Self-Assembling Process for Fabricating Tailored Thin Films
Creating a self-assembling process for fabricating tailored thin films involved
the development of a simple, soft coating process that forms optical, electrical,
and magnetic thin films from self-assembled nanoparticles. The researchers -Hongyou
Fan, Bruce Burckel, and Jeff Brinker from Sandia and Earl Stromberg of Lockheed
Martin Aeronautics - developed a wet-solution-based process that uses
self-assembly to create nanocomposite thin films. The properties of these films
can easily be tuned by varying particle composition, sizes, shapes, packing
density, and geometry.
For example, a film's index of refraction can be tuned by changing its nanoparticle
composition, concentration, or both to exactly match a surface's required index
of refraction. So an antireflective coating can be optimized for both optical
glasses and high-index substrates, such as germanium windows. In addition, the
Sandia-developed process makes it possible to engineer thin films with multiple
functions. For instance, nanoparticle optical films can be made hydrophobic
to avoid fogging and icing problems.
Self-Assembling Process for Fabricating Tailored Thin Films
Run time 2.42 mins