Collaborative: Plasma deposition of thin films on nanowires and particles

本项目致力于将低压等离子体沉积在纳米级薄膜（厚度从10纳米到100纳米高度均匀）的纳米颗粒和纳米线上，具有高密度、低孔隙度和厚度。所提出的工艺允许薄膜的厚度和结构具有高度可控性。本方法的新颖之处在于利用静电捕获现象在化学反应的等离子体中产生纳米线/纳米颗粒悬浮液。这种方法允许纳米线/纳米颗粒在反应器中停留足够长的时间，以沉积所需厚度的薄膜，并使等离子体处理的广泛技术知识转移到纳米线的表面处理成为可能。通过将实验研究与计算组件相结合，研究人员将对等离子体表面沉积中涉及的各种物理和化学现象有更详细的基本理解。在建模过程中，他们将创建包含分子相互作用、静电学、化学动力学和传输的多尺度模型，这些模型受到反应器宏观尺寸的限制。在基于实验建立模型效度后，随后将用于提供物理洞察和反馈，以改进实验设计和解释结果。这项基础研究的目标是在生物传感和纳米电子学领域有潜在应用的核-壳结构的合成。纳米粒子和纳米线是纳米技术的主要组成部分。这些纳米结构及其组件表现出许多独特的光学、机械和电学特性，可用于生物传感和超高密度电子学等应用。通过涂覆其他材料来改变其表面，以改善附着力、疏水性、亲水性、印刷性和耐腐蚀性等性能，可以显著扩展其应用范围。通过建立一个合作团队，专注于等离子体物理的基础科学，该项目预计将产生超出该计划特定研究目标的收益。该奖项支持两名研究生，他们将在跨学科领域接受培训。它将进一步支持本科生的研究机会，并将开发与纳米颗粒和纳米线薄膜沉积相关的教育模块和实践活动。除了在学术期刊上发表研究成果外，研究结果还将以教育动画的形式传播，展示等离子体反应器中的各种过程。

This project focuses on the low-pressure plasma deposition onto nanoparticles and nanowires of nanometer-scale films (highly uniform thicknesses from under 10 nanometers to 100 nanometers) having high density, low porosity, and thickness. The proposed process allows high controllability of the thickness and structure of the film. The novelty of the present approach lies in taking advantage of the phenomenon of electrostatic trapping to produce a suspension of nanowires/nanoparticles within a chemically reacting plasma. This approach allows the nanowires/nanoparticles to remain in the reactor long enough to deposit films of desirable thickness and makes it possible to transfer the extensive know-how about plasma processing to the surface treatment of nanowires. By combining the experimental study with a computational component, the investigators will develop a more detailed fundamental understanding of the various physical and chemical phenomena involved in the plasma-based surface deposition. In the modeling, they will create multiscale models that incorporate molecular interactions, electrostatics, chemical kinetics and transport, bounded by the macroscopic dimensions of the reactor. After establishing model validity based on the experiments, it will be used subsequently to provide physical insight and feedback for improvement of the design and interpretation of the results of the experiments.CBET-0651362 Mashayek This fundamental research is targeting the synthesis of core-shell structures that have potential applications in the areas of biosensing and nanoelectronics. Nanoparticles and nanowires are among the main building blocks of nanotechnology. These nanostructures and assemblies of them exhibit many unique optical, mechanical, and electrical properties that can be exploited in applications such as biological sensing and ultra-high-density electronics. Their range of application can be significantly extended by altering their surfaces through coating with other materials to improve properties such as adhesion, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, printability, and corrosion resistance. By establishing a collaborative team, focused on basic science of plasma physics, the project is anticipated to yield benefits that will extend beyond the specific research goals of the program. The award supports two graduate students who will be trained in an interdisciplinary area. It will further supports undergraduate research opportunities and will develop educational modules and hands-on activities on concepts related to thin film deposition onto nanoparticles and nanowires. In addition to publishing the research in scholarly journals, results will also be disseminated as educational animations demonstrating various processes in the plasma reactor.