Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Nanostructures such as nanowires and nanotubes have exceptional electrical, optical and mechanical properties with significant potential for future nanoscale transistors, clean energy generation devices, power transmission cables, display devices and biomedical sensors.  Examples of these properties that stem from small diameters of nanostructures (i.e. only a few atoms across) include quantum conduction, tunable bandgap and large surface to volume ratio.  For instance, single walled carbon nanotubes have 10 times the conductivity of copper at 17% its weight and 20 times the mechanical strength of steel.  These exceptional properties are highly sensitive to the diameter, morphology (e.g. straight, tapered, chain-like and ribbon-like), and material composition of nanostructures.  Consequently, utilization of these nanostructures relies on scalable processes for synthesis of nanowires and nanotubes with precise morphology and material composition.  Among synthesis methods, high temperature catalytic growth is preferred for control over quality and morphology of grown nanostructures.  The proposed tube-furnace system enables controlled catalytic synthesis of nanowires and nanotubes with different morphologies and material compositions from solid and gas sources.  Building on the experience of the applicant for growth of silicon nanowires and carbon nanotubes, the proposed system enables synthesis of core/shell heterostructure nanowires (e.g. Si/Ge) with nanoscale bandgap offsets for tuning quantum conduction.  After synthesis, nanostructures can be separated from a growth bed and suspended in a solvent for inkjet printing, spraying, stamping and electrospinning on arbitrary substrates (including plastic, paper or fabric) as semiconductor films and electrodes of future flexible electronics.  Processes for separation and extraction of different nanostructures according to their properties will be developed, followed by their cleaning and funtionalization.  Therefore, the proposed laboratory infrastructure provides a versatile synthesis and solution processing facility for study of nanostructures and their applications, and serves as a launch pad for significant scientific and technological contributions to the field of nanotechnology.