Integrating Directed Assembly and 3D Printing to Enable Advanced Nanomanufacturing Across Multiple Length Scales

获得尺寸、形状和成分得到精确控制的纳米材料构建块，为新兴的纳米技术创造了一个肥沃的机会空间。原型纳米材料技术涵盖传感器、薄膜、催化、数据存储、电子、显示器、光伏、储能和热电技术，人们对其商业化抱有很高的期望。然而，越来越多的人认识到，实现纳米材料技术广受赞誉的前景的持续进展，关键取决于解决悬而未决的制造挑战；特别是需要弥合毫米级器件和纳米级部件之间的长度差距。这项研究将开发领先的纳米制造能力，以制造具有精确编程结构、组成和功能的材料和设备，其长度范围为六个数量级。这项研究是在这样一个愿景的推动下进行的，即结合对单个纳米结构的控制(在原子长度尺度上)、微米超结构的可编程分子组装和先进的制造方法(从微米到米)展示了制造新型材料和设备的令人兴奋的前景。除了先进的纳米制造能力对科学和技术的影响外，该项目的教育目标将通过开发交互式3D打印学习模块来关注本科生和少数族裔的研究机会。纳米材料定向组装和添加剂制造技术的进步为解决可伸缩纳米制造中的关键挑战创造了强大的前景。一方面，由于缺乏可扩展的制备方法，自组装纳米结构(如纳米超晶格)的技术应用受到限制。另一方面，目前可用的3D打印技术受到速度、空间分辨率和材料多样性的限制。该项目将探索这两个领域的协同增效作用。研究团队接受了弥合这种长度规模差距的挑战，将其视为开发新的纳米制造技术的机会，该技术协同结合了分子级组装和添加剂3D打印方面的最新进展。该项目将探索在流体界面(CANFI)连续添加纳米制造的概念。来自该项目的新知识将为先进的层次化纳米制造技术奠定科学和工程基础，这种技术在长度尺度上跨越6个数量级。除了工作重点的特定模型系统之外，这项工作产生的知识预计将产生显著的倍增效应，并可能刺激相关领域的更多纳米制造进展。

Access to nanomaterial building blocks with precisely controlled size, shape and composition has created a fertile opportunity space for emerging nanotechnologies. Prototype nanomaterial-enabled technologies spanning sensors, membranes, catalysis, data storage, electronics, displays, photovoltaics, energy storage, and thermoelectrics have generated high expectations for their commercialization. However, there is growing recognition that sustained progress towards the acclaimed promise of nanomaterial-enabled technologies depends critically on solving outstanding fabrication challenges; in particular the need to bridge the length-scale gap between millimeter scale devices and nanometer scale components. This research will develop spearheading nanomanufacturing capabilities to fabricate materials and devices with precisely programmed structure, composition, and function across six orders of magnitude in length scale. The research is driven by the vision that combined control over individual nanostructures (at atomistic length scales), programmable molecular assembly of micrometer superstructures and advanced manufacturing methods (spanning micrometer to meter) presents exciting prospects to manufacture new classes of materials and devices. Beyond the scientific and technological impact of advanced nanomanufacturing capabilities, the educational objectives of this project will focus research opportunities for undergraduates and minorities by developing interactive 3D printing learning modules. The confluence of advances in directed assembly of nanomaterials and additive manufacturing technologies create powerful prospects to address critical challenges in scalable nanofabrication. On the one hand, technological applications of self-assembled nanostructures (e.g., nanoparticle superlattices) are limited by the lack of scalable fabrication methods. On the other hand, currently available 3D printing technologies are limited by speed, spatial resolution and material diversity. This project will explore synergies at the intersection of these two fields. The research team embraces the challenge of bridging this length scale gap as an opportunity to develop novel nanomanufacturing techniques that synergistically combine recent advances in molecular-level assembly and additive 3D printing. This project will explore the concept of continuous additive nanomanufacturing at Fluid Interfaces (CANFI). New knowledge from the project will establish the scientific and engineering foundation for advanced hierarchical nanomanufacturing techniques that span 6 orders of magnitude in length scale. Beyond the specific model systems at the focus of the work, the knowledge generated from this work is expected to have significant multiplying effects and will likely spur additional nanomanufacturing advances in related fields.