Development of functional inks using hybrid nanoparticles for disruptive applications

由于纳米技术的进步，我们正处于一个日益小型化的时代。越来越小的微型和纳米级机械、电子和光学部件正在制造中，其功能可与较大的中尺度版本相媲美。纳米材料是纳米技术的基本组成部分，其中诸如碳纳米管、石墨烯、金属和金属氧化物纳米颗粒（NP）等材料提供了优点和局限性。** 为了制造功能材料和器件，不同的NP必须（1）以特定的方式组织，并且（2）随后组合在一起以形成多功能材料和器件。对于NP组织，我们从大自然中汲取灵感，例如，鱼尾巴、昆虫翅膀、鲍鱼壳和骨头，其中纳米颗粒的精确定向和分层产生了定义材料行为和特性的微观结构。材料中纳米颗粒的不同组织产生不同的控制润湿性、孔结构、光学反射率和粘附力的方式。不同的NP也可以同时合成在一起以产生混合纳米颗粒（hNP），其联合收割机结合了它们的主要NP成分的优点。** 该项目的长期愿景是开发可扩展的方法，用于生产广泛的工程应用hNP。这项发现资助将（a）研究用聚合物涂层、生物分子和其他纳米颗粒原位功能化碳纳米管（CNT）外表面以生产hNP的最佳加工条件，（B）用合成的hNP生产用于各种物理和生物应用的稳定功能性油墨，（c）利用被动手段控制hNP的微观结构，以及（d）研究用于新兴应用的功能性油墨的性能，包括化学传感器、印刷电子和能量存储装置。总的来说，这项研究将使工程应用的功能性油墨的设计和制造成为可能。例如，使用油墨，可以想象用油墨印刷成厚度与名片相当的结构的可充电电池，其中薄的表面膜包含所有印刷电子器件。这样的设备将能够通过感测例如化学物质、生物分子、温度和人类相互作用来对其环境做出响应。研究成果包含基于对多学科的理解转化为创新应用的承诺。我们将涉及五个HQP，即，三名博士生，一名本科生研究员和一名博士后研究员，在材料化学，磁学，纳米科学，器件测试，材料表征和实验方面进行跨学科研究。

Due to advancements in nanotechnology, we are in an era of ever increasing miniaturization. Smaller and smaller micro- and nanoscale mechanical, electronic and optical components are being manufactured that have functionalities comparable to their larger mesoscale versions. Nanomaterials are the fundamental building blocks of nanotechnology, where materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) offer advantages and limitations. ******To fabricate functional materials and devices, different NPs must be (1) organized in specific ways, and (2) thereafter combined together to form multifunctional materials and devices. For NP organization, we draw inspiration from nature, e.g., fish tails, insect wings, abalone shell and bone, where the precise orientation and layering of NPs produces microstructures that define the behavior and properties of a material. Different organizations of NPs within a material produce different ways of controlling wettability, pore structure, optical reflectivity and adhesion. Different NPs can also be simultaneously synthesized together to create hybrid nanoparticles (hNPs) that combine the advantages of their primary NP constituents. ******The long term vision of this project is to develop scalable methods for producing a wide range of hNPs for engineering applications. This Discovery Grant will (a) investigate the optimum processing conditions for in-situ functionalization of the exterior surfaces of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with polymer coatings, biomolecules and other NPs to produce hNPs, (b) produce stable functional inks with the synthesized hNPs for various physical and biological applications, (c) utilize passive means to control the microstructures of the hNPs, and (d) investigate the performance of the functional inks for emerging applications, including chemical sensors, printed electronics and energy storage devices.******Overall, the research will enable the design and fabrication of functional inks for engineering applications. Using an ink, one could, for instance, imagine a rechargeable battery printed with the ink into a structure of thickness comparable to that of a business card, where a thin surface film contains all of the printed electronics. Such a device would be capable of responding to its environment by sensing, for example, chemicals, biomolecules, temperature and human interactions. The research results contain the promise of being translated into innovative applications based on the understanding of multiple disciplines. We will involve five HQPs, i.e., three PhD students, an undergraduate researcher and a postdoctoral researcher, to perform this interdisciplinary research across materials chemistry, magnetics, nanoscience, device testing, materials characterization and experimentation.*****