The objective of this research is to determine the feasibility of liquid state electronics. At the heart of the proposed "liquid logic" transistors is the electrowetting (EW) process. EW provides control of the contact angle between an electrolyte and a solid surface through the application of an electric field across the liquid. Combining the EW effect in a conducting (polar) liquid with a hydrophobic insulator we can design an insulated gate field effect transistor (IGFET) structure that is functionally very similar to the semiconductor MOSFET. The main activities of the project will be: investigation of materials choices; design, fabrication and characterization of liquid state transistors.
Intellectual Merit & Broader Impact
Liquid logic is a revolutionary new approach to electronics that proposes to use liquids as the active medium. The development of liquid electronics will enable large area ("human-scale") circuits for various applications: large flat or flexible panel displays, large array antennas, scanners/printers/copiers, large area sensors, full-size medical imaging systems, photovoltaic arrays, electrotextiles (wearable electronics), electronic newspapers.
This project will provide interactions with faculty and graduate students at the University of Cincinnati (UC) in Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and Materials Engineering. Biomedical applications of liquid logic transistors will be explored in collaboration with the UC Medical School.
