NIRT: Manufacturing with Nanoparticle Sprays and Beams

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ABSTRACTProposal Number: CTS-0506748Principal Investigator: Steven L. GirshickInstitution: University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesProposal Title: NIRT: Manufacturing with Nanoparticle Sprays and BeamsTechnologies that integrate the synthesis of nanoparticles and their controlled deposition onto surfaces will likely play an important role in the development of nanoparticle-based manu-facturing. An integrated program of research and education is proposed that will lead to a fun-damental toolkit for manufacturing with nanoparticle sprays and focused beams. Nanoparticle sprays, in tandem with a high-rate nanoparticle synthesis process, can be used to coat relatively large areas with nanoparticles. Focused nanoparticle beams, in concert with standard microfab-rication techniques, can be used to deposit lines or patterns, or to build three-dimensional ob-jects, made out of nanoparticles.Processes will be developed in which materials and devices with different nanoparticle-based functionalities are manufactured using nanoparticle sprays and/or beams. This will be demonstrated by considering two different properties of nanoparticle-based systems: superhard-ness and photoluminescence. The long-term objective is to develop enabling technologies in which multiple nanoparticle-based functionalities could be integrated on a common platform."Fundamental toolkit" refers to the set of technologies that will be needed to synthesize and to deposit nanoparticles by sprays and focused beams, so as to create useful structures that ex-ploit specific properties of nanophase materials. The development of this toolkit will, in turn, require that key scientific and technical issues are addressed. These include fundamental under-standing of the interaction between impacting nanoparticles and surfaces; the mechanical behav-ior of nanoparticles and nanoparticulate structures; extending the performance of aerodynamic lenses to smaller particle sizes and narrower beam widths; and accomplishing gas-phase doping of luminescent nanoparticles.The proposed research will serve as a springboard for a number of education and outreach activities. These include K-12 outreach through a local public school district; outreach to the general public in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota; training of five graduate student research assistants in a highly interdisciplinary research environment; teaching of new interdisciplinary graduate courses on nanoparticle science and engineering; fostering greater in-volvement of women and underrepresented groups in our graduate research programs; and play-ing a leadership role in promoting nanotechnology activities in professional societies and gov-ernment agencies. This NIRT project is co-funded by the Combustion and Plasma Systems and Nanomanufac-turing programs.