I-Corps: Low Cost Durable Masters for Pattern Transfer

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技术，使聚合物和其他表面的图案能够在不使用化学添加剂的情况下具有成本效益。这些母版将用于微复制、注塑和压花，以赋予结构颜色、抗菌活性、防伪标记、太阳能集光和其他高产量和高产量的表面功能，影响消费产品和科技公司。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的安全优势，而且是资源和能源效率。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(包括注射成型、纳米压印光刻和压花)来制造用于图案化聚合物表面的母模。母模通常是通过光学光刻和刻蚀包括硅片、不锈钢和石英在内的刚性衬底来生产的，这不仅昂贵，而且耗费时间和资源。这是一种用于直接压印尺寸稳定的晶态金属氧化物纳米结构的新工艺，该纳米结构是使用由晶态纳米颗粒组成的油墨进行软光刻制造的。通过这一过程，可以从单个母模创建软子模，并使用该软模在结晶氧化锆和其他金属氧化物中创建连续几代高保真度、坚固的母模，从而大大降低成本。此外，在耐热的母版衬底上使用氧化锆图案，可以在远高于使用传统母版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.