Scalable Nanomanufacturing of Large-area Two-dimensional Tellurene for High-performance Wearable Piezoelectric Devices

压电纳米材料将机械信号转化为电能，有望给新兴的自供电技术带来革命性的变化。目前制备压电纳米材料的方法受到生长衬底、反应压力和温度的限制，这限制了它们的经济制造。该奖项支持基础研究，为开发低温、无衬底、可扩展的纳米制造工艺提供必要的知识。这一新的工艺包括基于溶液的纳米制造，一种新型的压电纳米材料，二维碲烯，具有高生产率和高质量。与块体材料相比，压电纳米材料表现出优异的机械和压电性能，在能源、医疗保健、传感器、生物医学和可穿戴设备中的应用越来越受到人们的青睐。因此，这项研究的结果有利于美国的经济和社会。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括制造、材料科学、电气工程、设备物理和数据科学。多学科方法有助于扩大妇女和代表性不足群体在研究中的参与，并对工程教育产生积极影响。水热溶液工艺可以克服纳米材料制造中存在的几个限制。这些问题包括能源预算、可扩展性、环境控制和工作温度。然而，要实现水热溶液工艺在制造2D纳米材料方面的全部潜力，还需要克服一些科学障碍。这项研究将填补水热合成过程中二维碲形成机理的知识空白。其目标是(1)探索低成本、可扩展的基于解决方案的制造在碲纳米材料生长中的独特优势和能力，并控制其生产产量、形态和尺寸；(2)揭示设计、制造和集成碲基可穿戴压电纳米器件中的工艺-结构-性能-功能关系。研究小组将建立一个基于物理的理论模型，以预测水热工艺制造的碲的结构和压电性能，并进行实验来验证该模型。研究小组将测试表面活性剂类型和浓度是控制碲的厚度和压电行为的决定因素的假设，并通过这样做，在热液纳米制造中建立工艺参数和材料功能(例如，压电性)之间的关系。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Piezoelectric nanomaterials convert mechanical signals into electrical power and promise to revolutionize emerging self-powered technologies. Current methods for making piezoelectric nanomaterials are restricted by growth substrates, reaction pressure and temperature, which limits their economic manufacture. This award supports fundamental research to provide needed knowledge for the development of a low-temperature, substrate-free, scalable nanomanufacturing process. The novel process involves solution-based nanomanufacturing of a new piezoelectric nanomaterial, two-dimensional tellurene, with high productivity and high quality. Piezoelectric nanomaterials exhibit superior mechanical and piezoelectric properties to their bulk counterparts and are increasingly preferred for applications in energy, healthcare, sensors, and biomedical and wearable devices. Therefore, results from this research benefits the U.S. economy and society. This research involves several disciplines including manufacturing, materials science, electrical engineering, device physics, and data science. The multi-disciplinary approach helps broaden participation of women and underrepresented groups in research and positively impacts engineering education.Hydrothermal solution process can overcome several limitations existing in nanomaterial manufacturing. These range from energy budget, scalability, environmental control, and working temperature. However, some scientific barriers are yet to be overcome to realize the full potential of the hydrothermal solution process for manufacturing of 2D nanomaterials. This research is will fill the knowledge gap on the mechanisms for the 2D tellurene formation during hydrothermal synthesis. The objectives are (1) to explore the unique advantage and capability of low-cost, scalable solution-based manufacturing for growth of tellurene nanomaterials with control over their production yield, morphology and dimensions, and (2) to uncover the process-structure-property-functionality relationships in designing, manufacturing, and integrating the tellurene-based wearable piezoelectric nanodevices. The research team will pursue a physics-based theoretical model to predict the structural and piezoelectric properties of tellurene manufactured by the hydrothermal process and conduct experiments to verify the model. The research team will test the hypothesis that surfactant type and concentration are the determining factors for controlling the thickness and hence the piezoelectric behavior of tellurene, and in so doing, will establish the relationships between process parameters and material functionality (e.g., piezoelectricity) in hydrothermal nanomanufacturing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.