STTR Phase I: New Manufacturing Techniques to Produce High Quality Thin Films of Inherently Conducting Polymer Nanofibers Over a Large Area

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to develop a manufacturing process that can coat a variety of substrates with uniform thin films of inherently conducting polymer (ICP) nanofibers over a large area. Traditionally, these nanostructured organic materials are difficult to process into thin films covering a large area, which has limited the commercial applicability of ICP. In this project, large area conductive coatings will be developed by utilizing a technique in which the organic material is deposited onto virtually any substrate with little waste generated and high energy efficiency.
The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to substantially extend the applicability and market size of ICPs by overcoming one of the key challenges associated with these materials. ICP is relatively new area of electroactive polymer industry which is an approximately $1.6 billion market. Electroactive polymers are useful in electrostatic materials, conducting adhesives, and various types of electronics. In addition to its commercial potential, this project will also improve the fundamental understanding of dispersion properties and the processing of one-dimensional nanostructures.