Directed Assembly of Colloids for Nanomanufacturing of Hierarchically Ordered Electronic Films

基于聚合物的电子产品的前景是，能源收集，照明和传感应用可以通过更快，更有效的基于解决方案的制造，使用廉价，灵活，轻质和丰富的塑料来实现。目前最先进的有机电子加工采用有毒的氯化有机溶剂，并依赖于聚合物从溶液中固化时不受控制的自组装。广泛采用的其他障碍包括与设备制造规模扩大相关的再现性和寿命问题。该奖项旨在通过研究新的纳米制造范式来应对这些挑战。电子聚合物的水基胶体悬浮液将使用外部电场组装成分级结构。这项研究将导致更便宜，更可靠和可持续的基于解决方案的聚合物加工，用于制造柔性电子产品，光电子产品和传感器。将研究融入教育将是该项目的持久影响。学生将参与各级，包括本科生。计划让K-12学生，包括少数民族和第一代大学生，在洛厄尔市公立学校通过介绍纳米技术和有机电子学的基础知识与动手示范和学生辅导。本研究项目的目标是调查一种新的介电电泳（DEP）技术，从胶体悬浮液中制造分级有序的共轭聚合物膜，并为有机电子应用创造新的加工范例。这项研究将提供一种新的纳米制造方法的多组分纳米粒子到定义良好的结构薄膜的长度尺度范围内的定向组装。具体而言，任务是（i）调查的一种新的DEP技术的分层图案化沉积的胶体纳米粒子的半导体聚合物，（ii）阐明的作用，聚合物纳米粒子的制备变量的粒径，胶体稳定性和内部聚合物链结构，和（iii）表征这种新的制造模式和聚合物膜形态和电子性能之间的关系。通过控制共轭聚合物薄膜的形态，该奖项将研究一种假设，即与使用传统的有机溶剂薄膜浇铸制备的薄膜相比，来自水性胶体纳米颗粒组装的薄膜更适合于具有改进的电子性能的设备。从这项基础研究中学到的原理将建立共轭聚合物纳米粒子组装的设计规则，并能够创建一个“胶体工艺工程工具包”。这将作为连续纳米颗粒组装和沉积的基础，以控制薄膜形态，从而可以转化为电子设备的创新和通用制造工艺。

The promise of polymer-based electronics is that energy harvesting, lighting and sensing applications can be achieved with cheap, flexible, lightweight and abundant plastics using faster, more efficient solution-based manufacturing. Current state-of-the-art processing for organic electronics employs toxic chlorinated organic solvents and relies on the uncontrolled self-assembly of the polymer as it solidifies from solution. Additional barriers to widespread adoption include reproducibility and lifetime issues associated with the scale-up of device manufacturing. This award aims to address these challenges through study of a novel nanomanufacturing paradigm. Water-based colloidal suspensions of electronic polymers will be assembled into hierarchical structures using external electric fields. This research will lead to cheaper, more reliable and sustainable solution-based processing of polymers for the manufacture of flexible electronics, photovoltaics and sensors. Integration of research into education will be an enduring impact of this project. Students will be involved at all levels, including undergraduates. Plans are to engage K-12 students, including minority and first-generation-to-college students, in the City of Lowell Public Schools by introducing the basics of nanotechnology and organic electronics with hands-on demonstrations and student mentoring.The objectives of this research project are to investigate a novel dielectrophoresis (DEP) technique to manufacture hierarchically ordered conjugated polymer films from colloidal suspensions and to create a new processing paradigm for organic electronics applications. This research will provide a new nanomanufacturing method for directed assembly of multicomponent nanoparticles into well-defined structured thin films over a range of length scales. Specifically, the tasks are (i) investigate of a novel DEP technique for hierarchical patterned deposition of colloidal nanoparticles of semiconducting polymers, (ii) elucidate the role of polymer nanoparticle preparation variables on particle size, colloidal stability and internal polymer chain structures, and (iii) characterize the relationship between this new manufacturing paradigm and polymer film morphology and electronic properties. By controlling the morphology of conjugated polymer thin films, the award will study the hypothesis that films from aqueous colloidal nanoparticle assembles are more suitable for devices with improved electronic properties compared to films prepared using conventional film-casting from organic solvents. The principles learned from this fundamental research will establish design rules for conjugated polymer nanoparticle assembly and enable creation of a "colloidal process engineering tool-kit". This will serve as the underpinning of continuous nanoparticle assembly and deposition to control thin-film morphologies that can be translated into innovative and versatile manufacturing processes for electronic devices.