Abstract Scope |
Solution-processed nanoelectronic materials are promising inks for printed applications including flexible electronics, batteries, and sensors. However, the polydisperse nature of nanomaterial dispersions following liquid-phase exfoliation poses manufacturing challenges, as incompletely exfoliated materials must be removed to achieve optimal properties. Incumbent separation schemes invariably rely on centrifugation, which is highly energy-intensive and limits scalable manufacturing. In contrast, this talk will explore cross-flow filtration (CFF) as a centrifuge-free processing method that improves the throughput of nanomaterial separations by orders of magnitude. By tuning membrane pore sizes between microfiltration and ultrafiltration, CFF can also be used for efficient recovery of solvents and stabilizing polymers. In this manner, life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis reveal that CFF leads to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, fossil energy usage, water consumption, and specific production costs. To confirm that CFF produces electronic-grade nanomaterials, the performance of CFF-processed nanoelectronic inks in printed electronic technologies will be delineated. |