Ion-Cut-Synthesis for Materials Integration

本研究的目的是开发基于离子切割合成工艺的材料集成策略，该工艺由电活性纳米结构的同时合成和层转移组成。这一研究目标将通过提高对纳米结构和气泡形成过程的理解来实现。此外，基材粘合和热加工步骤将针对各种粘合剂、基材材料和离子切割方法进行优化。这个项目将为开发各种重要技术的集成方法的更大努力奠定基础。全球能源可持续性的一个主要技术障碍是用对生态负责的可再生能源取代对环境有害和迅速消耗的能源。太阳能是一种很有前途的清洁能源；然而，与化石燃料等污染能源相比，太阳能的相对效率、可用性或成本都阻碍了它的广泛应用。就太阳能电池和太阳能聚光器的效率而言，大部分能量（高达95%）转化为废热。热电装置与太阳能电池和/或太阳能聚光器的配对是一种有希望的途径，以回收否则浪费的能源。为此，该项目涉及纳米结构材料的研究，以有效地将光和热从太阳转化为电能，以及薄膜层转移技术的发展，以降低材料成本。因此，如果成功，离子切割合成方法将能够有效地将热和光转换为电，为经济有效的能源可持续性挑战提供可能的解决方案。

The objective of this research is to develop strategies for materials integration based upon the ion-cut-synthesis process, which consists of simultaneous synthesis and layer transfer of electrically-active nanostructures. This research objective will be accomplished by developing an improved understanding of the nanostructure and bubble formation processes. In addition, the substrate bonding and thermal processing steps will be optimized for a variety of bonding agents, substrate materials, and ion-cut methods. This project will lay the foundation for a larger effort for developing integration methods for a variety of important technologies. A major technological hurdle to global energy sustainability is the replacement of environmentally harmful and rapidly depleting energy sources with ecologically responsible and renewable sources. Solar power is one promising avenue to clean energy; however, the relative efficiency, availability, or cost of solar power as compared to polluting power sources such as fossil fuels can preclude its widespread application. In terms of efficiency of solar cells and solar concentrators, the majority of energy (up to 95%) is converted to waste heat. The pairing of thermoelectric devices with solar cells and/or solar concentrators is a promising route to recovery of otherwise wasted energy. To this end, this project involves study of nanostructured materials for efficient conversion of both light and heat from the sun to electricity, as well as the development of a thin-film layer transfer technique to reduce materials cost. Thus, if successful, the ion-cut-synthesis approach would enable efficient conversion of both heat and light to electricity, providing a possible solution to the challenge of cost-efficient energy sustainability.