SGER: Feasibility Study of Nano-Electrochemical Machining Process

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Extensive research in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in various fields such as biology,optics, telecommunication, material and electronics promises novel and sustainabletechnologies and products. To fulfill the promise, a set of new manufacturing processesand manufacturing paradigms are needed for industrial scale production. A recentlyconducted NSF workshop on Nonomanufacturing and Processing recommends bottom up(such as electroforming and assembly) and top down (such as EDM, ECM, laser andetching) processes as potential technologies for generating 1D, 2D, and 3Dnanostructures and devices.This SGER proposal seeks funding to study the feasibility of developing a Nano-ElectrochemicalMachining (Nano-ECM) process. Electrochemical machining (ECM)process, an anodic dissolution process, selectively removes material atom by atom andthus avoids post-processing operations. As ECM is a non-thermal and non-mechanicalcontact process, it generates burr-free and stress-free surfaces. Micro-ECM process hasshown to be highly successful in machining arbitrary 3D micro shapes. Therefore, ECMseems an ideal candidate as one of the top down nanomachining processes. However,many scientific and technical barriers and associated risks must be considered andaddressed for the realization of Nano-ECM process.Intellectual Merit:This study will establish an extensive and comprehensive knowledge base of the state-of-theart research in electrochemical deposition and dissolution at nanoscale and relatedscientific and technical barriers. An attempt will be made to develop a mathematicalmodel to describe Nano-ECM process by taking into consideration mass transportprocess at a very small gap, coupled modes of mass transport, coupling of Faradicprocesses and statistical aspects of discrete events of reactions. A Nano-ECM cell will beassembled using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM).Broader Impacts:This study will initiate the establishment of an educational and research infrastructure forNanomanufacturing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) that will be accessibleto researchers from UNL and other U.S. universities. The success of the project will leadto the development of a new graduate/undergraduate course on Nanomanufacturing. Theproject results will be demonstrated to high school teachers and students on a regularbasis. A collaborative research with researchers at the Warsaw University of Technologywill be planned by simultaneously submitting proposals to US and EU research agencies.