SGER: Utilizing Plasmon-Mediated Local Heating and Electromigration for Processing Nanocomposite Materials

这项探索性研究（SGER）提案探索了利用纳米颗粒的固有特性通过使用外力（例如施加场）操纵内部纳米颗粒来处理材料的可能性。 具体而言，提出了两个假设：1）通过暴露于可见光激发的金属纳米颗粒的等离子体共振可以用作局部热源（高达100 ℃的局部变化），以及2）AC电场可用于诱导纳米颗粒电迁移，使得复合材料的电性能得到改善（例如电导率的增加或临界体积分数的减小）。对分散的纳米颗粒的激元介导的加热和电迁移的影响的基本理解可以用于通过局部加热每个纳米颗粒然后施加AC电场以诱导纳米颗粒位置的微小变化来后处理样品，使得净复合材料电导率增加。 这种效应最终可以用于诸如纳米纤维的粘合、在温度敏感的形状记忆聚合物中激活致动器运动以及其他功能等任务。

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) proposal, explores the possibility of utilizing the innate properties of nano-sized particles to process a material via manipulation of internal nanoparticles using an external force (e.g. an applied field). In particular, two hypotheses are postulated: 1) the plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles excited by exposure to visible light can be used as a source of localized heat (local changes of up to 100 C) for processing purposes and 2) that an AC electric field can be used to induce nanoparticle electromigration such that composite electrical properties are improved (e.g. an increase in conductivity or decrease in critical volume fraction). A fundamental understanding of the effects of phasmon-mediated heating and electromigration of dispersed nanoparticulates could be used to post-process a sample by locally heating each nanoparticle and then applying an AC electric field to induce minute changes in the nanoparticle positions such that the net composite conductivity is increased. Such effects could ultimately be used for tasks such as bonding of nanofibers, activating actuator motion in temperature-sensitive shape memory polymers, and other functionalities.