I-Corps: Low Cost Durable Masters for Pattern Transfer

I-Corps：用于模式转移的低成本耐用大师

• 批准号: 1732276
• 负责人: James Watkins
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-03-15 至 2018-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1732276&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Low; Cost; Durable; Masters

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to deliver a low cost mastering technology to enable the cost-effective pattering of polymer and other surfaces to impart function without the use of chemical additives. The masters will be used in microreplication, injection molding and embossing to impart structural color, antimicrobial activity, anti-counterfeiting marks, light collection for solar energy and other surface functionality with high yield and high throughput, impacting consumer products and technology companies alike. The use of surface patterns as opposed to chemical additives to achieve function offers environmental and consumer safety advantages and is resource and energy efficient.This I-Corps project employs a fundamentally new approach to the fabrication of master molds for patterning polymer surfaces via microreplication and nanoreplication technologies including injection molding, nanoimprint lithography, and embossing. Master molds are typically produced via optical lithography and etching of rigid substrates including silicon wafers, stainless steel and quartz, which is expensive as well as time and resource intensive. This is a novel process for direct imprinting of dimensionally stable crystalline metal oxide nanostructures that are fabricated using soft lithography with inks comprised of crystalline nanoparticles. Via this process it is possible to create a soft daughter mold from a single parent master and use that soft mold to create successive generations of high fidelity, robust masters in crystalline zirconia and other metal oxides, substantially reducing cost. In addition the use of zirconia patterns on thermally robust master substrates enables pattern transfer at temperatures far above those accessible using conventional masters.

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是提供一种低成本的母版制作技术，使聚合物和其他表面具有成本效益的图案化，从而在不使用化学添加剂的情况下赋予功能。 母版将用于微复制、注塑和压花，以赋予结构色、抗菌活性、防伪标记、太阳能集光和其他表面功能，具有高产量和高吞吐量，影响消费品和技术公司。 使用表面图案而不是化学添加剂来实现功能，提供了环境和消费者安全的优势，是资源和能源效率。这个I-Corps项目采用了一种全新的方法，通过微复制和纳米复制技术，包括注塑成型，纳米压印光刻和压花，用于图案化聚合物表面的主模具的制造。 主模具通常通过光学光刻和刚性基底（包括硅晶片、不锈钢和石英）的蚀刻来生产，这是昂贵的以及时间和资源密集的。 这是一种用于直接压印尺寸稳定的结晶金属氧化物纳米结构的新方法，所述纳米结构是使用软光刻用包含结晶纳米颗粒的油墨制造的。通过这种方法，可以从单个母模创建软子模，并使用该软模来创建连续几代高保真、坚固的晶体氧化锆和其他金属氧化物母模，从而大大降低成本。 此外，在热稳定的母版基底上使用氧化锆图案使得能够在远高于使用常规母版可达到的温度的温度下进行图案转印。