High Throughput Process Screening and in-situ Characterization for Graphene Synthesis

这项研究计划将开发一种新的工具，可以快速处理通过化学气相沉积生长的纳米材料。 该技术将使用一系列微型加热板，这些加热板可以独立控制，同时产生各种加工环境，将加工时间缩短近10万倍。 该工具将应用于石墨烯的合成，石墨烯正在考虑用于透明柔性电子产品，但也可用于各种纳米材料。 微型加热板还将允许在合成期间监测生长速率。 将使用其他方法来表征生长后的电学、光学和结构特性。该工具的成功将允许快速优化纳米材料生长的加工环境，这将有助于加快将新纳米材料引入器件。 目前，这种快速筛选工具还不存在于纳米材料合成中。 此外，该平台将使人们能够了解温度变化如何影响纳米材料的结构和生长，这对于大规模生产系统是必要的。这项工作的结果将用于在国家会议上提出的新的纳米技术教程的开发。 此外，研究结果将用于帮助开发新的课程，重点是纳米材料加工和表征。 最后，重点关注本科生和代表性不足的学生参与将是这项工作的主要目标，以使服务不足的群体接触到更广泛的工程和科学领域。

This research program will develop a new tool which will allow the rapid processing of nanomaterials grown by chemical vapor deposition. The proposed technique will use an array of micro-hotplates which can be independently controlled to simultaneously produce a wide range of processing environments, lowering the time for processing by nearly 100,000 times. The tool will be applied to the synthesis of graphene which is under consideration for use in transparent flexible electronics, but can also be used for a wide range of nanomaterials. The micro-hotplates will also allow for monitoring of the rate of growth during synthesis. Additional methods will be used to characterize the electrical, optical, and structural properties after growth.The success of this tool will allow for the rapid optimization of processing environments for nanomaterial growth which will help speed the introduction of new nanomaterials into devices. At present, such rapid screening tools do not exist for nanomaterial synthesis. Furthermore, this platform will enable an understanding of how temperature variations affect the structure and growth of nanomaterials which is necessary for the scale-up to mass production systems. Results from this work will be used in the development of new nanotechnology tutorials presented at national conferences. In addition, results will be used to help develop new courses focused on nanomaterial processing and characterization. Finally, a focus on undergraduate and underrepresented student participation will be a primary goal of this effort in order to expose underserved groups to a broader area of engineering and science.