Engineering Fellowships for Growth: Imperceptible smart coatings based on atomically thin materials

航空、汽车和航空航天行业对更高燃油效率的需求正在推动对低重量高性能材料的需求。例如，可以发光或收集电能并可以嵌入油漆或车窗的低比重电子设备将使当前车辆的结构变得更轻，从而更高效。同时，低比重的导线在车辆的电路中充当地面，但又能够保护飞机免受雷击，也将大大减轻车辆的重量。超轻的透明导体和半导体也构成了下一代柔性太阳能电池和未来柔性电子元件的基本成分。原子薄材料不仅提供这些所需的性能，而且具有优异的机械、热、电和气体防渗性能，是实现多功能涂料的理想选择。原子薄的材料是可以构思的最薄的材料。石墨烯--一种单原子碳层--肯定是这一新材料家族中最著名和最受研究的代表这种材料是已知的最坚固的材料，是机械上灵活和透明的最好的电导体和热导体。其他新兴的原子薄材料，例如二卤化物，如MoS2，具有与石墨烯互补的特性，如晶体管应用所需的半导体特性。化学功能化的最新进展表明，通过将分子或化学元素与原始材料进行化学键合，这些原子薄材料的性能可以提高到前所未有的水平。化学功能化潜力的最新例子是GraphExeter，这是我的团队在Exeter开发的一种基于石墨烯的新材料。在这种情况下，用FeCl3对几层石墨烯进行功能化处理，可以得到性能优于显示器中使用的铟锡氧化物的最佳透明导电体。在智能隐形涂层等高价值产品中开发具有非凡性能的原子薄材料正是这项提议的核心。因此，这一雄心勃勃的奖学金旨在通过利用原子薄材料的新兴技术来制作隐形智能涂层的原型，从而建立英国在先进材料工程方面的领先地位。这将加速高效飞机、汽车、显示器和太阳能电池的快速发展，并增加新的功能。实现这一目标将是几项对我们的社会至关重要的尖端技术的基础，例如将汽车和飞机的挡风玻璃转化为显示控制和GPS激活的地图，同时允许它们的窗户和油漆从太阳获取电力。与我将为实现这一研究愿景而开发的团队一起，我们将致力于了解大规模制造原子薄导体和半导体涂层所涉及的材料特性和工艺挑战。在此基础上，我的团队将专注于开发高价值的产品，通过探索原子薄材料的可持续使用来制作多功能智能涂层的原型。具体地说，我们将开发隐形涂层，这不仅将提高飞机、汽车、显示器和太阳能电池的效率，还将增加新的功能，如发光和能量收集。因此，这项研究的结果将对社会产生革命性的影响，因为它将改变许多行业的现状，从汽车和航空航天到信息和通信技术。我在这类材料研究方面出色的研究记录使我在完成这些具有挑战性的任务方面处于独特的地位。

The need for greater fuel efficiency in the aeronautical, automotive and aerospace industries is driving the demand for low weight high-performance materials. For example, low specific weight electronic devices which can generate light or harvest electricity and can be embedded into paints or windows would make the structures of current vehicles considerably lighter, therefore more efficient. At the same time, low specific weight electrical conductors acting as a ground in the electrical circuits of vehicles and yet able to protect aircraft from lightning bolts would also reduce considerably the vehicle weight. Extra lightweight transparent conductors and semiconductors also constitute the fundamental ingredients for the next generation flexible solar cells and future flexible electronic components. Atomically thin materials, not only offer these desired properties, but with their excellent mechanical, thermal, electrical, and gas impermeability properties are ideal for the realization of multi-functional coatings. Atomically thin materials are the thinnest materials which can be conceived. Graphene -a monoatomic carbon layer- is certainly the most celebrated and studied representative of this new family of materials This is the strongest known material, the best electrical and thermal conductor which is mechanically flexible and transparent. Other emerging atomically thin materials, e.g. dichalcogenides such as MoS2, have complementary characteristics to graphene such as semiconducting properties necessary for transistor applications. Recent advances in chemical functionalization have shown that the properties of these atomically thin materials can be enhanced to unprecedented levels by chemical bonding of a molecule or a chemical element to the pristine material. The most recent example of the potential of chemical functionalization is GraphExeter, a new graphene-based material which my team developed at Exeter. In this case, functionalization with FeCl3 of few-layer graphene results in the best transparent electrical conductor which outperforms Indium Tin Oxide used in displays. The exploitation of atomically thin materials with extraordinary performances in high-value products such as smart imperceptible coatings is exactly at the heart of this proposal. Thus, this ambitious fellowship aims to build UK leadership in engineering advanced materials by exploiting the emerging technologies of atomically thin materials for prototyping imperceptible smart coatings. This will accelerate the fast development of highly efficient aircrafts, cars, displays and solar cells with added novel functionalities. Achieving this aim will be the foundation of several cutting-edge technologies crucial for our society, such as transforming the windscreens of cars and airplanes into display controls and GPS-activated maps and at the same time allowing their windows and paints to harvest electricity from the sun.Together with the team that I will develop to deliver this research vision, we will aim at understanding the materials properties and processing challenges involved in the large scale manufacturing of atomically thin conducting and semiconducting coatings. Building on this understanding, my team will focus on developing high-value products by exploring the sustainable use of atomically thin materials for prototyping multi-functional smart coatings. Specifically, we will develop imperceptible coatings, which will not only enhance the efficiency of aircrafts, cars, displays and solar cells, but will add novel functionalities, such as light emission and energy harvesting. The outcomes of this research will therefore have a revolutionary impact on society as it will change the current landscape of many industries, ranging from automotive and aerospace to information and communication technologies. My track record of outstanding research in the studies of such materials puts me in a unique position to complete such challenging tasks.