Hybrid Nano-Architectures and Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory

Mission

The mission of HNAM lab is to advance the fundamental understanding of the structure-property relationship of hybrid material systems and create advanced and applied manufacturing technologies to fabricate functional composites and flexible electronics. These functional composites and flexible electronics can better serve our society in the areas of health monitoring, environmental sensing and detection, and potable and clean energy.

Research Overview

Hybrid material systems composed of nanomaterials and polymers are essential building blocks for functional composites and flexible electronics. One grand challenge of hybrid material systems is that their complicated morphologies prevent the in-depth understanding of the structure-property relationship and effective methodologies to control the structures and design their properties. The research at the Hybrid Nano-Architectures and Advanced Manufacturing Lab led by Dr. Bo Li will tackle this challenge from two aspects:

1. Design hybrid nano-architectures of nanomaterial and polymer with highly controlled morphology through the combination of nanotechnology and polymer engineering, elucidate their structure-property relationships and create high-performance functional composites and flexible electronics.
2. Create advanced manufacturing technologies of hybrid material systems and realize large-scale, and highly efficient fabrication of high-quality and affordable flexible devices.

Facilities

• Lindberg/Blue M™ 1200°C Split-Hinge Tube Furnaces for nanomaterials growth (i.e., transition metal dichalcogenides, graphene, and their hybrid structures), and materials treatments (i.e., annealing, hybridization, and oxidation.)
• Psylotech μTS – Standard test system with high-resolution “windowing” load cell for mechanical testing of small thin-film to bulk samples, and in-situ mechanical-electrical measurement of flexible devices.
• Customized vacuum probe station from Super Solutions & Services Co., Ltd. for electrical measurement and mechanical testing of flexible devices under vacuum.
• Customized under-scope micro tensile tester to apply tensile strain to thin film under microscopes including Raman, SEM and OPM.
• Keithley 2400 source meter for electrical measurement of nanomaterials devices.
• BMC/Laboratory Fume Hoods for 2DMs exfoliation and surface engineering.
•  Customized dual-mode gas sensing platform for gas sensing with both static mode and flow mode.
• Skymen Digital 2l Ultrasonic Cleaner Bath for nanomaterial dispersion, exfoliation and assembly.