NIRT: Nanoreactor Processes for Manufacturing Oriented Materials

This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 01-157, category NIRT. The Penn State team proposes a new nanomanufacturing technology that utilizes carefully designed nanoreactor systems to align, bond, and assemble oriented nanomaterials as they are produced, rather than trying to manipulate them afterwards. This approach to manufacturing with nanoscale control is based on the combined use of (1) nano-fabricated chemical reactors and (2) nanoscale material assemblers. An integral part of this approach will be the use of high resolution probes to guide, test, and confirm the product and structure development. With the attainment of controlled alignment, nanomaterials with novel properties and functions can be assembled into usable materials that will play a critical role in advancing future technologies. These include wires, tapes, sheets, composites, and circuits with tailored characteristics. The production of these materials requires innovative architectural methods to position, stitch, weave, coil, or connect nanomaterials with precise control of alignment, composition, and phase on the nanoscale. The principal tasks to be carried out during this NIRT grant period are as follows: (a) fabrication of integrated nanochannel reactor/processing systems that perform polymerization, transport, alignment, and assembly, (b) production of aligned composite polymer fibers, tapes, and bundles using initiator-based polymerization reactor systems, (c) production of polymeric nanofibers and hollow tubes using anchored-catalyst systems, and (d) conversion of oriented polyacetylene nanomaterials into carbon tubes, conducting wires, and electronic devices.

To realize the full potential of nanoscience, nanostructured materials must be produced in requisite quantities with reproducible orientations, dimensions and properties by cost effective means. They must be produced in a manner conducive to them being further manufactured into usable, macroscale materials. Although the pace of nanoscientific discoveries continues to increase, nanomaterials process and manufacturing engineering - a key enabling science - have received little attention. If this situation persists, nanoscience will remain a laboratory curiosity and will not be transferred into a real technology benefiting society. To address this problem, the Penn State team will try to develop nanomanufacturing methodologies that can quickly be converted to mass-production technologies. The realization of this approach will lead to mass production of ordered polymeric nano-composite materials that cannot be made in any other way, and fast, reproducible fabrication of nano-electronics devices. Cross-training of students in the diverse fields required to carry out this research will expand our nation's future capabilities in nano-science and engineering.