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

获得精确控制尺寸、形状和组成的纳米材料，为新兴纳米技术创造了广阔的机会空间。纳米材料的原型技术跨越传感器、膜、催化、数据存储、电子、显示、光伏、能量存储和热电，对其商业化产生了很高的期望。然而，越来越多的人认识到，纳米材料技术的持续发展取决于解决突出的制造挑战；特别是需要弥合毫米级器件和纳米级元件之间的长度尺度差距。这项研究将开发先进的纳米制造能力，以制造具有精确编程结构、成分和功能的材料和器件，其长度范围为6个数量级。这项研究是由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（跨越微米到米）的愿景驱动的，为制造新型材料和器件提供了令人兴奋的前景。除了先进纳米制造能力的科学和技术影响之外，该项目的教育目标将通过开发交互式3D打印学习模块，为本科生和少数民族提供研究机会。纳米材料定向组装和增材制造技术的融合为解决可扩展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造方法，自组装纳米结构（如纳米粒子超晶格）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交叉的协同效应。研究团队将弥合这一长度差距作为开发新型纳米制造技术的机会，将分子级组装和增材3D打印的最新进展协同结合起来。该项目将探索流体界面（CANFI）连续添加剂纳米制造的概念。该项目的新知识将为跨越6个数量级长度的先进分层纳米制造技术奠定科学和工程基础。除了工作重点的特定模型系统之外，从这项工作中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其他纳米制造进步。

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.