Design of advanced materials for the manufacturing of three-dimensional microsystems

今天的许多高科技产品正在接近它们的技术极限。例如，微电子行业面临着设备过热的问题，需要紧凑的三维(3D)架构和更低的功耗，而航空航天行业正在寻找更轻、更硬、更导电的材料来制造更节能的飞机。一个有希望的解决方案是利用一些纳米材料(十亿分之一米)令人惊叹的电、热和机械特性。然而，必须解决材料加工和制造中的几个挑战，即在工业规模上利用这些特性，并用真正的3D方法克服当前的平面构型。我的工作性质是开发高性能材料，用于制造具有多种功能的微观系统。在材料方面，我将把最好的纳米材料混合在两种不同的塑料(或聚合物)中，其中一种是可回收的。由此产生的复合材料将具有极高的电气和机械性能。在制造方面，我将继续使用我开发的材料在微观尺度上打印复杂的3D形状。这一重要研究为解决上述问题提供了一种新颖而有希望的方法，从而使工业更容易获得纳米技术，特别是在航空航天、微电子和生物医学领域。预计的成果是(1)全面开发与各种材料和应用兼容的3D自由形式打印工艺，(2)展示用于分离生物颗粒的3D微电极，这种电极可能会分离癌细胞和健康细胞，以及(3)创造高性能和环境友好的材料。这些发现将使未来项目的众多学术合作者以及新产品和改进产品的工业合作伙伴受益。它还将通过培训新兴领域的人员和通过促进使用更环保的材料和为更环保的飞机倡议做出贡献来保护环境，从而使加拿大受益。

Many of today's high-tech products are approaching their technological limits. For example, the microelectronics community is faced with overheating devices with a demand for compact three-dimensional (3D) architectures and lower power consumption, whereas the aerospace industry is seeking lighter, stiffer and more electrically conductive materials for the creation of more energy efficient aircraft. A promising solution is to capitalize on the amazing electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of some nanoscopic materials (one billionth of a meter). However, several challenges in material processing and manufacturing must be resolved, namely exploiting these properties at the industrial scale and overcoming the current planar configuration with a truly 3D method. The nature of my work is on the development of high-performance materials for the manufacturing of microscopic systems featuring multiple functionalities. On the material side, I will mix the best nanoscopic materials inside two different kinds of plastics (or polymers), one of which is recyclable. The resulting composites will feature highly improved electrical and mechanical properties. On the manufacturing side, I will continue printing complex 3D shapes at the microscopic scale using the materials I develop. This important research provides an original and promising approach to resolve the aforementioned issues, thus making nanotechnologies more accessible to industry, especially in aerospace, microelectronics and biomedicine. The anticipated outcomes are (1) the full development of a 3D freeform printing process compatible with a wide variety of materials and applications, (2) the demonstration of 3D micro-electrodes used for the separation of bioparticles that could potentially separate cancerous and healthy cells and (3) the creation of high-performance and environmentally-friendly materials. These discoveries will benefit numerous academic collaborators for future projects, as well as industrial partners for new and improved products. It will also benefit Canada by training personnel in emerging fields and protecting its environment by fostering the utilization of greener materials and contributing to the greener aircraft initiative.