3DFold - Programmed folding of mesoscopic 3D objects by viscoelastic reconfiguration

目前用于生产可能包含底切和隐藏结构的真实3D结构的技术要么在分辨率上受到限制，要么不能达到用于大批量生产的足够的生产速度。此外，现有的技术很难扩展，也不能以同等的方式用于从几百纳米到几百微米的结构尺寸。然而，有些应用需要高分辨率的方法，可以跨规模使用，并能够大量生产。这些要求苛刻的应用包括基于3D等离子颗粒的传感器、用于数字微流体的智能和唯一可识别的3D颗粒的生成、用于微和纳米软机器人的3D致动器、捕获-释放应用、3D微电子和纳米电子系统以及用于悬浮阵列技术的使用3D颗粒的生物和基因分析的多路复用方法。这项应用的目的是建立一种新技术，并通过粒子传输和等离子领域的两个精选示范应用来证明其可用性。该方案使用所谓的折纸结构生成，即，根据给定的顺序从平面二维结构发出并由外部刺激触发的三维对象的自折叠。这一应用的创新之处在于使用热塑性执行器来驱动折叠，以及对聚合物执行器的激活温度进行技术高效的修改和编程。在略高于玻璃化转变温度的热刺激下，执行器产生毛细作用力，通过平面外旋转将平面结构转换为3D对象。本文提出的方法的优点是热塑性材料软化的可控性和可编程性、跨尺度的可用性以及从聚合物到半导体、从金属到磁性材料的3D对象的材料多样性。例如，在结构转换或重新配置过程中，粒子可能会被捕获。此外，可以在等离子体的基础上向3D对象提供识别码，因此可以清楚地将其识别为单独的颗粒。这两种情况都将在本提案中进行演示。

Current techniques for the production of real 3D structures, which might contain undercuts and hidden structures, are either limited in their resolution or do not achieve a sufficient production speed for high volume production. In addition, the existing techniques are hardly scalable and cannot be used in an equivalent way for structural dimensions in the range from a few hundred nanometers up to a few hundred micrometers. However, there are applications which require a high resolution method, can be used across scales and are capable of high volume production. Such demanding applications include sensors based on 3D plasmonic particles, the generation of intelligent and uniquely identifiable 3D particles for digital microfluidics, 3D actuators for micro- and nano-softrobotics, capture-release applications, 3D micro- and nanoelectronic systems as well as multiplex methods in bio and gene analysis using 3D particles for suspension array techniques. The aim of this application is to establish a new technology and to demonstrate its usability by means of two selected demonstrator applications from the field of particle transport and plasmonics. This proposal uses so-called origami structure generation, i. e., the self-folding of 3-dimensional objects emanating from a planar 2-dimensional structure according to a given sequence and triggered by an external stimulus. The innovation of this application lies in the use of thermoplastic actuators to drive this folding as well as the technologically efficient modification and programming of the activation temperature of the polymer actuators. By a thermal stimulus slightly exceeding the glass transition temperature, capillary forces are generated by the actuators, which transform planar structures by out-of-plane rotations into 3D objects. The advantages of the method proposed here are the controllability and the programmability of the softening of the thermoplastic materials, the usability across scales as well as the large material diversity for the 3D objects from polymers to semiconductors and metals to magnetic materials. During the structural transformation or reconfiguration, for example, particles can be trapped. Furthermore, the 3D objects can be provided with an identification code on a plasmonic basis and are thus clearly recognizable as individual particles. Both scenarios will be demonstrated within this proposal.