Integrative Graduate
Education and
Research Traineeship

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Photoreversible Adhesives for Electronics Applications

Electronic Device Fabrication Using Photoreversible Adhesives

Projects:

Macromolecular Interfaces with Life Sciences: Oxidative...

Institution:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Primary Strategic Goal:

Discovery: Foster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the Nation as a global leader in fundamental transformational science and engineering.

Secondary Strategic Goal:

Learning: Build the Nation's research capability through critical investments in advanced instrumentation, facilities, cyber infrastructure, and experimental tools.

Achievement/Results

NSF-funded researcher Timothy Long and MILES trainee Stephen June are synthesizing and characterizing novel polymers for electronics applications. The polymers exhibit photoreversible adhesive properties. The reversible nature of the adhesion allows these polymers to be used as temporary adhesives. The system works by adhering a device for fabrication to a transparent support substrate, to allow for fabrication of the device under conditions where it would normally be too fragile. After fabrication, UV light may be shined through the substrate, thus cleaving the polymer, and releasing the device. Steve has synthesized two series of novel polymers containing photolabile units for use as an adhesive for the fabrication of electronics. Very similar chemistry can be used for many potential applications including, but not limited to, photoreleasable cross-linking, photo-triggerable drug delivery, or photo-releasable antimicrobial membranes.

Address Goals

Photoreversible adhesives have wide applications including electronics fabrication, drug delivery, and membrane and film generation. The new polymers being synthesized and characterized will have numerous applications and will increase design options for these applications. Furthermore this research increases understanding of photoreversible adhesion and will help advance knowledge in this area therefore helping future developers specifically tailor their polymers to achieve the desired properties.