Nanocontact molding of three-dimensional polymeric replicas

指纹生物识别是一种不可或缺的便捷安全工具；在国际边境、公司大楼和移动设备（智能手机、平板电脑和笔记本电脑）上广泛采用的指纹扫描系统可以保护我们的个人身份和数据安全。我们最近开发了一种新的台式技术，通过探索一种独特的纳米成型方法，使用传统的聚合物材料制作3D指纹复制品（即，幻影）。通过控制溶剂化，在塑料基材（例如聚碳酸酯芯片）上创建人类指纹的印象，然后用聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS，一种流行的弹性体）铸造，我们可以生产出柔性的、纳米级的、详细的3D指纹幻影。通过标准光学扫描仪的测试，我们已经证明，这三个层次的指纹细节都可以精确地记录下来，并与原始指纹很好地匹配。与人工校准模式相比，这些模型具有指纹的精确3D特征，并且与人类采样相比没有可变性，这使得它们成为标准化指纹扫描仪的完美目标，无论是独立的还是在移动设备上。****这个“从创意到创新（I2I）第一阶段”项目强调了纳米接触复制协议的应用潜力，通过非常规的PC成型，作为一种台式、无仪器的方法，可以大规模生产宏观结构（指纹幻影），更广泛地说，可以创建任何类型的设计纳米结构的1对1聚合物复制品。我们的目标是：(1)为光学和电容读取器制造通用的指纹幻影，(2)以高保真度复制亚100纳米结构。而指纹识别对于广泛应用于移动设备的生物识别技术具有重要的实际意义；设计的纳米结构的简单、台式复制将有利于快速增长的纳米制造业。我们与本地及国际纳米技术公司紧密合作，期望项目的成功将把我们的纳米成型技术推向商业化的前沿。**********

Fingerprint biometrics is an indispensable and convenient security tool; popularly adapted fingerprint scanning systems at international borders, in corporate buildings, and on mobile devices (smartphones, pads, and laptops) keep our personal identity and data safe. We have recently developed a novel benchtop technology of making 3D fingerprint replicas (namely, phantoms) by exploring a unique nano-molding approach using conventional polymeric materials. By creating an impression of human fingerprints on plastic substrates (e.g., polycarbonate chips) upon controlled solvation, followed by casting with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, a popular elastomer), we can produce a flexible, nanoscale detailed, 3D fingerprint phantom. By testing with standard optical scanners, we have shown that all three levels of fingerprint details can be precisely recorded and match well with the original fingerprint. Superior to artificial calibration patterns, these phantoms have the exact 3D feature of fingerprints and introduce no variability compared to human sampling, which make them perfect targets for standardizing fingerprint scanners either standalone or on a mobile device. ****This "Idea-to-Innovation (I2I) Phase 1" project highlights the application potential of the nano-contact replication protocol via unconventional PC molding as a benchtop, instrumentation-free method to mass produce macroscopic structures (fingerprint phantoms) and, more broadly, to create 1-to-1 polymeric replicas of designed nanostructures of any kind. Our goals are to (1) fabricate universal fingerprint phantoms for both optical and capacitive readers, and (2) replicate sub-100 nm structures with high fidelity. While fingerprinting is of practical importance to the widely adapted biometrics on mobile devices; facile, benchtop replication of designed nanostructures will be beneficial the fast-growing nanofabrication industry. Working closely with both local and international nanotech companies, we envision that the success of the proposed project will bring our nano-molding technology to the front-line of commercialization. **********