CAREER: Laser-Induced Graphene with On-Demand Morphology and Chemistry Control for Scalable Flexible Device Manufacturing

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award aims at transforming flexible device manufacturing and promoting education through two specific goals: (1) to overcome current challenges and limitations in fabricating functional three-dimensional graphene directly on flexible polymers, and (2) to leverage virtual reality (VR) for enhancing American STEM education and advanced manufacturing training for scalable workforce development in resource-limited environments. The flexible electronics market was estimated to exceed $41 billion in 2020 and is expected to approximately double in the next decade. Hence, the scientific insights gained from this project will be immediately relevant to a number of fast-growing industries. In particular, biosensors is the application area with a high potential to be disrupted by this emerging fabrication approach and constitutes one of the three largest sectors of the flexile electronics market. Rapid growth is also projected for flexible batteries and stretchable electronics, both of which can also be transformed by laser-induced graphene. American competitiveness will depend on scientific studies to develop new manufacturing approaches to ensure that the future of flexible electronics within the domestic manufacturing base. The VR-based approach to create educational modules is a scalable approach that will positively impact education nation-wide. The modules created in this project will be available online and can be repurposed for other training programs at schools, community centers, and/or colleges. The scientific goal of this project is to test the central research hypothesis that combining polymer chemistry with spatiotemporal mapping of fluence and real-time acoustic emissions during laser-induced nanocarbon (LINC) uniquely enables controlling the thermochemical transitions in molecularly engineered polyimides to form sp2-hybridized carbon with tailored chemistry, tunable morphology, and spatially varying properties. Accordingly, the research objectives are (1) to pattern functionally graded porous graphene electrodes directly on flexible polyimides with spatiotemporal control of morphology and conductivity, (2) to leverage real-time acoustic emission measurements and machine learning for establishing a fundamental understanding of the dynamics underlying the formation of hierarchical nanoscale-to-mesoscale morphology of LINC, (3) to fabricate doped graphene microelectrodes with spatially varying chemistry via molecular engineering of polyamic acid precursors, and (4) to create complex 3D architectures of miniaturized graphene patterns on both top and bottom sides of a polymer film in one-step via printing of optical initiators. The education objectives are (1) to create VR-based immersive outreach workshops targeting middle- and high-school students; (2) to build a set of VR modules to supplement existing public tours of the PI’s lab as part of student recruitment at the PI’s school; (3) to combine VR with hands-on experimentation for science training of high school students during a summer research experience program in the PI’s school, and (4) to leverage VR for enhancing teaching effectiveness in lab sessions for both undergraduate and graduate courses. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.