DIRECTED ASSEMBLY OF FUNCTIONAL HETEROSTRUCTURES

摘要

The present invention relates to a systematic process for the creation offunctionally organized, spatially patterned assemblies polymer-microparticlecomposites including the AC electric field-mediated assembly of patterned,self-supporting organic (polymeric) films and organic-polymer-microparticlecomposites of tailored composition and morphology. The present inventionfurther relates to the incorporation of said assemblies into other structures.The present invention also relates to the application of such functionalassemblies in materials science and biology. Additional areas of applicationinclude sensors, catalysts, membranes, and micro-reactors, and miniaturizedformat for generation of multifunctional thin films. This invention alsoprovides simple methods and apparatus for synthesizing thin films of tailoredcomposition and morphology.