Self-Assembly of Light Harvesting Films Using Functional Solvents

使用功能溶剂自组装光捕获薄膜

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05086
• 负责人: Charpentier, Paul
• 金额: $ 5.46万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=691934
• 关键词: Self; Assembly; Light; Harvesting; Films

This Discovery program will explore a new methodology using bio-based solvents to make ordered polymer nanostructures suitable for light harvesting using gas-expanded liquids (GXL). A renaissance is underway for additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing and rapid prototyping. However, current approaches are far too slow and do not provide the high performance material properties required for emerging applications in light/energy harvesting. For these high performance light harvesting coatings and devices, including photovoltaic encapsulants and anodes, photocatalytic coatings and greenhouse films; new nanoparticles (NPs) using earth abundant and friendly elements and a new way to control their assembly into ordered structures is required. Currently, multi-step complex chemistries are required to form NPs, stabilize them, then attach them to surfaces to form 3D ordered structures, with a poor ability to control surface topology. In these approaches, a solvent is normally required in the various reaction/processing steps to facilitate NP dispersion and deposition. However, current solvents are considered VOCs, which are becoming increasingly regulated for industrial use, while also they provide no functionality and give very poor control of the NP self-assembly process and deposition. *** Our unique research program will examine how green bio-based solvents including alkyl acetates, carbonates and lactates can be used to control both the polymer/NP reaction chemistry and deposition steps to enhance the end-use structure and performance. For NP growth, we will explore how sol-gel chemistry can be used to grow a variety of metal alkoxide building blocks in an oriented fashion, both in solution or from various 2D surfaces such as graphene sheets. This will entail examining the physical chemistry of how the functional solvents co-ordinate to and stabilize these growing NPs and polymer-NP assemblies, and how various metal dopants or quantum-dot nanocrystals can be integrated into the growing molecular framework. Density functional theory (DFT) modeling will be used to understand the growth and assembly process as a function of solvent stability, while being used to predict dopant/NP integration. Fabrication of these building blocks into films and coatings will be explored, where the materials performance and oriented surface topology's can control sunlight for next-generation light harvesting coatings using 3D fabrication/printing. By controlling the UV curing and solvent/solute interactions during fabrication, we can design appropriate structures and surface topologies using these next generation materials. The resulting films and devices will be characterized for light conversion and electron transport effects by various physico-chemical techniques and synchotron studies at the Canadian Light Source, while DFT will be used to examine their energy-transfer processes. **

该发现程序将使用基于生物的溶剂探索一种新方法，以制造有序的聚合物纳米结构，适合使用气体膨胀液体（GXL）进行轻度收集。增材制造正在进行复兴，例如3D打印和快速原型制作。但是，当前的方法太慢了，并且无法提供光/能量收集中新兴应用所需的高性能材料特性。对于这些高性能收集涂料和设备，包括光伏封装和阳极，光催化涂料和温室膜；需要新的纳米颗粒（NPS）使用地球丰富而友好的元素，以及一种将其组装控制成有序结构的新方法。当前，需要多步复杂的化学物质才能形成NP，稳定它们，然后将它们连接到表面以形成3D有序结构，无法控制表面拓扑的能力。在这些方法中，通常需要在各种反应/加工步骤中需要溶剂，以促进NP分散和沉积。但是，当前的溶剂被认为是VOC，这些溶剂正受到工业用途的越来越多的监管，同时也没有提供任何功能，并且对NP自组装过程和沉积的控制也很差。 ***我们独特的研究计划将研究包括绿色生物的溶剂在内，包括乙酸烷基乙酸烷，碳酸盐和乳酸化溶剂如何用于控制聚合物/NP反应化学和沉积步骤，以增强最终用途的结构和性能。对于NP的增长，我们将探讨如何使用溶液或各种2D表面（例如石墨烯片）以定向的方式使用Sol-Gel化学来生长各种金属烷氧化物构建块。 这将需要研究功能溶剂如何与这些增长的NP和聚合物-NP组件坐标并稳定的物理化学反应，以及如何将各种金属掺杂剂或量子点纳米晶体融合到不断增长的分子框架中。密度功能理论（DFT）建模将用于理解生长和组装过程作为溶剂稳定性的函数，同时用于预测掺杂剂/NP的整合。将探索将这些构建块制造成薄膜和涂料中的材料性能和面向表面拓扑的材料，可以使用3D制造/打印来控制下一代轻型收获涂料的阳光。 通过在制造过程中控制UV固化和溶剂/溶质相互作用，我们可以使用这些下一代材料设计适当的结构和表面拓扑。所得的膜和设备将通过各种物理化学技术和加拿大光源的各种物理化学技术和同步研究来表征光转化和电子传输效应，而DFT将用于检查其能量转移过程。 **