Absolute Nano, LLC — Department of Defense STTR Phase I: In this Phase I STTR project, we plan to demonstrate a new platform for engineering the di

Absolute Nano, LLC — STTR Phase I award from Department of Defense.

Amount
$100,000
Agency
Department of Defense · Navy
Program / Phase
STTR · Phase I
Solicitation
2010.B
NAICS
Place of performance
MI
Period
2011-06-01

Description

In this Phase I STTR project, we plan to demonstrate a new platform for engineering the diameter and packing density of vertically aligned CNT"forests", based on a scalable"blade casting"method of spatially directed evaporative self-assembly of metal catalyst nanoparticles. Using these self-assembled catalyst arrays, CNT forests will be grown by atmospheric pressure thermal CVD, taking advantage of the rapid control capability of the SabreTube furnace system developed by Absolute Nano. The catalysts arrays and CNT forests will be characterized and CNTs by atomic force and electron microscopy, and their key attributes will be compared. In parallel, starting from patterned CNT arrays grown from thin film catalysts, we will prototype and characterize a novel interpenetrating thin-film CNT (IPCNT) capacitor device architecture. At the end of Phase I, we aim to integrate the self-assembly and patterning methods for production of IPCNT device arrays having geometrically-specified properties, and commercialize a blade-casting tool as an instrument for self-assembly of nanoparticles.