SBIR Phase I: Surface Engineering Processes of Au Nanostructures Array

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将研究在纳米结构阵列中对纳米线进行工程化表面处理的可行性。该项目将探索使用电化学处理对不同应用的表面进行平滑和粗糙处理。这个项目将使用图案化掩模来生长纳米线阵列，这种掩模可以产生高度有序和完全定向的可控尺寸的纳米线，这是传统方法所不允许的。这项研究将展示纳米结构和纳米结构阵列的前处理始终可控，适用于各种高精度设备，如太阳能电池或传感器。通过模板合成获得的金(Au)纳米线阵列的表面性质的控制和表征技术是本提案的重点。该项目将使用纳米印迹作为一种成本效益高的技术，使定制制造纳米结构成为可能。该项目将研究两种以前从未应用于纳米结构的表面工程过程。这些表面处理的基础是将表面处理限制在纳米结构的最顶层原子层。当后续的层非常薄时，控制和验证表面和界面质量的技术尤其重要，就像预期的应用太阳能电池一样。研究结果为创造经济且一致的高精度纳米结构阵列模板和阵列奠定了基础。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是具有精确尺寸和表面质量的纳米结构阵列；尽管该项目针对的是太阳能电池，但该技术在纳米电子学和纳米制造方面具有广泛的适用性。实现经济、可靠、高性能太阳能电池的关键是纳米结构器件，而不是块状材料。结果将是离散结构的阵列，但相同的技术适用于电路、传感器、光学应用等。这项研究是建立新的低成本、高性能光伏电池的关键一步，并使传感设备具有新的能力和性能。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate the feasibility of engineering surface treatments of nanowires in a nanostructure array. The project will explore smoothing and roughening surfaces for different applications using electrochemical treatments. This project will grow nanowire arrays using a patterned mask that create highly ordered and perfectly oriented nanowires of controlled dimensions, which conventional methods don?t allow. This research will demonstrate consistently controllable pre-treatments of nanostructures and nanostructured arrays suitable for a variety of high-precision devices, like solar cells or sensors. Techniques to control and characterize surface properties of gold (Au) nanowire array obtained by template synthesis are the focus of this proposal. This project will use nanoimprinting as a cost-effective technology that enables tailored fabrication of nanostructures. This project will examine two surface engineering processes never before applied to nanostructures. These surface treatments are based on restricting surface treatments to the top-most atomic layers of nanoscale structures. Techniques to control and verify the quality of surfaces and interfaces are especially important when subsequent layers are extremely thin, as is the case with solar cells, the intended application. Results lay the foundation for creating economical and consistently high-precision nanostructure array templates and arrays. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be arrays of nanostructures of precise dimensions and surface quality; although this project has targeted solar cells, this technology has broad applicability in nanoelectronics and nanofabrication. Nanostructured devices, rather than bulk materials, are the key to realizing economical, reliable, high-performance solar cells. Results will be arrays of discrete structures but the same technique are applicable to circuitry, sensors, optical applications, etc. This research is a key step in establishing a new low-cost, high-performance photovoltaic cell and enables new capabilities and performance in sensing devices.