Functional Nanomaterials for Ubiquitous Electronic Devices

尺寸为纳米(十亿分之一米)的材料最终将融入我们生活的方方面面。纳米级的能量采集系统将从我们的身体和环境中收集能量；纳米级的无线技术将把这种能量传输到集成电路并允许它们进行通信；我们将使用纳米材料制造连接的传感器和显示器。需要新的纳米材料来使这一未来成为现实，如果这些设备要真正无处不在，它们必须使用廉价、可扩展的工艺来制造。目前，在微电子、能源和医疗保健等领域，将新材料推向市场需要令人难以置信的10-20年时间。此外，许多先进材料是使用高温或基于真空的工艺制造的，这些工艺不适合大规模制造无处不在的电子产品(例如，在塑料上印刷柔性太阳能电池)。

Materials with dimensions on the scale of nanometres (billionths of a metre) will ultimately be integrated into all parts of our lives. Nanoscale energy harvesting systems will collect energy from our bodies and environment; nanoscale wireless technologies will transmit this power to integrated circuits and allow them to communicate; and connected sensors and displays that we interact with will be fabricated using nanomaterials. New nanomaterials are needed to make this future a reality and if these devices are to be truly ubiquitous, they must be manufactured using inexpensive, scalable processes. Currently, it takes an incredible 10-20 years to bring new materials to market in sectors such as microelectronics, energy, and healthcare. Furthermore, many advanced materials are fabricated using high-temperature or vacuum-based processes that are not suitable for large scale manufacturing of ubiquitous electronics (e.g., the printing of flexible solar cells on plastics).