Structures, systems and methods for joining articles and materials and uses therefor
View Patent ↗This invention provides novel nanofibers and nanofiber structures which posses adherent properties, as well as the use of such nanofibers and nanofiber comprising structures in the coupling and/or joining together of articles or material.
1. A method of joining two or more articles, the method comprising:
i) depositing a first plurality of inorganic nanofibers on a first surface of a first article, wherein the plurality of nanofibers have a curved or curled configuration;
ii) contacting the first surface of the first article with a second surface of a second article, whereby each nanofiber contacts the second surface of the second article at a plurality of contact points wherein the contacting creates van der Waals forces between each of said nanofibers and the second surface of the second article, such that the van der Waals forces between the nanofibers and the second surface of the second article are sufficient to adhere the first and second articles together.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said depositing comprises growing the nanofibers on the first surface of the first article.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the nanofibers are grown by a VLS growth process.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanofibers have a length of at least about 50 microns.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanofibers comprise silicon or silicon oxide nanofibers.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanofibers are selected from a material comprising a first element selected from group 2 or from group 12 of the periodic table and a second element selected from group 16, a material comprising a first element selected from group 13 and a second element selected from group 15, a material comprising a group 14 element, a material comprising PbS, PbSe, PbTe, AlS, AlP and AlSb, or an alloy or a mixture thereof.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanofibers comprise TiO, ZnO, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, CdS, CdSe, CdTe, HgS, HgSe, HgTe, MgS, MgSe, MgTe, CaS, CaSe, CaTe, SrS, SrSe, SrTe, BaS, BaSe, BaTe, GaN, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InN, InP, InAs, InSb, PbS, PbSe, PbTe, AlS, AlP, AlSb, SiO1, SiO2, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or silicon.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanofibers are grown on a second article, and then transferred and deposited on the first surface of the first article.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of contact points between the nanofibers and the second surface of the second article comprises contact of from at least about 1 nanofiber per micron 2 to 2000 nanofibers per micron 2 .
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of contact points between the nanofibers and the second surface of the second article comprises contact of from at least about 5 nanofibers per micron 2 to 1000 nanofibers per micron 2 .
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of contact points between the nanofibers and the second surface of the second article comprises contact of from at least about 10 nanofibers per micron 2 to 500 nanofibers per micron 2 .
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of contact points between the nanofibers and the second surface of the second article comprises contact of from at least about 50 nanofibers per micron 2 to 250 nanofibers per micron 2 .
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of contact points between the nanofibers and the second surface of the second article comprises contact of from at least about 75 nanofibers per micron 2 to 150 nanofibers per micron 2 .
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising depositing a second plurality of inorganic nanofibers on the first surface of the first article, wherein the second plurality of nanofibers have a straight configuration.