Highly Organized Two and Three Dimensional Singlewalled Carbon Nanotubes- Polymer Hybrid Structures for Diverse Flexible Devices and Systems

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。这个NSF项目的主要目标是开发基于高度组织的单壁碳纳米管（SWNT）结构和聚合物材料的新型混合复合材料结构，用于高性能功能柔性系统。模板引导流控装配和化学气相沉积可以在宏/微/纳米尺度上产生二维和三维的碳纳米管网络结构。随后将有组织的纳米管结构转移到选定的聚合物基质中，以创建基于SWNT的柔性功能器件和系统。将研究基本的组装和转移机制，以更好地了解精确控制大规模组装和转移所需的力。此外，通过了解SWNT的基本生长和组装机制，还将研究一种方法来定制单个和成束SWNT的电子特性。这些新型纳米管-聚合物混合结构的多维网络将允许定制电传输特性及其功能。这些结构和特性对基于SWNT的功能柔性系统如传感器、智能复合材料和高密度逻辑门等的发展具有巨大的意义。这项研究还强调了本科生和少数族裔学生的参与、教育和培训。所有级别的学生都将积极参与前沿研究项目，最终在同行评审的期刊和会议上发表演讲。这将极大地促进他们在学习领域的动力和信心，也将极大地促进他们在科学和技术方面的学术事业发展。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The main goal of this NSF project is to develop new class of hybrid composite structures based on highly organized singlewalled carbon nanotube (SWNT) architectures and polymer materials, for high performance functional flexible systems. Template guided fluidic assembly and chemical vapor deposition of SWNTs that produce two and three dimensional SWNT network architectures in macro/micro/nano scale will be developed. This will be followed by a transfer of organized nanotube structures into selected polymer matrices to create SWNT based flexible functional devices and systems. The fundamental assembly and transfer mechanisms will be investigated to develop a better understanding of the forces required to precisely control the assembly and transfer of SWNTs in a large scale. Also a methodology to tailor the electronic property of individual and bundles of SWNT will be investigated by understanding their fundamental growth and assembly mechanisms. These multi-dimensional networks of novel nanotubes-polymer hybrid structures will allow access to tailor electrical transport properties and their functionalities. These structures and properties have immense implications for the development of SWNT based functional flexible systems such as sensors, smart composite and high density logic gates etc. The research also emphasizes the participation, education, and training of undergraduate and underrepresented minority students. Students at all level will participate actively in frontline research projects that will culminate in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. This would provide a tremendous boost to the motivation and confidence in their field of study and also development of their academic careers toward science and technology.