CAREER: Stability and Material Properties of Nanowires for Reliable Design of Nanoelectronics

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。该学院早期职业发展(Career)项目的研究目标是发明生产稳定的纳米线的新方法，这种纳米线的直径比人类头发的直径小几千倍。稳定的纳米线将促进下一代技术，以改善美国的医疗保健、新的行业创造和全球竞争力。然而，目前还没有具备所需电稳定性的纳米线。这项研究将把现有纳米线的使用寿命从几周或几个月提高到长达十年，以便它们可以安全地集成到微尺度或纳米尺度的电子系统中。因此，该研究计划要求(1)对纳米线的电学性质进行经验和理论建模，以及(2)测试制造复合纳米材料系统的材料设计方法。纳米线是几乎所有可预见的纳米技术未来应用的关键使能技术，无论是主要是电气、机电，甚至是电气和有机领域，从医疗保健到改进的计算机。大学的研究与6-12年级的教学策略、工具和材料的开发密切协调，以促进学生在纳米科学方面取得预期的发展进步。在首席调查员积极参与的情况下，招收和辅导代表人数不足的少数族裔学生，将扩大对工程和科学的参与。这个项目的所有参与者，无论是中学还是大学，都将意识到美国技术创新的必要性。大学水平的学生也将接受培训，进入纳米科学和工程的各个领域的劳动力大军。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project is to invent new procedures for producing stable nanowires, thousands of times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Stable nanowires would promote next-generation technologies to improve US healthcare, new industry creation, and global competitiveness. However, nanowires with the required electrical stability are not yet available. This research will improve the useful lifetime of existing nanowires from a few weeks or months to as much as ten years, so that they can be safely integrated into microscale or nanoscale electronic systems. The research plan therefore calls for (1) empirical and theoretical modeling of nanowire electrical properties and (2) testing a material design approach of fabricating composite nanoscale material systems.Nanowires are a crucial enabling technology for virtually all of the envisioned future applications of nanotechnology, whether primarily electrical, electro-mechanical, or even electrical and organic, in areas from healthcare to improved computers. The university research is closely coordinated with the development of grade 6-12 instructional strategies, tools, and materials that promote the desired student developmental progression in nanoscale science. Recruiting and mentoring of underrepresented minority students, in which the Principal Investigator is actively involved, will result in broadening participation in engineering and science. All participants in this program, whether at secondary or university level, will become aware of the need for US technological innovation. University level students will also be trained to enter the workforce in various areas of nanoscale science and engineering.