Wireless Communications, Antenna
& Satellite Systems, Electronics
Energy Storage,
Power, Smart Grids
Medical Devices & Systems, Diagnostics,
Biodetectors & Sensors, Imaging, Neurotechnology
Information Technology, Data Management
& Storage, Artificial Intelligence
Construction, Sustainability,
Resilient Infrastructure

Materials, Manufacturing

Electronically Activated C-MEMS Electrodes for On-chip Micro Super-Capacitors

The technology is developed as a very promising method for fabricating electrochemical micro-capacitors. Carbon micro-electrode arrays for use in micro-capacitors are fabricated using the carbon microelectromechanical system (C-MEMS) technique. FIU inventors have successfully demonstrated that C-MEMS fabricated micro-electrodes are potentially capable of delivering energy storage solutions for micro-devices. In addition fabrication of higher aspect ratio micro-electrodes could increase the device’s surface area while maintaining a desirable in the limited footprint.

APPLICATIONS

  • Electrochemically activated carbon microelectromechanical system (C-MEMS) electrodes can be used as three-dimensional electrodes for on-chip electrochemical micro-supercapacitors.
  • The technology has specific applications in the fields of micro-power sources and energy storage.
Anisotropic Electronically Conductive Films Templated using Ultrasonic Focusing

FIU inventors have created a simple approach to fabricate optically transparent and anisotropically conductive films. Using acoustic focusing, elastomers were doped with conductive metal particles and rendered surface conductive at particle loading as low as 1%. The resulting films were flexible and had transparencies exceeding 80% in the visible spectrum and with electrical bulk conductivities exceeding 50 S/cm.  This method of acoustic focusing is proven to be simple, faster, and more advantageous without the use specialized instruments

APPLICATIONS

The flexible electronics such as displays, solar cells, and wearable devices. Also, wearable electronics that is bendable, stretchable, and conductive at the same time, such as wristwatches and the next generation of smartphones.

Direct and Selective Area Synthesis of Graphene using Microheater Element

There are multiple ways to produce Graphene, but every technique has several drawbacks. A fabrication process that produces high quality graphene on an insulating surface with submicron resolution, employs a process that minimizes the fabrication steps, and is compatible with existing fabrication process at relatively lower temperature and at pressures closer to atmospheric pressures, and is inexpensive is desirable. FIU researchers have developed a transformative approach to address these needs by synthesizing graphene using a tip-based micro-reactor to directly pattern graphene structures on insulating substrates while maintaining exact control over the position, orientation, and size of the resulting graphene.

APPLICATIONS

Semiconductor industry for fabricating high-performance devices such as graphene field effect transistors (GFETs), sensors, detectors, etc.

Frequency Calibration for Audio Synthesizers

The technology facilitates the calibration of oscillation frequencies for an analog audio synthesizer. The technology uses various techniques and systems for effectively performing the initial calibration procedure and to continuously compensate for frequency irregularities, which originate from insufficient calibration and/or frequency drift of the oscillator circuits.

APPLICATIONS

  • Musical instrument design and manufacturing
  • Audio Equipment
Method For Capturing Carbon Dioxide While Producing Hydrogen Gas

Most of the available techniques for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture are unfavorable due to high raw material cost, severe energy penalty costs and requirement for several pretreatment steps prior to carbonation process, corrosiveness and fast degradation of the sorbent. Researchers at FIU have proposed a new method able to bypass these limitations for carbon capture by using sorbent, which is readily accessible at any iron and steel industries. The technology aims to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from blast furnace gas while simultaneously producing hydrogen gas and generating electricity.

APPLICATIONS

The present scheme can be used for simultaneous CO2 capture, H2 production and electricity generation. Implementation of the proposed process is not restricted to any particular industry but can be significantly profitable for the iron and steel industries.

Synthesis of High Temperature Ceramic Powders

High temperature ceramic (HTC) and ultrahigh temperature ceramics (UHTC) in the form of powders, monolithic ceramics or composites find many important applications in machinery, mining and aerospace industries. Although synthesis of nano-sized HTC has been researched, most methods reported in the literature suffer from some drawbacks either in terms of cost, product quality or process safety. FIU inventors use a single step high temperature spray pyrolysis process for forming high temperature ceramic powders that incorporates the various processes including drying/solvent evaporation, pyrolysis and in situ carbothermal reduction reaction (CTR) all in one single pass that finishes within one minute or so.

APPLICATIONS

Low cost industrial fabrication of submicron and nano-sized high temperature and ultra-high temperature ceramics for industrial applications in aerospace, machinery that requires temperature resistance and/or hardness.