Research Terms
The University of Central Florida invention describes methods of patterning well-defined nanoscale and microscale carbon structures with light using a defect-engineered photocatalyst. This invention avoids several shortcomings of current methods of carbon structure growth, such as external heating and residual contamination in the final products.
Partnering Opportunity
The research team is seeking partners for licensing and/or research collaboration.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.
Among the various types of two dimensional (2D) materials, graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have received the most attention. Researchers have noted that although graphene has a very high carrier mobility, the lack of a band gap limits its application in nanoelectronic and optical devices. Known for their extraordinary electrical, mechanical, and optical properties, single-layer and few-layer MoS2 sheets have recently received significant attention due to a tunable band gap that ranges from 1.2 eV in bulk layers to 1.8 eV in a single layer.
Noteworthy progress has been made in the modification and the controlling of the essential properties of MoS2. Specifically, modulating the electronic and optical properties further widens the applications of 2D MoS2 and may open up a new era in solid-state electronics and optoelectronics. However, this is challenging because it requires controlably tuning the material's properties.
Advantages
UCF researchers have been able to answer this challenge with a novel plasma-based processing method. This technique, via an external control, continuously tunes the electrical properties of few layers MoS2 flake from semiconducting to insulating, increasing electrical resistivity to more than 1000 times and can potentially be utilized in various device applications such as sensors, diodes, and quantum tunneling devices.
Technical Details
The 2D TMDC material is a layer that is one to eight atomic layers thick (0.9 - 6 nanometers), and the plasma in an oxygen-containing ambient treatment selectively oxidizes to form defect regions in all layers. A single-layer or a few-layer 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) material is deposited onto a substrate. The energized oxygen molecules interact with MoS2 to create insulating, MoO3-rich, defect regions. This method forms oxidized dielectric TMDC material which has a higher electrical resistivity, compared to untreated material.
The University of Central Florida invention is a process for making carbon structures using defect-engineered, 2D-material heterogeneous catalysts. The defect-laden photocatalyst can be used for propene dehydrogenation under visible illumination, and defect engineering in 2D materials provides new opportunities for metal-free heterogeneous catalysis. Hydrogenation of propene and the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be achieved on metal-free hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) using mechanochemistry. The process highlights a new functionality of defect engineering in h-BN for visible light-assisted capture and conversion. This discovery can enable the low-temperature production of hydrogen from hydrocarbon sources and other applications such as sensing or quantum devices.
Partnering Opportunity
The research team is looking for partners to develop the technology further for commercialization.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.
The University of Central Florida invention describes a method to create functional defects in 2D materials with the ability to control their dimensions and composition. The invention uses a nanoscale tip, such as the tip of an atomic force microscopy cantilever, and light to manipulate the environment (humidity, gas, solvent, temperature, force applied, and wavenumber) directly beneath the tip for defect creation. This approach can be used to pattern arrays of nanoscale defects of selected compositions in 2D materials, with the ability to control the size and chemistry of the defects without high heat or other high-energy processes (such as plasma or high-power lasers).
Partnering Opportunity
The research team is seeking partners for licensing and/or research collaboration.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.
The University of Central Florida invention describes a method to produce green and blue hydrogen from hydrocarbons without releasing carbon gas. By using visible light (a laser, lamp, or solar source) and defect-engineered boron-rich photocatalysts, the invention highlights a new functionality of 2D materials for visible light-assisted capture and the conversion of hydrocarbons. The UCF invention produces hydrogen that is free from contaminants such as higher polyaromatic compounds, carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide which are common in reactions performed at higher temperatures on conventional catalysts.
The heterogeneous catalyst can comprise hexagonal boron nitride and at least one catalytically active defect on the surface. Example hydrocarbon sources include methane, ethane, propene, allene, propyne, cyclohexene, and other hydrocarbons. In the lattice, the B atoms can be tuned to favor the dehydrogenation of specific hydrocarbons on reaction sites under visible light. In the process, the catalyst captures carbon atoms that form structures of potential higher value for future applications.
Partnering Opportunity
The research team is seeking partners for licensing and/or research collaboration.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.