SNM: Large-area Printing and Integration of Metal Nanowires and Organic Semiconductors for Stretchable Electronics and Sensors

可拉伸电子设备和传感器，如电子皮肤，在自主人工智能（如机器人）、医疗诊断和假肢设备中具有广泛的变革性应用，这些设备能够提供至少与生物等效物相同水平的感官知觉。例如，为了满足这些期望，电子皮肤需要大量能够拉伸并符合曲线物体的分布式触觉传感器。此外，与人体皮肤形状一致并能根据人体运动而变形的电子产品需要可拉伸性。可伸缩电子和传感器的功能要求可以通过纳米技术来满足，但它们的成功生产需要在可扩展制造和加工方法集成方面的创新。这个可扩展纳米制造（SNM）研究项目旨在研究一种可扩展的纳米制造方法，通过金属纳米线和有机半导体的异质集成来制造大面积、高分辨率、可拉伸的电子和传感器阵列。作为该奖项的一部分进行的研究被整合到涉及学生的跨学科教育，课程课程和K-12外展。该项目强烈鼓励代表性不足的学生参与研究的各个方面。推进可拉伸电子皮肤的可扩展纳米制造需要：(1)可拉伸功能材料（导体、半导体），(2)将异质纳米材料集成到可拉伸平台的制造策略，以及(3)电子和机械功能的优化设备设计和集成操作能力。为了满足这些需求，本研究研究了金属纳米线和聚合物半导体材料平台。可拉伸导体是通过形成纳米线-弹性体复合材料来实现的。大规模、高分辨率地打印金属纳米线是一个具有挑战性的问题。在这里，纳米线加工的重点是对纳米线油墨特性的基本理解，油墨与承印物的相互作用，以及凹印和电流体动力印刷等方法的探索。研究了实现高性能内在可拉伸聚合物半导体的方法，重点是共轭聚合物与二次聚合物基体的共混。聚合物半导体加工的重点是结合溶液铸造和先进的转移印刷方法。优化了器件结构和集成制造策略，以实现高性能电子皮肤。

Stretchable electronics and sensors, such as electronic skin, have wide ranging transformative applications in autonomous artificial intelligence (e.g. robots), medical diagnostics, and prosthetic devices capable of providing at least the same level of sensory perception as the biological equivalent. For example, for electronic skin to meet these expectations, a large number of distributed tactile sensors that are able to stretch and conform to curvilinear objects are required. Moreover, electronics that is conformal to human skin and deform in response to human motion requires stretchability. The functional requirements of stretchable electronics and sensors can be met through nano-enabled technologies, but their successful production requires innovation in scalable manufacturing and integration of processing methods. This Scalable NanoManufacturing (SNM) research project aims to investigate a scalable nanomanufacturing approach to fabricate large-area, high-resolution, stretchable electronics and sensor arrays by heterogeneous integration of metal nanowires and organic semiconductors. The research conducted as part of this award is integrated into interdisciplinary education for the involved students, course curriculum, and K-12 outreach. The project strongly encourages underrepresented students to participate in all aspects of the research.Advancing the scalable nanomanufacturing of stretchable electronic skin requires: (1) stretchable functional materials (conductors, semiconductors), (2) a manufacturing strategy to integrate heterogeneous nanomaterials into a stretchable platform, and (3) optimal device design and integrated operation capabilities in both electronic and mechanical functionality. To meet these needs, the research investigates metal nanowires and polymer semiconductor material platforms. Stretchable conductors are achieved through forming nanowire-elastomer composites. Printing metal nanowires in large scale with high resolution is challenging. Here nanowire processing focuses on the fundamental understanding of the nanowire ink properties, ink-substrate interactions, and exploration of methods such as gravure and electrohydrodynamic printing. Approaches to achieve high-performance intrinsically stretchable polymer semiconductors are investigated with a focus on blending conjugated polymers with a secondary polymer matrix. Polymer semiconductor processing focuses on a combination of solution casting and advanced transfer printing methods. Device architecture and integrated manufacturing strategies are optimized to achieve high performance electronic-skin.