Group 14 nanomaterials in all dimensions: Synthesis, Fundamental Understanding and Practical Application.

纳米材料（NM）在现有和新兴技术中具有改变游戏规则的潜力-最近QLED电视和显示器的商业化充分说明了这一点。纳米研究甚至看到了灵感来自“科幻小说”的想法和概念成为现实，因为基础研究，使精致的调整和控制的大小和表面依赖纳米性能。因此，NM及其组件有望彻底改变现代社会的许多方面，包括消费电子产品，替代能源发电以及存储，医疗保健，传感，光学计算，甚至通过光散射“隐身”技术的发展进行伪装。不幸的是，许多令人兴奋的原型进展依赖于基于有毒物质的NM（例如，Cd），或相对罕见（例如，In）元素。如果社会要获得纳米材料的全部利益，就必须建立基于无毒、地球丰富元素的可预测制备、定制和操纵纳米材料的方法。此外，实现这些崇高的目标，只有通过准备，剪裁和测试的真实的材料是可能的-这些都是目前的计划由NSERC发现计划支持的主题。它将包括三个相互关联的主题，利用和发展我们的专业知识，同时针对由地球丰富的无毒元素硅（Si）和锗（Ge）组成的纳米颗粒（或量子点）和纳米片。我们将开发新的可扩展的方法来制备和定制这些多功能材料的组成，晶体结构和表面化学。我们还将建立结构-性质关系，这将提供对Si和Ge NM行为的基本实际理解;这些进展将促进NM及其组件的光学和电子性质的设计和开发。 本着发现的精神，我们还将解决与显示器，传感器和其他光学元件中的Si纳米颗粒/量子点应用相关的紧迫挑战;探索革命性的超材料机会，其中个人（大的和小的）和组装的Si纳米颗粒被预测表现出在自然界中不发生的独特的光学响应;建立用于太阳能电池、场效应晶体管、电池、光子学等的Ge纳米颗粒的制备程序;以及探索方法来制备，定制性能和操纵2D纳米片的硅和锗，持有承诺，在下一代电子产品，并可能扩展“摩尔定律”，并帮助实现下一代先进的计算。

Nanomaterials (NMs) have game changing potential in existing and emerging technologies - this is well-illustrated by the recent commercialization of QLED televisions and displays. NM research has even seen ideas and concepts inspired by "science fiction" become reality because of fundamental research that enables exquisite tuning and control of size and surface dependent NM properties. As such, NMs and their assemblies are expected to revolutionize many aspects of modern society including consumer electronics, alternative energy generation as well as storage, healthcare, sensing, optical computing, and even camouflage through the development of light scattering "cloaking" technologies. Unfortunately, many of the exciting prototype advances rely on NMs based upon toxic (e.g., Cd), or comparatively rare (e.g., In) elements. If society is to gain the full benefit of NMs, it is essential that methods be established to predictably prepare, tailor, and manipulate NMs based upon non-toxic, earth abundant elements. Furthermore, achieving these lofty goals is only possible through the preparation, tailoring and testing of real materials - these are the subjects of the present program supported by the NSERC Discovery Program. It will encompass three interconnected themes that exploit and grow our expertise while targeting nanoparticles (or quantum dots) and nanosheets comprised of the earth abundant, non-toxic elements silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge). We will develop new scalable methods for preparing and tailoring the composition, crystal structure, and surface chemistry of these versatile materials. We will also establish structure-property relationships that will provide fundamental practical understanding of Si and Ge NM behavior; these advances will facilitate the design and exploitation of the optical and electronic properties of NMs and their assemblies. In the spirit of discovery, we will also address pressing challenges related to Si nanoparticle/quantum dot applications in displays, sensors, and other optical components; explore revolutionary metamaterial opportunities in which individual (large and small) and assembled Si nanoparticles are predicted to exhibit unique optical responses that do not occur in nature; establish procedures for preparing Ge nanoparticles for solar-cells, field-effect transistors, batteries, photonics, etc.; as well as explore methods to prepare, tailor the properties and manipulate 2D nanosheets of Si and Ge that hold promise in the next generation of electronics and may extend "Moore's Law" and help realize the next generation of advanced computing.