Engineering Fellowships for Growth: Imperceptible smart coatings based on atomically thin materials

The need for greater fuel efficiency in the aeronautical, automotive and aerospace industries is driving the demand for low weight high-performance materials. For example, low specific weight electronic devices which can generate light or harvest electricity and can be embedded into paints or windows would make the structures of current vehicles considerably lighter, therefore more efficient. At the same time, low specific weight electrical conductors acting as a ground in the electrical circuits of vehicles and yet able to protect aircraft from lightning bolts would also reduce considerably the vehicle weight. Extra lightweight transparent conductors and semiconductors also constitute the fundamental ingredients for the next generation flexible solar cells and future flexible electronic components. Atomically thin materials, not only offer these desired properties, but with their excellent mechanical, thermal, electrical, and gas impermeability properties are ideal for the realization of multi-functional coatings.

Atomically thin materials are the thinnest materials which can be conceived. Graphene -a monoatomic carbon layer- is certainly the most celebrated and studied representative of this new family of materials This is the strongest known material, the best electrical and thermal conductor which is mechanically flexible and transparent. Other emerging atomically thin materials, e.g. dichalcogenides such as MoS2, have complementary characteristics to graphene such as semiconducting properties necessary for transistor applications. Recent advances in chemical functionalization have shown that the properties of these atomically thin materials can be enhanced to unprecedented levels by chemical bonding of a molecule or a chemical element to the pristine material. The most recent example of the potential of chemical functionalization is GraphExeter, a new graphene-based material which my team developed at Exeter. In this case, functionalization with FeCl3 of few-layer graphene results in the best transparent electrical conductor which outperforms Indium Tin Oxide used in displays.

The exploitation of atomically thin materials with extraordinary performances in high-value products such as smart imperceptible coatings is exactly at the heart of this proposal. Thus, this ambitious fellowship aims to build UK leadership in engineering advanced materials by exploiting the emerging technologies of atomically thin materials for prototyping imperceptible smart coatings. This will accelerate the fast development of highly efficient aircrafts, cars, displays and solar cells with added novel functionalities. Achieving this aim will be the foundation of several cutting-edge technologies crucial for our society, such as transforming the windscreens of cars and airplanes into display controls and GPS-activated maps and at the same time allowing their windows and paints to harvest electricity from the sun.
Together with the team that I will develop to deliver this research vision, we will aim at understanding the materials properties and processing challenges involved in the large scale manufacturing of atomically thin conducting and semiconducting coatings. Building on this understanding, my team will focus on developing high-value products by exploring the sustainable use of atomically thin materials for prototyping multi-functional smart coatings. Specifically, we will develop imperceptible coatings, which will not only enhance the efficiency of aircrafts, cars, displays and solar cells, but will add novel functionalities, such as light emission and energy harvesting. The outcomes of this research will therefore have a revolutionary impact on society as it will change the current landscape of many industries, ranging from automotive and aerospace to information and communication technologies. My track record of outstanding research in the studies of such materials puts me in a unique position to complete such challenging tasks.

Atomically thin multi-functional coatings hold the promise of a significant impact on society. Indeed, these are the thinnest and lightest materials which can be conceived and yet they have a unique combination of mechanical, electrical and optical properties. Furthermore, the possibility to engineer these properties to fit a specific application by attaching a molecule or a chemical element to the pristine material, or by making hybrid multilayers of these systems considerably widens their potential applications.The full exploitation of these systems depends on the ability to manufacture low-cost and large-scale coatings and devices. This has not been addressed to date and is specifically at the core of this project, which is directed at manufacturing multi-functional atomically thin hybrid coatings based on graphene and dichalcogenides.
The outputs of this project will be fundamental to the commercial and the economic development of smart coatings and will have an impact on a wide range of industries. For example, the manufacturing of large area ultra-thin and highly conductive coatings based on GraphExeter (graphene doped with FeCl3) has the potential to increase the sustainability of transportation industry by making vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient. Large area highly conductive and transparent coatings would also reshape the display industry by replacing the current Indium Tin Oxide material, which is both expensive and brittle. At the same time, hybrid atomically thin conducting and semiconducting systems open up an entirely new avenue to smart coatings able to emit light and to harvest electricity from the sun. Thus the applications which will be developed during this fellowship have the potential to impact several vast and growing markets. For example, the global transportation industry is expected to generate revenue of more than $3.8 trillion in 2016. The global market for displays is expected to reach $164.24 billion by 2017. The global solar technology market is expected to reach $75.2 billion by 2016, whereas the market for flexible and printed electronics is predicted to rise to $60 billion by 2022. Likewise, the global solid state and other energy efficient lighting systems market is expected to grow to $53,469.5 million in 2015. For atomically thin materials to make serious impact on such markets, it is clear that industry-compatible and cost-effective routes to their manufacturing and to device fabrication need to be developed. This is explicitly the goal of this ambitious fellowship proposal: to pioneer low-cost, large-scale and sustainable manufacturing of atomically thin materials and devices.
Even though only 10 years have passed since graphene has been experimentally accessed, the discovery in 2012 of GraphExeter -i.e. the best known optically transparent electrical conductor, which is stable in ambient conditions [Advanced Materials 24, 2844 (2012)]- clearly shows that the next few years can be regarded as a realistic timescale for many of the benefits described above. Together with our industrial partners and the Research Knowledge Transfer office at Exeter, we will exploit commercially valuable routes to maximize the societal impact of this proposal, making the UK the first Nation to manufacture atomically thin smart coatings. Thus, the proposed work will facilitate the timely and cost-effective development of new devices and applications based on atomically thin materials. It also has the potential to generate a very significant long term economic impact by increasing the UK share of the above global markets, in addition to a societal impact due to the improvement in the quality of life that will ensue from the novel devices and materials ultimately developed. There will also be a substantial impact in the area of sustainability, since the proposed work will also lead to advances in sustainable manufacturing and sustainable energy production helping to mitigate the world-wide energy crisis.