EAGER: USA-Singapore Collaborative Research and Education on Strain-engineered Conformable Electronics

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These collaborative EAGER awards provide funding to support an international network of researchers to investigate strain-engineered conformable electronic systems. These systems could exploit the properties of inorganic semiconductor nanomaterials to produce a new generation of electronic and optoelectronic devices. The collaborating researchers are based at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois, the University of Miami, and in Singapore at the National University of Singapore and the Institute of High Performance Computing. The research will involve synthesis of the strained semiconducting nanomaterials, testing of their electronic properties, and conducting theoretical simulations to understand the phenomena and to guide design of new materials and devices. The studies build on existing relationships among the researchers and strive to take their previous work on foldable and stretchable electronics from flat two-dimensional fabrication to forms that will allow integration into flexible three-dimensional structures with a wide variety of complex shapes. The project explores the use of thin elastomeric membranes as the substrate for the strained semiconductor nanomaterials. The experimental work will be guided by advanced analytic and computational modeling of the materials and structures.Success with these efforts will enable production of various electronic and optoelectronic devices with numerous applications, from health monitoring and imaging to energy transformations. Thus, the work can lead to new types of materials and structures that could have a large impact on new technologies and lead to start-up companies with novel products. The project will involve one post-doctoral fellow and one graduate student, each of which will travel to Singapore to interact with their foreign colleagues, establishing a basis for long-term international partnering. The attractiveness of this novel technology, which will be publicized widely, is expected to stimulate interest in underrepresented communities and enhance human resources in a critical area of science.