Final Report Summary - THREEDSURFACE (Three-Dimensional Surface Nano-Patterning: Concepts, Challenges and Applications)
Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures are widely considered to be promising building block for the designing of next-generation devices. Devices built from 3D nanostructures offer a number of advantages over those based on to two-dimensional (2D) surface structures, such as larger specific surface area to enhance the sensitivity of sensors, to collect more sunlight to improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion, and to improve the charge storage capability of supercapacitors. However, while several methodologies exist for precise 3D patterning and assembly at the nanoscale, many are serial and extremely expensive processes. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop parallel and cost-effective methods for fabrication of 3D nanostructures. In the ERC Starting Grants project ‘ThreeDSurface’, we addressed a highly efficient 3D surface nano-patterning technique to fabricate 3D nanostructures in large-scale and with low-cost. The advantageous features of the realized cost-effective 3D surface nano-patterning technique within this project, including the capability for fabricating large-scale nanostructures arrays with extremely large specific surface areas, different fabrication strategies to realize various functional 3D nanostructures, and a high controllability of the structural parameters, makes it highly desirable to be utilized in device fabrications. Moreover, innovative addressing system was constructed based on the obtained 3D nanostructure arrays to investigate the physical properties of individual nanostructured unit within an array, and achieves ‘bottom-up’ property analysis so as to be able to specifically optimize the structural parameters of 3D nanostructure arrays toward high device performance. Furthermore, high-performance devices based on 3D nanostructures have been achieved, including high-sensitivity gas sensors, high-efficient nano-generators, piezoelectric devices, field-emission and magnetic devices, tandem solar water splitting cells, supercapacitors with high energy density and high power density, and sodium ion batteries with fast charge-discharge rate, etc. The successful realization of high performance devices further demonstrates the high application potentials and the important impact of the realized 3D surface nano-patterning technique on the next generation of nano-devices.
Based on the research outcomes within this ERC project, we have published 60 SCI-indexed scientific papers that are related to this ERC project. These papers are mostly published in first-class scientific journals in physics, chemistry and material science, including 1 paper published in a journal with impact factor of 33.383 1 paper published in a journal with impact factor between 20-30, 17 papers published in journals with impact factor between 10-20, 19 papers published in journals with impact factor between 5-10, 13 papers published in journals with impact factor between 3-5, and 9 papers published in journals with impact factor ≤ 3. Although most of these papers were published from 2011 that was two years after running the project, the citations of these papers are more than 804 times till now, which means our research works are widely recognized in scientific and academic fields.
Besides the journal article publications, we have presented the research results of this project in 70 international scientific conferences, as well as disseminations in media and press releases such as the EU-China Science and Technology Week in World Expo 2010 Shanghai (as a Star European Project Awardee), University Rectors Conference of Germany, and 2014 MRS (USA) Annual (Fall) Meeting, etc.
Based on the research outcomes within this ERC project, we have published 60 SCI-indexed scientific papers that are related to this ERC project. These papers are mostly published in first-class scientific journals in physics, chemistry and material science, including 1 paper published in a journal with impact factor of 33.383 1 paper published in a journal with impact factor between 20-30, 17 papers published in journals with impact factor between 10-20, 19 papers published in journals with impact factor between 5-10, 13 papers published in journals with impact factor between 3-5, and 9 papers published in journals with impact factor ≤ 3. Although most of these papers were published from 2011 that was two years after running the project, the citations of these papers are more than 804 times till now, which means our research works are widely recognized in scientific and academic fields.
Besides the journal article publications, we have presented the research results of this project in 70 international scientific conferences, as well as disseminations in media and press releases such as the EU-China Science and Technology Week in World Expo 2010 Shanghai (as a Star European Project Awardee), University Rectors Conference of Germany, and 2014 MRS (USA) Annual (Fall) Meeting, etc.