Direct Nanoimprinting-based Nanopatterning of Functional Nanomaterials for Electronics & Sensing Applications

该奖项的研究目标是在纳米尺度上为电子和传感应用设计功能性纳米材料。 与传统的刚性纳米压印机相反，图案化将使用新型的弹性纳米压印机来完成，这大大简化了对压模和基板之间的精确对准的需要，并允许多层纳米压印。 这种新的制造方法使得功能性纳米材料的纳米图案化成为可能，例如由纳米颗粒合成的金属导电迹线。 这些金属导电迹线首先沉积为纳米颗粒油墨，通过纳米压模图案化，随后在低温下烧结以形成完全连续的低电阻金属迹线，其与各种聚合物基底和活性材料完全兼容。 在这项研究中采取的方法是1）表征纳米颗粒溶液的流体和热性质（纳米颗粒油墨），2）表征纳米压印印模的机械性能以改善保真度纳米图案化，3）进行纳米颗粒的热烧结的实验和理论分析，4）对纳米压印特征和基底之间的粘附进行定量分析，5）分析机械变形对纳米压印材料性能的影响; 6）开发多层、多材料纳米压印。如果成功，这项研究的好处和广泛影响将是一种新的、低成本、高性能的制造技术，该技术将消除对真空和剥离过程的需要。经由弹性压模的纳米压印还允许压印多层材料。 这种新的制造技术将使平板显示器、大面积电子产品、柔性基板上的电子产品的成本大幅降低和质量大幅提高成为可能。 其他好处包括用于创建生物检测电路的新技术。

The research objective of this award is to pattern, at the nanoscale, functional nanomaterials for electronics and sensing applications. The patterning will be accomplished using a novel, elastic nanoimprinter, as opposed to the traditional rigid nanoimprinters, which greatly alleviates the need for precision alignment between stamper and substrate, and allows multi-layer nanoimprinting. This new manufacturing method makes possible the nanopatterning of functional nanomaterials such as metal conductive traces synthesized from nanoparticles. These metal conductive traces are first deposited as a nanoparticle ink, patterned by a nanostamper, and subsequently sintered at low temperatures to form fully continuous, low-resistance metal traces that are fully compatible with a wide variety of polymer substrates and active materials. The approach taken in this research is to 1) characterize the fluidic and thermal properties of nanoparticle solutions (nanoparticle inks), 2) characterize the mechanical properties of nanoimprinting stamps for improved fidelity nanopatterning, 3) conduct both experiments and theoretical analysis of thermal sintering of nanoparticles, 4) make a quantitative analysis of the adhesion between the nanoimprinted features and substrates, 5) perform an analysis of the influence of mechanical deformation on the performance of nanoimprinted materials and 6) develop multi-layer, multi-material nanoimprinting. If successful, the benefits and broad impact of this research will be a new, low-cost, high-performance manufacturing technology that will eliminate the need for both vacuum and lift-off processes. Nanoimprinting via elastic stampers also allows multi-layer materials to be imprinted. This new manufacturing technology will make possible major cost reductions and major quality improvements in flat panel displays, large area electronics, electronics on flexible substrates. Other benefits include new technologies for the creation of biodetection circuits.