Chemomechanics of Thin Film Detachment in Liquid-Assisted Transfer Printing

转移印刷是一种组装层状结构的技术，其中在源基板上加工的薄膜或多层薄膜被挑选并释放到目标基板上。此操作依次进行，直到形成所需的层状结构。该工艺广泛应用于微纳米级薄膜器件的制造，特别是柔性电子产品的生产。在目前的实践中，该技术严重依赖于反复试验，导致产量低。对于具有多层或离散结构的薄膜的转移尤其如此，其中损坏和残留污染非常常见。该奖项将侧重于薄膜-衬底系统在液体环境中分离力学的基础研究。本研究的结果将影响转移印刷过程的设计和执行，通过发展简单的步骤和关系，为高，但高效，吞吐量。本研究是一项涉及化学力学、材料科学和制造的跨学科研究。研究生和本科生将分别接触和训练广泛的教育和技能。将积极招募来自代表性不足群体的本科生，并利用大学项目开展K-12外展活动。转移印花作为一种具有竞争力的技术，在薄膜的输送和组装中崭露头角。它的工作效率本质上是由薄膜与衬底的分离机制所支撑的。液体辅助转移印刷技术可以提高薄膜分离的收率和质量，并且涉及外部机械载荷和固液界面化学反应的协同相互作用。该项目将对薄膜-衬底系统中液体辅助界面剥离进行全面研究，其中液态水的存在将与界面材料发生反应，导致薄膜层的可控和选择性剥离。这项研究的结果将是双重的：1)液体驱动分离力学的综合化学力学理论；2)混合计算建模框架，将固体-液体原子相互作用（机制）和膜分离的连续现象（结构功能）连接起来，并通过实验测试和理论验证。该研究将影响转移印花制造技术，为实现高效、定量的生产提供科学和技术手段。

Transfer printing is a technique of assembling layered structures in which a thin film or layers of thin films processed on a source substrate are picked and released onto a target substrate. This operation is performed successively until the desired layered structure is formed. This process is widely used in the fabrication of micro- to nano-scale thin film based devices, especially in the production of flexible electronics. In current practice, the technique relies heavily on trial and error, which results in low yields. This is particularly true for the transfer of thin films with multiple layers or discrete structures, where damage and residual contamination are quite common. This award will focus on the fundamental study of detachment mechanics of thin film-substrate systems in a liquid environment. The outcome of this research will impact the design and execution of transfer printing process through development of simple steps and relationships for high, yet efficient, throughput. This research is an interdisciplinary study involving chemo-mechanics, materials science and manufacturing. Graduate and undergraduate students will be exposed to and trained on a broad scope of education and skills, respectively. Undergraduate students form underrepresented groups will be actively recruited and a university program will be leveraged to perform K-12 outreach. Transfer printing is emerging as a competitive technique in the delivery and assembly of thin films in manufacturing. Its working efficiency is inherently underpinned by the detachment mechanics of thin films from substrates. The liquid-assisted transfer printing technique could promote both yield and quality of the detachment of thin films and involves a synergistic interplay of external mechanical loading and chemical reactions at the solid-liquid interface. The project will conduct a comprehensive study of liquid-assisted interfacial detachment in film-substrate systems, where the presence of liquid water will react with interfacial materials, leading to a controllable and selective detachment of thin film layers. The outcome of this study will be two-fold: 1) a comprehensive chemomechanics theory of liquid-driven detachment mechanics, and 2) a hybrid computational modeling framework that bridges solid-liquid atomistic interactions (mechanism) and continuum phenomena of film detachment (structural function) with validation from experimental testing and theory. The research will impact the transfer printing fabrication technique by providing scientific and technological means to achieving efficient, quantitative throughput.