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)。 在拟议的计划中，穆塞尔曼博士将把现有的大气压空间原子层沉积(AP-SALD)系统改造成自适应AP-SALD系统，该系统可以快速筛选由许多不同原子元素组成的先进材料。这一创新的系统将能够快速打印具有不同原子组成的纳米薄膜，并同时表征作为其组成函数的薄膜的特性。通过同时合成和测量数千种不同的成分，将有可能快速识别具有所需性能的先进材料。重要的是，这项技术的大气性质确保了识别出的材料适合低成本、工业规模的制造。 穆塞尔曼博士将在原型设备中使用使用自适应AP-SALD发现的纳米材料，以及使用其他可扩展方法合成的纳米材料。首先，他将优化用于下一代太阳能电池和LED的电荷传输氧化钼合金。通过研究器件性能随材料成分和制造方法的变化，该计划将扩大我们对这些新器件的基本操作机制的知识，并提高它们的效率。 在开发自适应AP-SALD时，Musselman博士的目标是加快对加拿大具有战略重要性的行业的先进材料研究和开发，包括清洁能源转换、微电子、无线技术和医疗设备。通过这一专业计划，HQP将获得必要的技能和专业知识，以建立和保持加拿大作为先进制造业领导者的地位。这将提高加拿大的竞争力，并使其成为世界创新者为使我们更安全、更健康、更快乐的设备开发新纳米材料的枢纽。

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). In the proposed program, Dr. Musselman will transform an existing atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) system into an Adaptive AP-SALD system that can rapidly screen advanced materials consisting of many different atomic elements. This innovative system will be able to quickly print nanoscale films with varying atomic compositions, and simultaneously characterize the properties of the films as a function of their composition. By simultaneously synthesizing and measuring thousands of different compositions, it will be possible to quickly identify advanced materials that have desired properties. Importantly, the atmospheric nature of this technique ensures the identified materials are suitable for low-cost, industrial-scale manufacturing. Dr. Musselman will employ nanomaterials discovered using Adaptive AP-SALD, as well as those synthesized using other scalable approaches, in prototype devices. In the first instance, he will optimize charge-transporting molybdenum oxide alloys for next-generation solar cells and LEDs. By studying the device performance as a function of the material composition and manufacturing method, the program will expand our knowledge of the fundamental operating mechanisms in these new devices and improve their efficiency. In developing Adaptive AP-SALD, it is Dr. Musselman's goal to accelerate advanced materials research and development in sectors of strategic importance to Canada, including clean energy conversion, microelectronics, wireless technologies, and healthcare devices. Through this specialized program, HQP will gain the necessary skills and expertise needed to build and maintain Canada's position as a leader in advanced manufacturing. This will increase Canada's competitiveness and establish it as a hub where the world's innovators come to develop new nanomaterials for devices that make us safer, healthier, and happier.