"Flexible and stretchable, composite nanofibrous solar cells and sensors on plastic, paper and fabric"

从溶液中控制、低温沉积电子薄膜和纤维结构具有在纸、织物和塑料上进行低成本卷曲生产的潜力，可用于开发“电子纺织品”。电子皮肤和纺织品的应用超越了今天的大面积平板电视和iPad，还包括对加拿大经济有重大影响的领域，包括清洁能源、先进材料制造和环境监测。这些应用的例子包括：在建筑物屋顶上叠层或直接集成在服装上的低成本太阳能电池，成本低于1美元/瓦特的智能包装材料和智能钞票，作为加拿大纸浆、纸张和印刷业附加值新产品的智能包装材料和智能钞票，以及用于监测机械应变、温度和化学物质的传感网络，其形式为用于结构和环境监测的“电子皮肤”。受自然系统纤维结构的启发，该提议将开发新型复合纳米纤维器件，用于高效、低成本的太阳能织物、可伸展和柔性的电子皮肤和环境传感器。基于我们在纳米材料合成方面的专业知识，包括氧化锌、锗、硅、铜纳米线，由纳米线、纳米管和共轭聚合物形成复合油墨，以及新型可伸缩沉积技术，如静电纺丝、喷涂和冲压，这一提议将开发具有可控微结构和嵌入纳米结构的新型纤维设备，这些设备可以直接集成到纸张和织物的微纤维结构上。除了材料和器件的开发外，我们还研究了电荷传输对环境干扰(如温度、大气成分和湿度)的敏感性，以了解老化机理并开发用于环境监测的新型低成本传感器。拟议的计划将培训包括材料科学、微制造以及原型设计和开发在内的广泛专业知识的人员。技术工作将与UBC和加拿大工业的创业专长相匹配，以探索将已开发的概念商业化的方法。

Controlled, low temperature deposition of electronic films and fibrous structures from solution has the potential for low cost roll-to-roll production on paper, fabric and plastic for development of "electronic textiles". Applications of electronic skin and textile go beyond today's large area flat panel TVs and iPads and include high impact areas for Canadian economy including clean energy, advanced materials manufacturing, and environmental monitoring. Examples of these applications include low cost solar cells that are laminated on roofs of buildings or integrated directly on clothing with lower than $1/Watt cost, smart packaging materials and smart bank notes as added-value new products for Canada's pulp and paper and printing industry, and sensory network for monitoring of mechanical strain, temperature and chemical species in form of an "electronic skin" for structural and environmental monitoring. Inspired by the fibrous structure of natural system, this proposal will develop novel composite nanofiber devices for high efficiency and low cost solar fabric, stretchable and flexible electronic skin and environmental sensors. Building on our expertise for synthesis of nanomaterials including ZnO, Ge, Si, Cu nanowires, formation of composite inks from nanowires, nanotubes and conjugated polymers, and novel scalable deposition techniques such as electrospinning, spraying and stamping, this proposal will develop novel fibrous devices with controlled microstructure and embedded nanostructures, which can be directly integrated onto the microfiber structures of papers and fabric. In addition to material and device development, we investigate the sensitivity of charge transport to environmental disturbances such as temperature, atmosphere composition and humidity, so as to understand aging mechanisms and develop novel low cost sensors for environmental monitoring. The proposed program will train personnel in a wide range of expertise including materials science, microfabrication, and prototype design and development. The technical work will be matched with entrepreneurial expertise at UBC and Canadian industries to explore ways for commercialization of developed concepts.