Energy- and Cost- Efficient Manufacturing Employing Nanoparticle Self-Assembly with Continuous Crystallinity

基于纳米粒子分散体的电子设备的添加剂溶液印刷在技术上很有吸引力，并激发了新的传感和信息处理技术。在纳米制造中广泛使用它的关键障碍是它们稳定所需的保护性有机层的存在，这阻碍了纳米粒子之间的电荷转移。它的决议在学术上取得了相当大的成功，但需要在这一方向上采取新的战略，以降低成本，降低能源需求，提高其可扩展性，并缓解对环境的担忧。实现它们的低温自组装成具有连续结晶度和具有竞争力的电学性能的薄膜，将有利于能量存储/收集技术、光电子学和可穿戴健康监测设备。地球资源丰富的材料的使用可能会在智能建筑和农业中开辟不同的应用领域，预计将产生广泛的连锁反应，并有助于提高美国经济的可持续性。新颖的教学计划将培养出对纳米技术和纳米制造的技术门槛有基本了解的下一代创新者，使新的和创造性的设备得以开发。为了达到形成具有连续结晶度和竞争电学性能的薄膜的目标，投影法将利用纳米颗粒按照定向附着机制进行自组装的能力。这项最近发现的技术会导致晶格在其边界处的自我取向，这应该会大大提高导电性。本项目将致力于以n型半导体Cu2S为例，实现对富含地球的纳米粒子的定向附着。这种材料对纳米制造很有吸引力，不仅因为它的环境友好和低成本，而且还因为它有很好的电子、等离子体和离子插层性能。解决围绕溶液处理纳米粒子装置的电荷传输困境的实际和基本问题是这项研究的中心。预计Cu2S的发现可以扩展到其他与设备相关的半导体，如FeS2。在三年内，预计将从对Cu2S纳米颗粒自组装过程的基本了解过渡到以锂电池阴极为例的高导电性薄膜和纳米制造设备的制作。

Additive solution-based printing of electronic devices with nanoparticle dispersions is technologically attractive and inspires new sensing and information processing technologies. The key impediment for its wider use in nanomanufacturing is the presence of protective organic layer needed for their stabilization that hampers the charge transfer between nanoparticles. Its resolution has had considerable academic success but new strategies in this direction are needed in order to reduce the cost, energy requirements, improve its scalability, and alleviate environmental concerns. Realization of their low-temperature self-assembly into films with continuous crystallinity and competitive electrical properties will benefit energy storage/harvesting technologies, optoelectronics, and wearable health monitoring devices. The use of earth-abundant materials can potentially open different areas of applications in 'smart buildings' and agriculture that are expected to have a wide ranging ripple effect and contribute to improving the sustainability of the US economy. Novel teaching and learning programs will engender the next generation of innovators with a fundamental understanding of nanotechnology and the technological thresholds for nanomanufacturing, allowing new and creative devices to be developed. To achieve the objective of forming films with continuous crystallinity and competitive electrical properties, the projected method will take advantage of the ability of nanoparticles to self-assemble following the oriented attachment mechanism. This recently discovered technique leads to the self-orientation of the crystal lattices at their boundaries, which should greatly increase conductivity. This project will focus on the realization of oriented attachment for earth-abundant nanoparticles exemplified by the n-type semiconductor Cu2S. This material is attractive for nanomanufacturing not only because of its environmentally benign nature and low cost, but also for its promising electronic, plasmonic, and ion intercalation properties. Resolution of practical and fundamental issues surrounding the charge transport dilemma of solution-processed nanoparticle devices is central to this study. The findings expected for Cu2S can be extended to other device-relevant semiconductors, such as FeS2. Within three years, transition from basic understanding of self-assembly processes of Cu2S nanoparticles to crafting highly conductive films and nanomanufactured devices exemplified by lithium battery cathodes is expected.