A modular materials design using integrated nanotube and nanowire assemblies

基于我们在涂层纤维素或金属盐纳米纤维模板形成氧化物纳米管方面的经验，这个新项目的科学目标是开发一种通用的模块化方法，用于设计基于多糖晶须有序模板的分层组织材料。无机纳米管在多糖晶须上的形成将包括金属化、溶胶-凝胶或电化学沉积。提出了一种新颖的太阳能电池设计概念，该太阳能电池具有完全可访问的基于3D多孔纳米管的架构，嵌入在半导体材料中，通过光效应产生电荷载流子，以证明我们模块化结构的多功能性。在新设计的染料敏化太阳能电池中，由模板纤维素晶须金属化形成的金属纳米线将导致电子快速有效地传递到后电极。拟议的研究计划包括三个主要的科学部分：形成高密度的有序排列的表面结合的纤维素晶须网络作为一个中心问题；在晶须之间的空隙中形成无机纳米管或块状无机材料，采用溶胶-凝胶处理、电化学沉积和光电化学表征所获得的组分。

Based on our experiences on the formation of oxide nanotubes by coating cellulose or metal salt nanofibre templates, the scientific aims of this new project are the development of a versatile modular approach for the design of hierarchical organised materials based on an ordered template of polysaccharide whiskers. Inorganic nanotube formation on the polysaccharide whiskers will include metallisation, sol-gel or electrochemical deposition. A novel design concept of solar cells with an entirely accessible 3D- porous nanotube based architecture embedded in a semiconductor material creating charge carriers by the photoeffect is proposed to demonstrate the versatility of our modular structures. In the newly designed dye-sensitized solar cells the incorporated metal nanowires formed by metallisation of the templating cellulose whiskers will lead to a fast and efficient electron transport to the back electrode. The proposed research programme involves three major scientific parts: Formation of high density networks of ordered arrays of surface bound cellulose whiskers as a central issue; formation of inorganic nanotubes or bulk inorganic materials in the voids between the whiskers using sol-gel processing, electrochemical deposition and photoelectrochemical characterization of the obtained components.