Energy- and Cost- Efficient Manufacturing Employing Nanoparticle Self-Assembly with Continuous Crystallinity

具有纳米颗粒分散体的电子设备的基于添加剂溶液的印刷在技术上是有吸引力的，并且激发了新的传感和信息处理技术。 其在纳米制造中更广泛使用的关键障碍是其稳定所需的保护性有机层的存在，这阻碍了纳米颗粒之间的电荷转移。 它的解决方案已经取得了相当大的学术成功，但在这个方向上需要新的战略，以降低成本，能源需求，提高其可扩展性，并减轻环境问题。 实现它们的低温自组装成具有连续结晶度和竞争性电性能的薄膜将有利于能量存储/收集技术，光电子学和可穿戴健康监测设备。使用地球上丰富的材料可能会在“智能建筑”和农业中开辟不同的应用领域，预计将产生广泛的涟漪反应，并有助于提高美国经济的可持续性。 新颖的教学和学习计划将产生下一代创新者，他们对纳米技术和纳米制造的技术门槛有基本的了解，从而开发出新的创造性设备。为了实现形成具有连续结晶度和竞争性电性能的膜的目标，所提出的方法将利用纳米颗粒的能力，按照定向附着机制进行自组装。这种最近发现的技术导致晶格在其边界处的自取向，这将大大增加电导率。 本项目将致力于实现以n型半导体Cu 2S为代表的地球上丰富的纳米粒子的定向附着。这种材料对于纳米制造是有吸引力的，不仅因为其环境友好的性质和低成本，而且还因为其有前途的电子、等离子体和离子嵌入特性。解决实际和基本的问题，周围的解决方案处理的纳米粒子设备的电荷传输困境是这项研究的核心。 Cu 2S预期的发现可以扩展到其他与器件相关的半导体，如FeS 2。预计在三年内，从对Cu 2S纳米颗粒自组装过程的基本理解过渡到制作高导电薄膜和纳米制造设备，例如锂电池阴极。

Additive solution-based printing of electronic devices with nanoparticle dispersions is technologically attractive and inspires new sensing and information processing technologies. The key impediment for its wider use in nanomanufacturing is the presence of protective organic layer needed for their stabilization that hampers the charge transfer between nanoparticles. Its resolution has had considerable academic success but new strategies in this direction are needed in order to reduce the cost, energy requirements, improve its scalability, and alleviate environmental concerns. Realization of their low-temperature self-assembly into films with continuous crystallinity and competitive electrical properties will benefit energy storage/harvesting technologies, optoelectronics, and wearable health monitoring devices. The use of earth-abundant materials can potentially open different areas of applications in 'smart buildings' and agriculture that are expected to have a wide ranging ripple effect and contribute to improving the sustainability of the US economy. Novel teaching and learning programs will engender the next generation of innovators with a fundamental understanding of nanotechnology and the technological thresholds for nanomanufacturing, allowing new and creative devices to be developed. To achieve the objective of forming films with continuous crystallinity and competitive electrical properties, the projected method will take advantage of the ability of nanoparticles to self-assemble following the oriented attachment mechanism. This recently discovered technique leads to the self-orientation of the crystal lattices at their boundaries, which should greatly increase conductivity. This project will focus on the realization of oriented attachment for earth-abundant nanoparticles exemplified by the n-type semiconductor Cu2S. This material is attractive for nanomanufacturing not only because of its environmentally benign nature and low cost, but also for its promising electronic, plasmonic, and ion intercalation properties. Resolution of practical and fundamental issues surrounding the charge transport dilemma of solution-processed nanoparticle devices is central to this study. The findings expected for Cu2S can be extended to other device-relevant semiconductors, such as FeS2. Within three years, transition from basic understanding of self-assembly processes of Cu2S nanoparticles to crafting highly conductive films and nanomanufactured devices exemplified by lithium battery cathodes is expected.