This project will develop a blown bubble film (BBF) approach to assemble nanomaterials with high alignment and controlled density over large areas. The approach involves first making a homogeneous solution of polymers with uniformly dispersed nanomaterials, and then blowing a bubble from this solution and transferring the bubble film (embedded with assembled nanomaterials) to rigid or flexible substrates. The goals of this project include: 1) Manufacturing BBFs containing aligned nanomaterials (nanowires, carbon nanotubes) of distinct electrical, optical, or mechanical properties, 2) Manufacturing BBFs of various polymers (epoxy, photopolymer, water-soluble polymer) for integration with microfabrication techniques and environmentally friendly processing, and exploring strategies of chemical functionalization for uniform dispersion of nanomaterials in different polymers, 3) Optimizing the bubble expansion process toward integration with the blown film extrusion technique of industry for large scale production, and 4) Understanding the mechanism during bubble expansion that leads to aligned distribution of nanomaterials. This research will provide a general, efficient, and scalable manufacturing technique to solve the problem of large scale assembly of nanomaterials which has been existing as a major obstacle in the field of nanotechnology. The results of this work will advance understanding and pave the way for assembling a variety of nanostructures, and facilitate many important applications such as large area displays, flexible microelectronic devices, biological and chemical sensors. The BBF approach also has impact in plastic film industry for making multifunctional nanocomposite films in large scale and at low cost. The program will offer research experience to graduate, undergraduate, and native Hawaiian students in the College of Engineering.
