STTR Phase I: Novel Nanoparticle Complexes for Tunable Dielectric Materials

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。该小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在开发适用于高频应用并在低温下具有显著可调谐性的新型低损耗可调谐材料。最常见的可调谐介电材料是铁电体。然而，尽管近年来铁电体在可调谐MEMS中的应用取得了相当大的进步，但这些材料仍然具有不可接受的高损耗和有限的可调谐性，特别是在必须满足高频和室温要求的应用中。更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是受益于改进的可调介电材料的产品范围。从消费者的蜂窝电话和助听器到工业和军事用途的遥感仪器和可调谐微波设备的应用都是通过使用可调谐微波炉而实现的。与当前电压可调谐介电材料相比，由所提出的创新实现的新纳米复合材料将在低电压下提供更低的损耗和改进的可调谐性。这些材料将实现更小尺寸的组件，更低的功耗，并在现有应用中提高性能，还可能为材料的更广泛应用创造机会。高频可调谐材料也可应用于民用和军事应用，例如敏捷薄膜和厚膜天线、变容二极管（可变电容器）、移相器、可调谐介电谐振器、可调谐阻抗匹配器件、调谐滤波器以及通信和遥感应用。该计划中开发的材料将具有刺激响应组件，因为介电常数对电场效应敏感。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to develop new low-loss materials for tunable dielectrics, which are suitable for high-frequency applications and possess significant tunability at low temperatures. The most common tunable dielectric material is a ferroelectric. However, despite considerable advancements in the application of ferroelectrics to tunable dielectrics in recent years, these materials still possess unacceptable high losses and limited tunability, especially where application to high frequency and room temperature requirements must be met. The broader impacts/commercial potential will be the range of products that will benefit from improved tunable dielectric materials. Applications from cellular phones and hearing aids for consumers to remote sensing instruments and tunable microwave devices for industrial and military uses are made possible by the use of tunable dielectrics. The new nanocomposite materials enabled by the proposed innovation will provide lower losses and improved tunability at low voltages compared to current voltage tunable dielectric materials. These materials will enable smaller sized components, lower power consumption, and improved performance in existing applications and may also create opportunities for broader applications of the material. High-frequency tunable materials would also have application in both civilian and military applications, such as agile thin and thick film antennae, varactors (variable capacitors), phase shifters, tunable dielectric resonators, tunable impedance matching devices, tuned filters, and communication and remote sensing applications. The materials developed in this program will have a stimuli-responsive component, in that the dielectric permittivity will be sensitive to electric field effects.