NSF Highlights
Roll-to-Roll Fabrication of Flexible Low-operating Voltage Organic FETs using Solution-based Hybrid High-K Dielectrics
Organic field effect transistors (OFETs) are key for flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive electronic devices. Low-voltage operation of OFETs is necessary for many practical applications and all solution-based, low-temperature processes are desirable as they provide a significant cost advantages for scaling to large area roll-to-roll fabrication processes. To meet these challenges the CHM has developed solution-based high-k dielectric coatings consisting of zirconia (ZrO2) nanoparticles in a polymer composite.
NNN/InterNano Accomplishments and Goals 2011-2016
Going Forward: National Roadmap, Federated Databases, Nanomanufacturing Standards, Workforce Training
Formation of Pre-Competitive R2R Research Consortium
Launched in 2011 as part of the Center for University of Massachusetts / Industry Research on Polymers (CUMIRP), the precompetitive industry research consortium for Roll-to-Roll Processing designated as Cluster R has grown to seven industry members. Member meetings were held in the spring and fall and a dedicated “Member Only” website for disseminating reports and receiving member input was set-up.
Reconfigurable Nanowire Fabric for Computation: Simulations and Experimental Prototyping
The Reconfigurable Nanowire Fabric is targeted as a scalable alternative to CMOS FPGAs. Logic and memory functionalities can be mapped on to programmable nanowire arrays with reconfigurable cross-nanowire field effect transistor (xnwFETs) crosspoints. Design choices across device, circuit and architecture level are geared towards reducing manufacturing requirements – junctionless xnwFET devices eliminate the need for stringent control of doping profile, regular arrays with limited customization imply mitigated overlay precision requirements, novel circuit styles eliminate the need for arbitrary fine-grain sizing, doping and routing. Furthermore, this fabric uses a fine-grain device-level reconfiguration approach that could have an order-of-magnitude area/power/performance improvement vs. conventional schemes.
Nanoparticle-Based Anticounterfeiting
We have developed an anti-counterfeiting strategy based on the ionization of ligands from gold nanoparticles. In practice, the particles were inkjet printed onto surfaces, and the “mass barcodes” arising from different ligands was read off using laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). This method provides rapid and efficient authentication of materials, with applications in pharmaceuticals, currency, and other areas where counterfeiting is common.
Nanotechnology Training for K12 Science Teachers at the NSEC Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing
The CHM conducted its sixth annual Nanotechnology Summer Institute for K12 science teachers at UMass Amherst, July 9-13, 2012. Twenty-seven teachers learned from an array of nanotechnology modules with many hands-on activities for the classroom, including a lesson on self assembly. A second Institute was added this year on July 17-19, 2012 for twenty-three teachers in Albany, NY. The teachers used these modules to develop curriculum plans that meet their particular teaching needs and satisfy state standards. http://www.umassk12.net/nano/
Multiplexed Imaging of Nanoparticles in Tissues
To more fully understand the biodistributions and potential toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) that are released into the environment, it is essential to monitor the spatial distributions of NPs in vivo. To this end CHM scientists have developed an approach based on laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) to image NPs in tissues. Because MS is used as the readout for this imaging approach, multiple NPs can be imaged simultaneously, which facilitates the side-by-side comparison of different NP types. Results indicate that NPs can remain intact in animals and that biodistribution information can be directly obtained.
