Characterization and Modeling of Novel Dielectrophoretic Electropolymerization Micromanufacturing Process

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Three-dimensional micro-electrodes have a wide range of current and emerging applications in electronics, power conversion and storage, in various lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications, and in various sensors. Presently there is no fabrication technique that can offer scalable mass production of three dimensional micro-electrodes. In these processes, a cutting tool, a collimated light source or a heat source needs to scan over all the micro-features to be created, a long and time consuming process that compromises production rates and cost. This project presents an integrated research plan to study, characterize, and model the newly developed Dielectrophoretic Electropolymerization (DEP EP) process for scalable manufacturing technology. The process combines dielectrophoresis (DEP) and sequential electropolymerization. DEP selectively attracts micro- and nano-particles suspended in solution to microelectrodes; sequential electropolymerization captures particles on the surface of the electrodes. The resulting polypyrrole (PPy) layer is conductive, thus enabling the mass production of inexpensive microelectrodes for scientific and engineering applications in the areas of biotechnology, life sciences, energy production and storage, organic electronics, and chemical engineering. It is expected that the process can also be used to create new photonic devices and superior whole cell biosensor platforms for study of water quality and drug discovery. This project will involve graduate and undergraduate students from the University of California, Irvine as well as community college students from Saddleback College and Mt. St. Antonio College. The outreach activities include close mentoring of one middle school and one high school science teachers from public schools with predominantly underrepresented minority student populations from the Los Angeles Unified School District. Monthly visits of the PI and graduate students to these schools, as well as school visits to the PI's university lab are planned. The results and insights gained during the research will be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses taught by the PI as well as disseminated in articles, conferences, and postings on the group?s website.This study will result in a validated model of the Dielectrophoretic Electropolymerization (DEP EP) process, allowing process control of scalable mass-production of three-dimensional electrodes patterned with micro-particles or aligned nano-tubes. The objectives of the project are: 1) to characterize and model the dielectrophoretic electropolymerization micromanufacturing process for attraction and attachment of micro- and nano-particles to electrodes to include interplay between electroosmotic forces, dielectrophoretic forces, and dynamic polymerization process; 2) to develop validated models for creation of three specific types of patterned microelectrodes: (a) micro- and nano-particles positioned at specific locations on electrodes (for example, evenly distributed particles); (b) creation of hierarchical (fractal) microelectrodes; and (c) alignment across microelectrodes and creation of fuzed carbon Ohmic contacts for nano-fibers and nano-tubes.