LEAP-HI: All-Carbon Recyclable Electronics (ACRE): Realizing a Sustainable Electronics Lifecycle

美国环境保护署（EPA）最近将减少半导体器件制造（特别是平板显示器）的温室气体（GHG）排放确定为减缓气候变化的首要挑战之一。印刷电子潜在地提供了一种更环保的方法来实现用于显示器的半导体器件。与美国繁荣、健康和基础设施领先工程（LEAP-HI）项目相关的研究将调查全碳可回收电子（ACRE）材料的印刷，以取代硅或金属氧化物基半导体及其高温室气体排放制造工艺，特别是平板显示器行业。ACRE材料可以为产品的整个生命周期带来可持续性，因为材料可以回收和重复使用-这是半导体和绝缘电子材料前所未有的能力。跨学科的努力将评估ACRE材料的潜力，以增加美国的电子显示器制造，显着减少碳足迹。ACRE材料开发的长期成功将减少半导体电子产品制造和使用中与能源相关的排放，并确保美国在这一核心竞争力和能力方面保持技术领先地位。除了更广泛的技术影响外，该项目还通过女性和代表性不足的少数民族的参与以及吸引K-12学生和本科生从事STEM职业而产生广泛的社会影响。该项目将重点展示ACRE材料和工艺在电子显示屏制造中的可行性，旨在重新构想电子显示屏制造行业。这些ACRE材料-由结晶纳米纤维素，碳纳米管和石墨烯组成-将在室温下加工成油墨，从而实现使用印刷技术的革命性制造。几个基本的研究问题将得到解决，包括如何打印多层不同的电子材料没有混合，如何设计设备和电路适合打印纳米显示器背板，以及什么是环境影响打印ACRE材料为基础的技术。该小组将：1）在有希望的初步结果的基础上，开发完全印刷的玻璃上的ACRE薄膜晶体管（TFT）; 2）分析所开发的材料和工艺对能源和环境的影响; 3）设计和演示ACRE-TFT的像素驱动电路。油墨化学、印刷工艺和印刷TFT设计的迭代工程将是合作项目成功的关键。科学发现将在溶液相纳米材料的核心化学，功能化，环境影响和打印处理方面进行。这项工作的工程影响将通过与一家在印刷电子领域有经验的美国实验室到工厂过渡公司的咨询合作来增加。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently identified the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from semiconductor device manufacturing, particularly for flat panel displays, to be one of the foremost challenges for mitigating climate change. Printed electronics potentially offer a more environmentally friendly approach to realizing semiconductor devices for use in displays. Research completed in association with this Leading Engineering for America's Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure (LEAP-HI) project will investigate the printing of all-carbon recyclable electronic (ACRE) materials to replace silicon- or metal oxide-based semiconductors and their high-GHG emission manufacturing processes, particularly for the flat-panel display industry. ACRE materials can bring sustainability to a product’s entire lifecycle, as the materials can be recaptured and reused – an unprecedented capability for semiconducting and insulating electronic materials. The interdisciplinary effort will evaluate the potential for ACRE materials to increase US-based manufacturing of electronic displays with a significant reduction in carbon footprint. Longer-term success in the development of ACRE materials would reduce energy-related emissions from the manufacturing and use of semiconductor electronics and ensure that the US maintains a technological lead in this core competency and capability. In addition to the broader technical impacts, this project has broad social impacts through the engagement of women and underrepresented minorities and the attraction of K-12 students and undergraduates to STEM careers.The project will focus on demonstrating the viability of ACRE materials and processes in the manufacturing of electronic displays, targeting a reimagining of the electronic display manufacturing sector. These ACRE materials – comprised of crystalline nanocellulose, carbon nanotubes, and graphene – will be processed as inks at room temperature, enabling revolutionary manufacture using printing techniques. Several fundamental research problems will be addressed, including how to print multilayers of dissimilar electronic materials without intermixing, how to design devices and circuits appropriate for printed nanomaterial-based display backplanes, and what the environmental impact is for a printed ACRE material-based technology. The team will: 1) build on promising preliminary results to develop fully printed, ACRE thin-film transistors (TFTs) on glass; 2) analyze energy and environmental impact of developed materials and processes; and 3) design and demonstrate a pixel-driving circuit with ACRE-TFTs. Iterative engineering of ink chemistries, print processes, and printed TFT design will be key to the success of the collaborative project. Scientific discoveries will be pursued in the core chemistry, functionalization, environmental impact, and print processing of solution-phase nanomaterials. The engineering impact of this work will be increased through a consultative collaboration with a US lab-to-fab transition company with experience in printed electronics.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.