Engineered Microfluidic Mixing for Green Nanocrystal Manufacturing

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).As novel applications for nanocrystalline materials continue to emerge, there is an increasing need for new approaches to manufacture these materials efficiently, at high yield, and with minimal damage to the environment. In this project, two green chemistry technologies?ionic liquid solvents and microfluidic reactors?are combined to engineer new approaches to nanocrystal synthesis. Ionic liquids are ideal for nanofabrication reactions because they can act both as solvents and as surface passivation ligands. Microfluidic systems are ideal because nanocrystal nucleation and growth processes are exquisitely sensitive to local conditions that can be engineered and controlled in microfluidic flows.Beyond the immediate advantages of green manufacture of nanomaterials, this work promises to provide novel insights to the role that mixing plays in controlling nanofabrication reactions. This system will allow for precise control of the timing of the nucleation and growth phases of nanocrystal formation, allowing for improved crystal homogeneity and better control over final morphology. Metal oxide nanocrystals are used as photocatalysts, piezoelectric and photovoltaic materials, and pigments. The green principles developed in this proposal are broadly applicable to manufacturing these materials, and will have correspondingly broad impacts. The proposed work includes an education and outreach program. At the high school level, the PI will work with the USC Center for Engineering Diversity to provide laboratory experiences for high school teachers from local schools. The co-PI will undertake an experimental outreach program to local community colleges.