We seek to understand and exploit interesting characteristics of 'soft' materials, such as polymers, liquid crystals, and biological tissues as well as hybrid combinations with unusual classes of micro/nanomaterials, in the form of collections of ribbons, wires, membranes, tubes or related. Our aim is to control and induce novel electronic and photonic responses in these materials; we also develop new 'soft lithographic' and biomimetic approaches for patterning them and guiding their growth. This work combines fundamental studies with forward-looking engineering efforts in a way that promotes positive feedback between the two. Our current research focuses on soft materials for flexible ‘macroelectronic’ circuits, nanophotonic structures, microfluidic devices, and microelectromechanical systems. These efforts are highly multidisciplinary, and combine expertise from nearly every traditional field of technical study.

Some highlights of our recent (2007-2008) work include the first:

• electronic eye cameras
• stretchable silicon CMOS integrated circuits
• flexible, semi-transparent solar modules based on monocrystalline silicon
• flexible digital logic circuits based on SWNT thin films
• chemically synthesized, 2D carbon nanomaterials

Some highlights of our 2006-2007 work include the first:

• observation and analysis of buckling mechanics in SWNTs
• quasi-3D plasmonics crystals for biosensing and imaging
• SWNT-based RF analog electronics, including the first all-nanotube transistor radios
• methods for electrohydrodynamic jet printing with sub-micron resolution
• routes to multilayer superstructures of aligned SWNTs

Some highlights of our 2005-2006 work include the first:

• strechable form of single crystal silicon
• GHz flexible transistors on plastic substrates
• single-step two photon 3D nanofabrication technique
• lithographic method with molecular scale (~1 nm) resolution
• printing approach for 3D, heterogeneous integration
• method for growing high density, horizontally aligned SWNTs