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

电子薄膜和纤维结构的受控低温沉积有可能在纸、织物和塑料上进行低成本的卷对卷生产，以发展“电子纺织品”。电子皮肤和纺织品的应用已经超越了今天的大面积平板电视和ipad，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低成本的太阳能电池，可以层压在建筑物的屋顶上，或者直接集成在服装上，成本低于1美元/瓦，智能包装材料和智能钞票作为加拿大纸浆、造纸和印刷行业的增值新产品，以及以“电子皮肤”形式监测机械应变、温度和化学物质的传感网络，用于结构和环境监测。受自然系统纤维结构的启发，本提案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、可拉伸柔性电子皮肤和环境传感器。基于我们在ZnO、Ge、Si、Cu纳米线等纳米材料的合成、纳米线、纳米管和共轭聚合物复合油墨的形成以及静电纺丝、喷涂和冲压等新型可扩展沉积技术方面的专业知识，本提案将开发具有可控微观结构和嵌入式纳米结构的新型纤维器件，这些器件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，我们还研究了电荷输运对环境干扰（如温度、大气成分和湿度）的敏感性，从而了解老化机制并开发新的低成本环境监测传感器。该计划将培养包括材料科学、微制造、原型设计和开发在内的广泛专业人才。技术工作将与UBC和加拿大工业界的创业专业知识相匹配，以探索将已开发概念商业化的方法。

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.