Battery Power - Winter 2014 - (Page 14)
ReseaRch & Development
Purdue University Project Aims to Mass-Produce
'Nanopetals' for Sensors, Batteries
Researchers at Purdue University are developing a method to
mass-produce a new type of nanomaterial for advanced sensors
and batteries, with an eye toward manufacturing in the Midwest.
Research findings indicate the material shows promise as a sensor for detecting glucose in the saliva or tears and for "supercapacitors" that could make possible fast-charging, high-performance batteries. However, for the material to be commercialized
researchers must find a way to mass-produce it at low cost.
"It's one thing to say you've got a new wonder material, but
can you prove that it can be made on a commercial scale?" said
Arvind Raman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "In many
cases we find that fundamental research needs to be done for
scaling up. You want to be able to produce large quantities of the
material at 50 cents per square meter."
Now, a team of Purdue researchers will aim to do just that.
The project, funded with a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, focuses on creating a nanomanufacturing method that is scalable, or capable of mass production at
low cost.
The underlying technology was developed by a research
group led by Timothy Fisher, Professor in Mechanical Engineering. It consists of vertical nanostructures resembling tiny rose
petals made of a material called graphene, which is a singleatom-thick film of carbon.
"Using these graphene nanopetals we have realized exceptional performance in a wide range of devices at laboratory
scales," Fisher said.
The researchers hope to boost the production speed of
nanopetal-coated surfaces to 10 square meters per hour, representing a dramatic increase over the laboratory-scale production rate. Raman has expertise in roll-to-roll manufacturing,
a mainstay of many industrial operations including paper and
sheet-metal production. He models the mechanics of the process of creating flexible materials in sheets at high speed and
under tension.
"A key factor is going to be industry partners," he said.
"There are many industries that have roll-to-roll operations. So
focusing on roll-to-roll as a platform for doing nanomaterials
production is very strategic for the Midwest."
He also has expertise in precision measurement using an
atomic force microscope.
"You have to be able to measure the material while it is being
manufactured, and this is a challenge because of the nanometer
scale of the petals," he said.
The graphene nanopetals also have shown promise as a "thermal-interface" material to keep computer chips from overheating.
"A slew of new device and material concepts based on
graphene nanopetals are emerging in applications as diverse as
carbon fiber composites and new thermal-interface materials,"
Raman said. "Commercial interest is extremely high for this
recent carbon nanomaterial."
14
Battery Power * Winter 2014
These color-enhanced scanning electron microscope images
show nanosheets resembling tiny rose petals. The nanosheets are
key components of a new type of biosensor that can detect minute concentrations of glucose in saliva, tears and urine. The technology might eventually help to eliminate or reduce the frequency
of using pinpricks for diabetes testing. (Purdue University photo by
Jeff Goecker)
Other key researchers in the project are Alina Alexeenko, an
associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics; Alexander
Wei, a professor in the Department of Chemistry; Ernesto E.
Marinero, a professor of engineering practice in the schools of
Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering; and Euiwon
Bae, a research professor of mechanical engineering.
The nanopetals are created in a vacuum by exposing a cloth
of carbon fiber to high-energy plasma that contains hydrogen
ions and other ingredients, a process known as plasma-enhanced
chemical vapor deposition. Alexeenko will lead work to model
the plasma reactor and to optimize its conditions for fast and
environmentally friendly conversion of raw materials, such as
methane and hydrogen, into carbon nanopetals.
Wei will functionalize petals with metal nanoparticles and
enzymes that recognize glucose or other target molecules for
biosensing. Marinero will focus on reliability of devices made
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Winter 2014
Editor’s Choice
IDT Announces Next-Generation WPC 1.1 Wireless Power Receiver for Portable Applications
NREL to Research Battery Storage Approaches in
Support of ARPA-E RANGE Program
Features
UPS Goes Green to Save Green
When Rubber Stamping is Not Enough
Purdue University Project Aims to Mass-Produce
‘Nanopetals’ for Sensors, Batteries
Growth in Battery Industry Sparks the Need for Battery Innovation Center
ORNL-Grown Oxygen ‘Sponge’ Presents Path to
Better Catalysts, Energy Materials
New Products
Batteries
ICs & Semiconductors
Charging, Testing & Monitoring
ICs & Semiconductors
Components
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