Materials Discovery through Novel Nanocomposite Design

通过新型纳米复合材料设计发现材料

• 批准号: 1401266
• 负责人: Haiyan Wang
• 金额: $ 39.98万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-06-01 至 2016-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1401266&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Materials; Discovery; through; Novel; Nanocomposite

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This project is seeking to further the basic understanding and development of new 2-phase nanocomposites to obtain enhanced or novel multi-functionality. Junior researchers (undergraduate and graduate students) and high school teachers are also engaged in the research. A partnership with Dr. Judith Driscoll at the University of Cambridge and cooperation with Dr. Quanxi Jia of Los Alamos National Laboratory enhances this project and the experiences of the students. The outcomes could positively impact areas such as thin film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), thin film solar cells, nanoionics, and memristers. Findings are being integrated into Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) courses. The research team is involved with several outreach programs focused on inclusion in science and engineering. TECHNICAL DETAILS: This project focuses on a unique 2-phase vertically-aligned nanocomposite (VAN) approach which provides a novel platform for materials discovery and design. Combining the properties of the two phases, VAN films can provide improved and/or new physical properties in comparison to single layer or multilayer films. The team is demonstrating several remarkable functional enhancements as well as interesting spontaneously ordered structures (nanocheckerboards) and unprecedented levels of strain in thick films. In particular, the major preliminary findings are that (1) an important ferroelectric material can be made to work well at several hundred degrees above its normal operational temperature; (2) tunability in functionality (e.g., low field magnetoelectric property, ferroelectric property, etc.) can be achieved in well-designed VAN systems; (3) unique VAN structures with unprecedented electrochemical properties have been implemented in thin film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) as cathodes, electrolytes or both. The research activities include understanding the limitations to the growth and ordering, as well as the resulted functionalities; growing new systems and demonstrating new functionalities using the VAN method; and demonstrating device applications using VAN structures. Various characterization techniques, such as high resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)), as well as physical property measurements are being utilized in this study. The specific outreach programs included are: on-campus programs -- Woman Engineer Forum and Woman Mentor Program (http://outreach.science.tamu.edu/wise.php), and the Summer School Program (http://losalamos.unm.edu/admissions/summer-bridge.html) at the University of New Mexico (a Hispanic-Serving Institution).

非技术描述：该项目旨在进一步加深对新型两相纳米复合材料的基本理解和开发，以获得增强或新颖的多功能性。 初级研究人员（本科生和研究生）和高中教师也参与了这项研究。 与剑桥大学 Judith Driscoll 博士的合作以及与洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的 Quanxi Jia 博士的合作增强了该项目和学生的体验。研究结果可能会对薄膜固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）、薄膜太阳能电池、纳米离子学和忆阻器等领域产生积极影响。 研究结果正在被整合到材料科学与工程 (MSE) 课程中。该研究团队参与了多个以科学和工程包容性为重点的外展项目。技术细节：该项目专注于独特的两相垂直排列纳米复合材料（VAN）方法，该方法为材料发现和设计提供了一个新颖的平台。结合两相的特性，与单层或多层膜相比，VAN 膜可以提供改进的和/或新的物理特性。该团队正在展示一些显着的功能增强以及有趣的自发有序结构（纳米棋盘）和厚膜中前所未有的应变水平。特别是，主要的初步发现是：（1）一种重要的铁电材料可以在比正常工作温度高出数百度的温度下正常工作； （2）在精心设计的VAN系统中可以实现功能的可调性（例如低场磁电特性、铁电特性等）； (3) 具有前所未有的电化学性能的独特 VAN 结构已在薄膜固体氧化物燃料电池 (SOFC) 中用作阴极、电解质或两者。研究活动包括了解增长和排序的局限性以及由此产生的功能；使用 VAN 方法开发新系统并展示新功能；并演示使用VAN结构的设备应用。各种表征技术，例如高分辨率 X 射线衍射 (XRD) 和透射电子显微镜 (TEM)（扫描透射电子显微镜 (STEM) 和电子能量损失谱 (EELS)）以及物理性质测量本研究中使用。 具体的外展项目包括：校内项目——女工程师论坛和女导师项目（http://outreach.science.tamu.edu/wise.php），以及暑期学校项目（http://losalamos.php）。 unm.edu/admissions/summer-bridge.html）在新墨西哥大学（西班牙裔服务机构）。