SNM: Physics Guided Innovation of Integrated Flash-Light-Sintering, Continuous Nanomaterial Synthesis and Roll-To-Roll Deposition Processes

cbet - 1449388 chang，俄勒冈州立大学具有控制几何形状的连续和图案薄膜准备在应用中产生破坏性影响，包括普适传感和通信，可穿戴健康监测，环境传感，节能建筑和交通，可再生能源和能源存储。在这个项目中，pi将解决目前大规模生产这种薄膜的高制造成本瓶颈，提高美国制造业在全球舞台上的竞争力，并通过广泛部署相应的薄膜设备来提高生活质量。主要的研究范围将集中在研究多种长度尺度上的基本多物理现象，这些现象是转型和高度可扩展的纳米颗粒-油墨烧结工艺（即闪光灯烧结）的基础。这将加强对纳米颗粒集合中光诱导纳米颗粒加热和纳米颗粒融合之间相互作用的理解，从而更好地理解这些现象在可扩展纳米制造中的含义。这一基本知识将导致创新先进的高通量和低成本的方法，用于工业规模的薄膜制造。作为该项目的一部分，pi将训练研究生开发基于该研究的动手教育模块，要求学生分析和总结结果，提取基本原理，创建演示实验，并使用这些模块来教授部分研究生课程。这些项目还将通过现有的本科生指导计划招收本科生，并通过科学与工程学徒计划（ASE）招收高中生。ASE的主要焦点群体传统上是代表性不足的学生。使用集中的动手实验项目作为教学工具，将使这些学生对与可扩展纳米制造过程相关的多种物理现象和过程产生深刻的欣赏和兴趣。本提案的目标是研究转型和高度可扩展的纳米颗粒油墨（NP-ink）烧结过程（即闪光灯烧结（FLS））的基本多尺度和多物理现象，并利用这些知识指导创建新颖的、可扩展的工艺，将FLS与同样可扩展的微反应器辅助纳米颗粒合成（MANS）和卷对卷（R2R） np -油墨沉积相结合。这些先进的工艺将具有无与伦比的低成本、高通量、多材料制造能力，可以在大面积柔性衬底上制造具有可控纳米级密度的图案和连续薄膜。在FLS中，烧结时间可以快100倍，而操作和设备成本可以比传统的NP烧结方法低几个数量级。pi将克服关键的科学和技术差距，包括对FLS物理的理解不足，有限的多材料能力，昂贵和不连续的np -油墨合成，以及昂贵的np -油墨图像化工具，这些都限制了高度可扩展的集成FLS- r2r工艺的充分利用。pi将开发多尺度、多物理模型，以了解光诱导纳米颗粒加热与纳米颗粒致密化之间的联系。这些模型以及广泛的实验表征将揭示FLS工艺参数和NP-ink特性对烧结薄膜特性影响的新知识。这一新知识将指导设计一种新型双频FLS- r2r工艺，用于半导体NPs的高通量FLS，通常具有低光致热效应。这一过程，以及通过调整纳米颗粒的化学成分来控制FLS的新方法，将大大扩展FLS的多材料能力。可扩展的MANS工艺与这些新型FLS和R2R工艺的设计和集成将为集成FLS-R2R系统的使用提供额外程度的多材料灵活性和降低成本。上述工作也将指导设计一种新的无重力FLS-R2R工艺，以最大限度地降低使用np油墨制造图案薄膜的模具成本。

CBET-1449383Chang, Oregon State UniversityContinuous and patterned thin-films with controlled geometries are poised to make a disruptive impact in applications including pervasive sensing and communications, wearable health-monitoring, environmental sensing, energy efficient buildings and transportation, renewable energy and energy storage. In this project, the PIs will address the current bottleneck of high manufacturing costs for large-volume production of such thin-films, to enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness on the global stage and enable improved quality of life via widespread deployment of corresponding thin-film devices. The primary research scope will focus on investigating the fundamental multi-physical phenomena over multiple length scales that underlie a transformational and highly-scalable nanoparticle-ink sintering process, i.e., Flash-Light-Sintering. This will enhance understanding of the interaction between optically induced nanoparticle heating and nanoparticle fusion in a collection of nanoparticles, leading to a better understanding of the implications of these phenomena in scalable nanomanufacturing. This fundamental knowledge will lead to the innovation of advanced high-throughput and low-cost methods for industrial scale manufacturing of thin-films. As part of this project, The PIs will train graduate students to develop hands-on educational modules based on this research, requiring the students to analyze and summarize results, extract the underlying principles, create demonstration experiments, and use these modules to teach parts of graduate courses. The PIs will also engage undergraduates via existing undergraduate mentoring programs as well as high school students via the Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) program. The primary focus group of ASE has been traditionally underrepresented students. The use of focused hands-on experimental projects as a teaching tool will allow these students to develop a deep appreciation and interest in the multiple physical phenomena and processes associated with scalable nanomanufacturing processes.The goals of this proposal are to investigate the fundamental multiscale and multiphysical phenomena underlying a transformational and highly-scalable Nanoparticle-ink (NP-ink) sintering process, i.e., Flash-Light-Sintering (FLS), and to use this knowledge to guide the creation of novel, scalable processes that combine FLS with equally scalable Microreactor-Assisted Nanoparticle Synthesis (MANS) and Roll-to-Roll (R2R) NP-ink deposition. These advanced processes will possess unmatched capabilities for low-cost, high-throughput, multi-materials capable manufacturing of patterned and continuous thin-films with controlled nano-scale density over large-area flexible substrates. In FLS, sintering times can be up to 100x faster while operation and equipment costs can be several orders lower than conventional NP sintering methods. The PIs will overcome key scientific and technical gaps including poor understanding of the physics of FLS, limited multimaterials capability, costly and discontinuous NP-ink synthesis, and costly tooling for patterning NP-inks that have limited the full utilization of highly scalable integrated FLS-R2R processes.The PIs will develop multi-scale, multi-physical models to understand the link between the optically-induced nanoparticle heating and densification of nanoparticles. These models, along with extensive experimental characterization will uncover new knowledge on the effects of FLS process parameters and NP-ink characteristics on the characteristics of the sintered thin-films. This new knowledge will guide the design of a novel dual-band FLS-R2R process for high-throughput FLS of semiconductor NPs that typically have low optically induced heating effects. This process, along with novel methods for controlling FLS by tailoring the chemical composition of the nanoparticles, will enable significantly expanded multimaterials capability of FLS. The design and integration of scalable MANS processes with these novel FLS and R2R processes will enable additional degrees of multimaterial flexibility and reduced costs for the use of integrated FLS-R2R systems. The above efforts will also guide the design a new gravure-less FLS-R2R process to minimize the tooling costs associated with fabrication of patterned thin-films using NP-inks.