Methods of forming nano-scale and micro-scale structured materials and materials formed thereby

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016264407-A1
Application number	US-201514864235-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods of forming porous nano-scale or micro-scale structured materials and structured materials formed thereby. Such methods entail providing a donor material and reacting the donor material to form a compound that deposits on a surface of a substrate to produce nano-scale or micro-scale geometric features of the structured material. In particular embodiments, the donor material is in a solution and the reacting step is performed by contacting the surface of the substrate with the solution and directing heat through the solution onto the surface to locally heat a portion of the solution in contact therewith.

First claim

1 . A method of forming a porous nano-scale or micro-scale structured material, the method comprising:
providing a solution comprising a chalcogenide source and a donor material as a source of metal ions and/or metal complexes; contacting at least a surface of a substrate with the solution; directing heat through the solution onto a portion of the surface of the substrate to locally heat a portion of the solution in contact with the portion of the surface of the substrate to produce a compound that is a reaction product of the donor material and the chalcogenide source, forms as a result of the heat initiating a chemical reaction between the donor material and the chalcogenide source, and precipitates on the portion of the surface of the substrate to form nano-scale or micro-scale geometric features containing a metal chalcogenide; and cooling the portion of the surface to produce the structured material comprising the geometric features.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat is generated by a localized heat source.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of directing the heat through the solution and cooling the portion of the surface comprise scanning a heat source over the surface of the substrate so that additional portions of the surface are sequentially locally heated and then cooled.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the geometric features are open-cell, porous, and have surface area-to-volume ratios of up to 1.3×10 10 m −1 .

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the substrate has at least one curved surface portion and the structured material comprises at least one curved surface that conforms to the curved surface portion of the substrate.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the substrate has geometric surface features, the compound deposits in the surface cavities, and the geometric features of the structured material correspond to the geometric surface features.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the geometric features comprise at least one of nanotubes and nanowires.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
depositing a support layer on a surface of the structured material oppositely-disposed from the substrate after producing the structured material; and then dissolving the substrate.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the structured material is a component of a solar cell, microelectromechanical system, nanoelectronic device, semiconductor device, superconductor device, or mechanical device.

10 . A method of forming a porous nano-scale or micro-scale structured material, the method comprising:
providing a donor material; providing a substrate having a curved surface portion; reacting the donor material to form a compound that deposits on the curved surface portion of the substrate to produce nano-scale or micro-scale geometric features of the structured material, the structured material having at least one curved surface corresponding to the curved surface portion of the substrate.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of directing the heat through the solution comprises scanning a heat source over the curved surface portion and over additional portions of the substrate so that the additional portions of the surface are sequentially locally heated and then cooled.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the geometric features comprise at least one of nanotubes and nanowires.

13 . A porous nano-scale or micro-scale structured material comprising nano-scale or micro-scale geometric features and at least one curved surface corresponding to a curved surface portion of a substrate on which the structured material was formed.

14 . The nano-scale or micro-scale structured material of claim 13 , wherein the geometric features contain a metal chalcogenide.

15 . The nano-scale or micro-scale structured material of claim 13 , wherein the geometric features are open-cell, porous, and have surface area-to-volume ratios of up to 1.3×10 10 m −1 .

16 . The nano-scale or micro-scale structured material of claim 13 , wherein the geometric features comprise at least one of nanowires and nanotubes.

17 . The nano-scale or micro-scale structured material of claim 13 , wherein the structured material is a component of a solar cell, microelectromechanical system, nanoelectronic device, semiconductor device, superconductor device, or mechanical device.

18 . A method of forming a porous nano-scale or micro-scale structured material comprising nano-scale or micro-scale geometric features, the method comprising:
providing a donor material; providing a substrate having a surface comprising surface cavities corresponding to the geometric features of the structured material to be formed; and reacting the donor material to form a compound that deposits on the surface of the substrate, the compound depositing in the surface cavities to produce the geometric features of the structured material, the geometric features corresponding to the surface cavities of the substrate.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the step of directing the heat through the solution comprises scanning a heat source over the surface of the substrate so that additional portions of the surface are sequentially locally heated and then cooled.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the geometric features comprise at least one of nanotubes and nanowires.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Liu Chunghorng Richard
• Liu Zhikun

Classifications

• H10P14/3464

  Nanotubes · CPC title

• H10P14/3452

  Microstructure · CPC title

• H10P14/3428

  Sulfides · CPC title

• H10P14/265

  using solutions · CPC title

• H10P14/27

  using selective deposition, e.g. simultaneous growth of monocrystalline and non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials · CPC title