| dc.description.abstract | For decades, researchers have been searching for alternative methods to ameliorate the rate of waste production and the cost of spending commonly associated with nanofabrication facilities across the world. Estimated to reach an outstanding $100 billion per facility by the year 2020, the mounting cost associated with supporting technicians and maintaining instrumentation, alone, has motivated researchers to develop alternative approaches, utilizing less expensive, water soluble biological materials, or biomaterials, for new types of devices. From manual stamping to computer-based printing, the availability of current materials processing techniques has offered unique approaches for immobilizing biomaterials that not only elucidate unique interfacial interactions inherent in 2D systems, but also aid in developing strategies to disrupt them. Such approaches will lead to the development of a range novel, sustainable materials with applications ranging from memory storage to therapeutic devices. The theme of this dissertation will emphasize the application of piezoelectric inkjet printing using the Dimatix Materials inkjet Printer (DMP) as a novel materials processing technique to pattern such sustainable materials. The DMP is a non-contact and non-destructive technique for patterning biomaterials ranging from DNA conjugated carbon nanotubes to proteins and polymers. The focus of Chapter II will include designing biomaterial inks, tuning their operating parameters, and characterizing the output analysis of the materials printer. Chapter III will spotlight printing biomimetic inks for reactive, functional surfaces; wherein, the development and utility of a bio-inspired ink is discussed. Finally, Chapter IV will focus on a specific application of inkjet printed materials using SECM to map the current output associated with printed metal particle films. | |
