I-Corps: Low Cost Durable Masters for Pattern Transfer

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响和商业潜力是提供一种低成本的母材技术，使聚合物和其他表面的图案具有成本效益，而无需使用化学添加剂。大师将用于微复制，注塑和压花，以赋予结构颜色，抗菌活性，防伪标志，太阳能的光收集和其他表面功能，具有高产量和高吞吐量，影响消费品和科技公司。与化学添加剂相比，使用表面图案来实现功能具有环境和消费者安全优势，而且资源和能源效率高。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，包括注射成型、纳米压印光刻和压花，来制造聚合物表面图案的主模具。主模具通常通过光学光刻和蚀刻刚性基材（包括硅片，不锈钢和石英）来生产，这是昂贵的，并且时间和资源密集。这是一种直接压印尺寸稳定的晶体金属氧化物纳米结构的新工艺，该结构是用由晶体纳米颗粒组成的油墨用软光刻制造的。通过这个过程，可以从单一母模中创建一个软子模，并使用该软模来创建连续几代的高保真度，坚固的结晶氧化锆和其他金属氧化物母模，大大降低了成本。此外，在热坚固的母板上使用氧化锆图案可以在远高于使用传统母板的温度下进行图案转移。

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.