Market assessment for film forming process to create large-area monolayers of exfoliated 2D nanomaterials

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There has been growing world-wide interest in developing technologies based on 2D nanomaterials such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide due to their unique physical and electronic properties. Since these materials are atomically thin, they can be used to create advanced electronics with reduced size, weight or even with the added benefit of transparency and flexibility. Furthermore, these thin sheets are impermeable to even gases and can be used as perfect blocking layers to keep food fresh or small holes can be introduced to create membranes with reduced cost, improved selectivity and higher permeability. Processes have been developed to create monolayers of these various materials by expensive, high vacuum, processes, on a restrictive set of substrates and over relatively small areas. On the other hand, less expensive processes based on printing are being developed but result in thick, disordered films which do not yield the unique properties mentioned above. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a film forming and patterning process to create large area monolayers from one or more 2D nanomaterials at an air-water interface that yield films of similar quality to the vacuum deposition processes. It also provides a method for which monolayer films can be transferred to arbitrary substrates and in a continuous fashion compatible with roll-to-roll processing. The funding requested will be used to assess the potential market for this technology to determine the commercial feasibility for further development. We expect that this new process will serve a variety of Canadian industries enabling them to engineer advanced, value-added products in the fields of electronics, food packaging, and water purification. The benefits to Canada will be through the creation of new Canadian ventures and Canadian-made products and the resulting jobs and revenue generated. The feedstock materials for the most promising exfoliated 2D nanomaterials such as graphite and molybdenum disulfide are natural resources for which Canada has a considerable supply. Increasing the products requiring these bulk materials, and thus the demand, are expected to increase exports and reduce our economy's dependency on oil.