The emerging field of nano-scale engineering and science has generated considerable excitement recently. Though definitions vary, this field is focused on materials, devices, structures, and processes that occur on the scale of atoms or groups of atoms. The size regime is on the order of nanometers. Another common term used to describe activity and research in this field is Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Our contribution to this field is our semiconductor based array technology that enables the preparation of materials with nano-scale control.

CombiMatrix’s microarray technology allows for the parallel synthesis of large numbers of nano-structured materials. These materials can then be tested using the same chip-based technology. These activities are focused on materials that could be useful for applications in the fields of electronics, energy conversion, energy storage, catalysis, and others. Similar to life-science applications, our technology enables us, our partners, and customers to increase the throughput of discovery and screening activities.

The conventional approach to materials discovery involves synthesis of a material, followed by testing, successive cycles of synthesis, and more testing. This process is very labor intensive, costly, and inefficient. Our approach enables the synthesis of hundreds to thousands of materials in parallel followed by testing of all of those materials at once, thus allowing for greater efficiency.

Also, since our technology utilizes our microarray platform, which consists of arrays of microelectrodes, all syntheses are performed electrochemically. Therefore, controlling currents, voltages, and the ways in which the materials are applied to each electrode can influence the structure and morphology of the synthesized materials. This exquisite control should enable the fabrication of materials with unique properties.

The following figures depict an example of the types of experiments that can be performed using our platform technology. The first image shows a white-light, magnified view of a section of one of our arrays on which materials have been fabricated. We used this array to polymerize an organic molecule known as a pyrrole. Polymerization times (0.5-30 seconds) and applied voltages (0.25-0.6 V vs. a reference) were varied across the array. On this particular chip, several hundred different compositions of polypyrroles were fabricated, although the image shows only 100 compositions in a 10 by 10 section of the chip. The resulting polypyrroles are conducting polymers, which have applications in many areas such as battery and fuel cell technology. The electronic, physical, and chemical properties of conducting polymers are known to be very dependent on the methods and conditions used to synthesize and process them. In this particular case, without even doing any complex analysis, we can see that the optical appearance of each sample, polymerized at the individual electrodes, are different.

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The second figure is a higher magnification view of a 3 by 3 section of the chip after polymer synthesis. In this figure, the underlying electronics are visible. The actual polymer (circular feature in the middle of each unit cell) is displaced slightly from the site of the electrode (circular feature on the top left of each unit cell) since an overlayer was used. The reasons for this are proprietary. The diameter of the polymer spots in each figure is about 90 micrometers.

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Our strategy in this area of nano-structured materials is similar to our strategy in the life-science arena. We plan to leverage our technology, intellectual property, and capabilities with those of our partners. We plan to discover new materials, as well as build workstations that can be sold to customers who will undertake their own discovery efforts using our microelectrode arrays. To this end, we have established a strategic relationship with NanoMaterials Discovery Corporation (NDC) to collaboratively perform our discovery research, as well as build a workstation. NDC has assembled intellectual property and capabilities that we feel will synergistically help advance this program.

For more information on our nanotechnology and nano-materials programs, contact our business development department or email them at .