STTR Phase I: Liquid Printed Metal Nanomeshes for Transparent Conductors

这个小企业创新（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是金属纳米网作为一种颠覆性新技术的示范。这项创新有可能超过工业标准透明导体氧化铟锡的性能。所提出的技术的关键特征是它可以在大气压和低温下加工，金属纳米网具有高耐久性，这可以实现新的触摸屏应用，并且金属纳米网在微米长度尺度上表现出均匀的性能。在触摸屏设备中预期有机会。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一期项目旨在开发新的金属油墨和金属图案化技术，以印刷具有高透明度和低薄层电阻的金属纳米网结构。新型金属油墨的关键优势在于，它们在低温下分解，固化成具有高导电性的纯金属，在亚微米膜厚度下表现出高导电性，弯曲和挠曲而不开裂，并且在各种工业印刷工艺中表现出多功能性。模拟研究将用于了解如何设计具有高透射率，低薄层电阻和低雾度的纳米网。将开发新的增材印刷工艺，从金属墨水中图案化亚微米特征。预期金属纳米网在弯曲和变形下表现出高耐久性。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation (SBIR) Phase I Project is the demonstration of metal nanomeshes as a disruptive new technology. This innovation has the potential to exceed the performance of indium tin oxide, the industrial standard transparent conductor. The key features of the proposed technology are that it can be processed atmospheric pressure and low temperatures, the metal nanomeshes feature high durability, which may enable new touch screen applications, and the metal nanomeshes exhibit uniform performance over micron length scales. Opportunities are anticipated in touchscreen devices. Additional opportunities may emerge in organic light emitting diode displays, lighting and solar cells.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop new metal inks and metal patterning techniques to print metal nanomesh structures with high transparency and low sheet resistance. The key advantages of the new metal inks are that they decompose at low temperatures, solidify into pure metals with high conductivities, demonstrate high conductivity at sub-micron film thicknesses, bend and flex without cracking, and exhibit versatility in variety of industrial printing processes. Simulations studies will be utilized to understand how to design nanomeshes with high transmission, low sheet resistance, and low haze. New additive printing processes that pattern sub-micron features from metal inks will be developed. Metal nanomeshes are expected to exhibit high durability under bending and deformation.