STTR Phase I: Ultrasonic Nanocoining for Creating Large, Low-Cost Arrays of Sub-Wavelength Features

STTR 第一阶段：超声波纳米铸造，用于创建大型、低成本的亚波长特征阵列

• 批准号: 1521227
• 负责人: Stephen Furst
• 金额: $ 22.49万
• 依托单位: Smart Material Solutions, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-07-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1521227&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Ultrasonic; Nanocoining; Creating

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase 1 project is to drastically reduce the cost of creating large surfaces coated with functional nano-scale features. One example is the moth-eye structure, consisting of a continuous pattern of 200 nm wide by 200 nm tall features, that gives surface anti-reflective properties. An anti-reflective surface can increase efficiency of solar cells, conceal aircraft or ships, or prevent glare on windshield glass or computer screens. Nano-features can also be used to create surfaces with superior durability and cleanliness through self-wetting and anti-fouling characteristics, as well as anti-fogging or de-icing properties. The low-cost scale-up is done through "roll-to-roll" processing, where a drum-shaped metal cylinder coated with nano-features is used as the mold for rolling miles of thin film, replicating the functional coating. The intellectual merit of this project is focused on accurately and inexpensively creating nano-scale features on the metal drum mold that is used in the roll-to-roll replication process. This is done using the recently-developed nanocoining process, whereby nano-features are indented into a metal surface using a diamond die indent features into the surface 40,000 times per second. Current machining methods rely on scraping material away with a sharp tool and cannot create features on nano-scale. This is because any tool sharp enough to create such a small feature will be prohibitively fragile and susceptible to rapid wear. Indenting is fundamentally different, and has been used for millennia to create coins. No material is removed; it is simply pushed aside, leaving behind the pattern on the die. The reduction of rubbing drastically reduces wear and the absence of a chip of removed material enables the process to work on the nano-scale. The objective of the initial phase of research is to indent a small test drum and replicate a plastic film coated with the features from the diamond die. The film will then be tested for anti-reflective and wetting properties, and scale-up will follow in later phases.

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是大幅降低创建涂覆有功能性纳米尺度特征的大表面的成本。 一个示例是蛾眼结构，其由200 nm宽X 200 nm高的特征的连续图案组成，其提供表面抗反射特性。 抗反射表面可以提高太阳能电池的效率，隐藏飞机或船只，或防止挡风玻璃或计算机屏幕上的眩光。 纳米特征还可用于通过自润湿和防污特性以及防雾或除冰特性来创建具有上级耐久性和清洁度的表面。 低成本的扩大是通过“卷对卷”加工完成的，在这种加工中，涂有纳米特征的鼓形金属圆柱体被用作模具，用于滚动数英里的薄膜，复制功能涂层。 该项目的智力价值集中在准确和廉价地创建纳米级功能的金属鼓模具，用于辊到辊复制过程。 这是使用最近开发的纳米压印工艺完成的，其中纳米特征使用金刚石模具以每秒40，000次的速度压印到金属表面中。 目前的加工方法依赖于用锋利的工具刮去材料，无法创建纳米级的特征。 这是因为任何足够锋利的工具，以创建这样一个小的功能将是非常脆弱的，容易受到快速磨损。 压痕是根本不同的，并已被用于数千年来创造硬币。 没有材料被移除;它只是被推到一边，在模具上留下图案。 摩擦的减少大大减少了磨损，并且没有被去除的材料的碎片，使得该过程能够在纳米级上工作。 研究的初始阶段的目标是将一个小的测试鼓和复制一个塑料薄膜涂层的特点，从金刚石模具。 然后将测试薄膜的抗反射和润湿性能，并在后期阶段进行放大。