Microreactor for High-Yield Solution Deposition of Thin Films and Nanowires

本项目的研究目标是研究一种新的反应器设计，称为连续流动微反应器，用于从水基溶液中沉积材料。这种设计将反应堆的临界尺寸从传统溶液反应堆中使用的厘米级缩小到亚毫米级，以提高反应物的利用率并减少废物。该微反应器将用于合成对太阳能电池行业至关重要的半导体和氧化物薄膜以及纳米线阵列。通过该项目达成的理解既有可能降低当前太阳能电池的成本，也有可能使下一代太阳能电池设计成为可能。微反应器将用于研究反应机理，并确定限制沉积速率的物理过程。此外，它还将为光伏和光电子器件发现具有最佳功能特性的新材料。连续流动微反应器将提高工艺产量，并将废物减少高达十分之一，这将显著降低制造成本，并可能对半导体加工业产生革命性影响。随着薄膜光伏市场的持续增长，低成本的绿色沉积方法将变得越来越重要，微反应器在产量、减少废物和成本方面的优势将非常宝贵。除了对产业的影响外，该项目还将对一名博士生和几名本科生进行研究性教育和培训。高中生和老师也将通过暑期研究体验参与其中。

The research objective of this project is to investigate a new reactor design, called a continuous flow microreactor, to deposit materials from water-based solutions. This design reduces the critical dimension of the reactor from the centimeter-scale used in conventional solution reactors to sub-millimeter scale in order to improve reactant utilization and reduce waste. The microreactor will be used to synthesize semiconductor and oxide thin films and nanowire arrays that are important to the solar cell industry. The understanding developed through this project has potential both to reduce the cost of current solar cells and to enable next-generation solar cell designs. The microreactor will be used to investigate reaction mechanisms and to identify the physical processes that limit deposition rates. Additionally, it will enable discovery of new materials with optimal functional properties for photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices.The continuous flow microreactor will improve process yields and reduce waste by up to a factor of ten, which will reduce manufacturing costs significantly and could have transformative impact on the semiconductor processing industry. As the thin film photovoltaics market continues to grow, low-cost "green" deposition methods will become increasingly important, and the advantages in yield, waste reduction, and cost offered by the microreactor will be extremely valuable. In addition to its industrial impact, this project will also result in the research education and training of a PhD student and several undergraduate students. High school students and teachers will also participate through summer research experiences.