Engineered Microfluidic Mixing for Green Nanocrystal Manufacturing

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助的。随着纳米晶体材料的新应用不断涌现，人们越来越需要新的方法来高效、高产量地制造这些材料，并将对环境的破坏降至最低。在这个项目中，两种绿色化学技术-离子液体溶剂和微流控反应器-结合在一起，设计出了合成纳米晶体的新方法。离子液体是纳米制造反应的理想材料，因为它们既可以作为溶剂，也可以作为表面钝化配体。微流体系统是理想的，因为纳米晶体的成核和生长过程对局部条件非常敏感，可以在微流体中进行工程和控制。除了纳米材料绿色制造的直接优势外，这项工作有望为混合在控制纳米加工反应中所起的作用提供新的见解。这一系统将允许精确控制纳米晶体形成的成核和生长阶段的时间，从而改善晶体的均质性，并更好地控制最终的形态。金属氧化物纳米晶被用作光催化剂、压电和光伏材料以及颜料。本提案中制定的绿色原则广泛适用于这些材料的制造，并将产生相应的广泛影响。拟议的工作包括一项教育和外展计划。在高中层面，PI将与南加州大学工程多样性中心合作，为当地学校的高中教师提供实验室经验。联合PI将对当地社区大学进行一项试验性的外展计划。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).As novel applications for nanocrystalline materials continue to emerge, there is an increasing need for new approaches to manufacture these materials efficiently, at high yield, and with minimal damage to the environment. In this project, two green chemistry technologies?ionic liquid solvents and microfluidic reactors?are combined to engineer new approaches to nanocrystal synthesis. Ionic liquids are ideal for nanofabrication reactions because they can act both as solvents and as surface passivation ligands. Microfluidic systems are ideal because nanocrystal nucleation and growth processes are exquisitely sensitive to local conditions that can be engineered and controlled in microfluidic flows.Beyond the immediate advantages of green manufacture of nanomaterials, this work promises to provide novel insights to the role that mixing plays in controlling nanofabrication reactions. This system will allow for precise control of the timing of the nucleation and growth phases of nanocrystal formation, allowing for improved crystal homogeneity and better control over final morphology. Metal oxide nanocrystals are used as photocatalysts, piezoelectric and photovoltaic materials, and pigments. The green principles developed in this proposal are broadly applicable to manufacturing these materials, and will have correspondingly broad impacts. The proposed work includes an education and outreach program. At the high school level, the PI will work with the USC Center for Engineering Diversity to provide laboratory experiences for high school teachers from local schools. The co-PI will undertake an experimental outreach program to local community colleges.