Sorting and Assembly of Nanomaterials on Polymer Substrates Using Fluidic and Weak Ultrasound Fields for Fabrication of Flexible Electronic Devices

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This grant supports research that generates new knowledge in the manufacturing of flexible electronics, promoting national prosperity, health, and safety. Flexible electronics represents a manufacturing technology that builds circuits and devices on flexible polymer substrates. Flexible devices have applications in health monitoring, drug delivery, energy storage and personal entertainment, and has the potential to reshape human lifestyle. Nanomaterials have been enthusiastically embraced in flexible electronic manufacturing due to their outstanding functionalities and small size. However, the inherent size variation of nanomaterials presents a significant challenge for repeatable and reliable device manufacturing. Traditionally, a separate nanomaterial sorting process is required, which is not only costly but also slows down the manufacturing process. This award supports fundamental research to generate knowledge for the development of a highly efficient sorting-assembly manufacturing process that selectively assembles nanomaterials with similar sizes into nanostructures for flexible electronic and other devices. Importantly, the unique feature of utilizing low-cost raw nanomaterials with large size variations into high-quality device structures can lead to manufacturing of affordable flexible electronic devices. This research integrates nanomanufacturing, material science, and fluid mechanics. The knowledge gained is applied toward the education of underrepresented STEM students and the development of undergraduate and graduate manufacturing curricula, thus educating and training the future workforce in advanced manufacturing. This research combines a novel fluidic control mechanism with a weak sono-assisted assembly process that achieves assembly of nanomaterials, such as, zero-, one- and two-dimensional materials, with precisely controlled particle size and assembly rate. Microfluidic devices that are typically used in cellular biomechanics research are utilized in the nanomanufacturing process. Transport models that are typically applied in drug delivery research are utilized to study the transport, deposition and assembly of the nanoparticles in the fluidic-assisted systems. This research uncovers the interaction and synergy between the fluidic and weak sono fields and their influences on the sorting and assembly processes. This is done through the integration of the theoretical modeling and numerical simulation of nanoparticle transport and deposition with experimental validations. This unique approach can be transformative to a wide range of nanomaterial assembly systems including ceramic, metal, and organic nanoparticles. This research advances knowledge in nanomaterials assembly and promotes the field of nanomanufacturing, offering more choices of materials and functionalities, better device repeatability, significantly enhanced manufacturing efficiency and affordable flexible electronics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.