing a substrate comprising a plurality of microactuators embedded in an environmentally responsive hydrogel polymer layer disposed on a region of the surface; adhering at least one cell to the substrate; and exposing the environmentally responsive hydrogel polymer layer to a stimulus, the stimulus changing a volume of the environmentally responsive hydrogel polymer layer from a first volume to a second volume and thereby moving the microactuators from a first position to a second position, wherein the movement of the microactuators provides localized mechanical force directly to cells on the substrate. | 04-02-2015 |
20150152270 | SLIPPERY SELF-LUBRICATING POLYMER SURFACES - The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery self-lubricating polymers. Lubricating liquids with affinities to polymers can be utilized to get absorbed within the polymer and form a lubricant layer (of the lubricating liquid) on the polymer. The lubricant layer can repel a wide range of materials, including simple and complex fluids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and bodily fluids), restore liquid-repellency after physical damage, and resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion. Some exemplary applications where self-lubricating polymers will be useful include energy-efficient, friction-reduction fluid handling and transportation, medical devices, anti-icing, optical sensing, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments. | 06-04-2015 |
20150175814 | Slips Surface Based on Metal-Containing Compound - A method of preparing an article having a slippery surface includes providing a metal-containing surface, chemically modifying the metal-containing surface to roughen the metal-containing surface, and disposing a lubricating layer on the roughened metal-containing surface, wherein the lubricating layer is substantially stabilized on the roughened metal-containing surface. | 06-25-2015 |
20150209846 | Structured Flexible Supports and Films for Liquid-Infused Omniphobic Surfaces - An article with different surface properties on opposing sides is provided including a sheet having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side displays low adhesion properties, said first side comprising a roughened, porous or structured surface and a wetting liquid disposed upon the surface to form a stable liquid film; and wherein the second side displays a second property dissimilar from that of the first side. The article can be adhered to a variety of objects to impart anti-fouling properties. | 07-30-2015 |
20150210951 | MULTIFUNCTIONAL REPELLENT MATERIALS - Methods and compositions disclosed herein relate to liquid repellant surfaces having selective wetting and transport properties. An article having a repellant surface includes a substrate comprising fabric material and a lubricant wetting and adhering to the fabric material to form a stabilized liquid overlayer, wherein the stabilized liquid overlayer covers the fabric material at a thickness sufficient to form a liquid upper surface above the fabric material, wherein the fabric material is chemically functionalized to enhance chemical affinity with the lubricant such that the lubricant is substantially immobilized on the fabric material to form a repellant surface. | 07-30-2015 |
20150285454 | Dynamic Light Control System And Methods For Producing The Same - The present application describes dynamic light control system that, can dynamically adapt to different sun positions and interior lighting levels. The dynamic light control system, includes two or more confinement panes and one or more light redirecting elements positioned therebetween. The light redirecting elements are arranged to deform the light redirecting elements in response to a change in the position of the sun. In addition, one or more fluidic-channels are formed between the light redirecting elements and the confinement panels, that can be filled with any desired fluid to provide additional dynamic changes depending on the desired characteristics. | 10-08-2015 |