SBIR Phase I: New Low Cost and Large Scale Manufacturing of Semiconductor Nanocrystals

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目描述了一种生产大规模、持续高质量和低成本的半导体纳米晶体(如量子点)的制造方法的开发。这些材料独特的尺寸和形状相关特性使其适用于发光应用(包括生物标签和显示器)或光利用应用(太阳能电池板)。尽管基于纳米晶体的技术潜力巨大，但一个主要障碍是以低成本生产具有商业可行性的高质量纳米晶体。拟议的研究活动通过一种正在申请专利的创新低温湿法化学合成路线直接解决这些限制。与传统的高温合成路线相比，这种方法的优势在于它可以精确地控制产品的尺寸和形状--这些性能是成功将这些产品整合到最终用户应用中所必需的。此外，该方法绕过了传统高温合成路线的规模限制。这一阶段的资金集中于展示使用这种低温合成方法放大生产具有一致、可预测性质的高质量纳米晶体。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，它解决了目前阻碍半导体纳米晶体在世界范围内更广泛商业化的几个挑战。如果成功，纳米晶体将被大量、廉价和统一地生产，从而为现有市场和新兴应用带来颠覆性的进步。随着可获得性和价格的提高，纳米晶体可以更容易地用于节能照明和显示器，改善显示器(笔记本电脑、平板电脑、相机和移动设备)的颜色质量，提高太阳能电池板的效率，并更广泛地渗透到医学研究、诊断和治疗的应用中。新兴的应用包括将半导体纳米晶体用于生物燃料电池、激光、光纤、电子、安全和监视、航空和地热示踪剂。鉴于这些材料在不同细分市场的巨大潜力，这一努力的结果可以通过消除制造障碍来催化这些材料的更广泛的商业化。这项研究还将更深入地了解纳米晶体的基本行为以及它们的形成和生长，这些问题对于设计这些材料并将其纳入具体应用是必不可少的。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project describes development of a manufacturing method for production of large-scale, consistently high-quality and low-cost semiconductor nanocrystals, such as quantum dots. The unique size- and shape-related properties of these materials make them useful for light emission applications (including biological labeling and displays) or for light harnessing applications (solar panels). Despite the great potential of nanocrystal-based technologies, a major barrier is the production of high-quality nanocrystals in commercially viable amounts at low cost. The proposed research activities directly address these limitations through an innovative patent-pending low-temperature wet chemical synthesis route. Compared to the conventional high-temperature synthesis route, the advantage of this method is that it can precisely control the size and shape of products - properties that are necessary for successful incorporation of these products into end-user applications. Additionally, this method circumvents scaling limitations of conventional high-temperature synthesis routes. This Phase I funding focuses on demonstrating scaled-up production of high-quality nanocrystals with consistent, predictable properties using this low-temperature synthesis method.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it solves several challenges currently hindering broader commercialization of semiconductor nanocrystals worldwide. If successful, nanocrystals will be produced in large quantities, inexpensively and uniformly, resulting in a disruptive advance for existing markets and emerging applications. With greater availability and affordability, nanocrystals can be more easily utilized for energy efficient lighting and displays, improve color quality in displays (laptops, tablets, cameras and mobile devices), increase efficiency of solar panels, and penetrate more widely into applications in medical research, diagnostics and treatment. Emerging applications include the use of semiconductor nanocrystals for biofuel cells, lasers, fiber optics, electronics, security and surveillance, aviation and geothermal tracers. Given the immense potential of these materials in diverse market segments, the results from this effort can catalyze broader commercialization of these materials by removing the barriers to manufacturing. This research will also give a greater insight into the basic behavior of nanocrystals and into their formation and growth, issues which are essential for the design and incorporation of these materials into specific applications.