Manipulating and assembling micro- and nanoscale objects with capillary forces
US12146247B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 28, 2020 |
| Grant date | Nov 19, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 9, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC D)Textiles; Paper
- CPC primaryD01H7/00
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
In some aspects, a device comprises a plurality of walls defining a slot and one or more channels wherein the one or more channels are intersected by the slot; wherein the one or more channels have a cross-section in a plane perpendicular to a vertical axis of the device that changes along the vertical axis; and one or more floats sized to allow movement of the one or more floats within said one or more channels, wherein the one or more floats have a surface characteristic that is different from the surface characteristic of the walls such that, upon contact with a fluid, said walls and said floats form different contact angles and induce a repulsive capillary force between the walls and the one or more floats at a surface of the fluid; and wherein the slot has a width that is smaller than the width of the one or more channels such that the one or more floats are prevented from moving between the one or more channels.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.