Microreactor-Assisted Nanoparticle Deposition: An Efficient, Green Route to Functionally Gradient Films

建议编号：0654434 PRINCIPAL研究员：Paul，Brian K.研究：俄勒冈州立大学智力优势：我们建议研究从紧凑、高度并行的微反应堆系统中合成的纳米材料积木组装功能梯度、分级(纳米到微型)结构的基本科学和技术。提出的研究概念结合了微反应技术和溶液相纳米粒子沉积(混合)的优点。在合成中，微反应器技术在微通道结构中提供了大的表面积与体积比，以加速热量和质量的传输。这种加速的传输允许反应温度和浓度的快速变化，从而导致更均匀的加热和混合。因此，微反应器已经被证明在纳米颗粒尺寸分布的分散性方面有显著的降低。在应用点合成所需体积的纳米材料的可能性，消除了储存和运输潜在危险材料的需要，同时为定制新的功能梯度结构提供了新的机会。在这项拟议的工作中，这项技术将被扩展到制造各种新的、功能梯度的结构，目前这些结构过于繁琐，无法通过其他方法生产。随着基于湿化学(如沉淀法、溶胶-凝胶法等)的大量纳米技术合成和组装技术的发展，我们相信微反应器辅助纳米颗粒沉积将为生产新型、高性能薄膜开辟一条绿色(对环境无害)、低成本的途径。在这项提议中，我们的研究将以制造用于玻璃的高性能“蛾眼”减反射膜而达到顶峰，该膜由尺寸、形状和具有亚波长结构的成分梯度层组成。预计这些新技术的发展将使一系列新的功能梯度薄膜具有广泛的应用，包括燃料电池电极膜、光伏薄膜、可穿戴电子设备和生物医用薄膜等。广泛的影响：这一概念有可能将目前的批量纳米加工实践转变为连续的过程，用于大规模生产，具有精确的过程控制，而不需要昂贵的基础设施，如颗粒控制、高真空和高温。这些特性可以彻底改变未来的纳米/微细加工设备，同时减少对环境的影响。这一新工艺通过采用集成的微通道分离技术和试剂回收，有可能帮助减少纳米生产对环境的影响。在使用时合成纳米材料的可能性将显著降低昂贵纳米材料的携带成本和过时，同时减少人类接触潜在危险材料的机会。我们将为俄亥俄州立大学校园的研究生、本科生和现有的K-12外展项目开发教材，并招募和留住未被充分代表的群体(年轻女性和少数民族)进入科学和工程专业。我们的方法是双管齐下的。首先，我们寻求招收新一代科学、工程和商业专业的学生，通过创建教育模块和实验室活动，并将其提供给本科生和高中生，进行分级制造研究、开发和商业化。其次，我们的目标是让新员工参与各种开发和商业化活动，这将产生一批新的学生，他们有动力理解和推广层次化制造技术背后的科学。

PROPOSAL NUMBER: 0654434PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Paul, Brian K.INSTITUTION: Oregon State UniversityIntellectual Merit: We propose to investigate the underlying science and technology for assembling functionally-gradient, hierarchical (nano to micro) structures from nanomaterial building blocks synthesized within compact, highly-paralleled microreactor systems. The proposed research concept combines the merits of microreaction technology with solution-phase nanoparticle deposition (hybrid). In synthesis, microreactor technology offers large surface-area-to-volume ratios within microchannel structures to accelerate heat and mass transport. This accelerated transport allows for rapid changes in reaction temperatures and concentrations leading to more uniform heating and mixing. Consequently, microreactors have been demonstrated to have dramatic reductions in the dispersity of nanoparticle size distributions. The possibility of synthesizing nanomaterials in the required volumes at the point-of-application, eliminates the need to store and transport potentially hazardous materials while providing new opportunities for tailoring novel functionally gradient structures. In the proposed work, this technology will be extended to fabricate a variety of new, functionally-gradient structures that are currently too cumbersome to produce by other means. With the large and growing library of nanotechnology synthesis and assembly techniques based on wet chemistry (e.g. precipitation, sol-gel, etc.), we believe Microreactor-Assisted Nanoparticle Deposition will open a green (environmentally benign), low cost route for producing novel, high-performance films. In this proposal, our research will culminate with the fabrication of high-performance, "moth-eye" anti-reflective films for glass consisting of size, shape and compositionally gradient layers having subwavelength structures. It is expected that the development of these new techniques will enable a host of new functionally gradient films with a broad set of applications including fuel cell electrode membranes, photovoltaic films, wearable electronics and biomedical films among others.Broader Impacts: This concept has the potential to transform current batch nanofabrication practices into continuous processes for mass production having precise process control without the need for expensive infrastructure such as particulate control, high vacuum and high temperatures. These qualities could revolutionize the future nano/microfabrication facility while reducing environmental impacts. This new process has the potential to help reduce the environmental impact of nanoproduction through the inclusion of integrated microchannel separation techniques and reagent recycling. The possibility of synthesizing nanomaterials at the point-of-use will significantly reduce the carrying costs and obsolescence of expensive nanomaterials while reducing the human exposure to potentially hazardous materials. We will develop educational materials for graduate, undergraduate, and existing K-12 outreach programs on the OSU campus and for recruiting and retaining underrepresented groups (young women and ethnic minorities) into science and engineering. Our approach is two-pronged. First, we seek to recruit a new generation of science, engineering and business students to perform hierarchical manufacturing research, development and commercialization by creating educational modules and laboratory activities and delivering these to undergraduate and high school students. Second, we aim to engage new recruits in various development and commercialization activities which will yield a new crop of students with the motivation for understanding and extending the science underlying hierarchical manufacturing technology.