<p>Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and its composite coatings may impart many benefits in packaging, electronic, optical, etc. applications; however, large-scale coating production is a major engineering challenge. To fill this knowledge gap, a potential large-scale manufacturing technique, roll-to-roll reverse gravure processing, has been described in this work for the manufacture of CNC and CNC-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coatings on a flexible polymer substrate. Various processing parameters which control the coating structure and properties were examined. The most important parameters in controlling liquid transfers were gravure roll, gravure speed, substrate speed, and ink viscosity. After successful fabrication, coating adhesion was investigated with a crosshatch adhesion test. The surface roughness and morphology of the coating samples were characterized by atomic force microscopy and optical profilometer. The Hermans order parameter (S) and coating transparency were measured by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The effect of viscosity on CNC alignment was explained by the variation of shear rate, which was controlled by the micro-gravure rotation. Finally, the CNC alignment effect was investigated for gas barrier and thermal management applications.</p> <p>In packaging applications, cellulose nanomaterials may impart enhanced gas barrier performance due to their high crystallinity and polarity. In this work, low to superior gas barrier pristine nanocellulose films were produced using a shear-coating technique to obtain a range of anisotropic films. Induction of anisotropy in a nanocellulose film can control the overall free volume of the system which effectively controls the gas diffusion path and hence, controlled anisotropy results in tunable barrier properties. The highest anisotropy materials showed a maximum of 900-fold oxygen barrier improvement compared to the isotropic arrangement of nanocellulose film. The Bharadwaj model of nanocomposite permeability was modified for pure nanoparticles, and the CNC data were fitted with good agreement. Overall, the oxygen barrier performance of anisotropic nanocellulose films was 97 and 27 times better than traditional barrier materials such as biaxially oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) (BoPET) and ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), respectively, and thus could be utilized for oxygen-sensitive packaging applications. </p> The in-plane thermal conductivity of CNC - PVA composite films containing different PVA molecular weights, CNC loadings and varying order parameters (S) were investigated for potential application in thermal management of flexible electronics. Isotropic CNC - PVA bulk films with 10-50 wt% PVA solid loading showed significant improvement in thermal conductivity compared to either one component system (PVA or CNC). Furthermore, anisotropic composite films exhibited in-plane thermal conductivity as high as ~ 3.45 W m-1 K-1 in the chain direction, which is higher than most polymeric materials used as substrates for flexible electronics. Such an improvement can be attributed to the inclusion of PVA as well as to a high degree of CNC orientation. The theoretical model was used to study the effect of CNC arrangement (both isotropic and anisotropic configurations) and interfacial thermal resistance on the in-plane thermal conductivity of the CNC-PVA composite films. To demonstrate an application for flexible electronics, thermal images of a concentrated heat source on both neat PVA and CNC-PVA composite films were taken that showed the temperature of the resulting hot spot was lower for the composite films at the same power dissipation.

As the Worlds energy demand is increasing we need more of our energy to be generated from resources that affect the climate as little as possible. Solar power could be the solution if there were solar panels with a less energy demanding production than the established silicon based solar modules. Printable organic solar cells will enable a cheap production process, thus they are mainly made out of polymers in solution. However, to be able to decrease the total cost of the solar modules the commonly used indium tin oxide (ITO) for the transparent electrode needs to be replaced by a less expensive material. If the cheap, high conductive and transparent polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) could replace ITO the cost of organic solar modules would significantly decrease. For PEDOT:PSS to be able to replace ITO there are requirements that have to be met. The transparent electrode needs to be apart from transparent, highly conductive, have a low contact resistance to the other materials in the organic solar cell and be printable. In this study it has been shown that the PEDOT:PSS film with Zonyl and Diethylene Glycol (DEG) as an secondary dopant, is capable of laminating to thin films made out of PEDOT:PSS, metal or a polymer fullerene blend. The contact resistances between two PEDOT:PSS films and PEDOT:PSS film and a metal film proved to be low. When laminating to a metal film an interlayer of Silver Nano Wires (AgNW) was needed to achieve a low contact resistance.

The growing market of mobile electronic devices, renewable off-grid energy sources and electric vehicles requires high-performance energy storage devices. Rechargeable batteries are usually the first choice due to their high energy density. However, supercapacitors have a higher power density and longer life-time compared to batteries. For some applications supercapacitors are more suitable than batteries. They can also be used to complement batteries in order to extend a battery's life-time. The use of supercapacitors is, however, still limited due to their high costs. Most commercially available supercapacitors contain expensive electrolytes and costly electrode materials. In this thesis I will present the concept of cost efficient, paper-based supercapacitors. The idea is to produce supercapacitors with low-cost, green materials and inexpensive production processes. We show that supercapacitor electrodes can be produced by coating graphite on paper. Roll-to-roll techniques known from the paper industry can be employed to facilitate an economic large-scale production. We investigated the influence of paper on the supercapacitor's performance and discussed its role as passive component. Furthermore, we used chemically reduced graphite oxide (CRGO) and a CRGO-gold nanoparticle composite to produce electrodes for supercapacitors. The highest specific capacitance was achieved with the CRGO-gold nanoparticle electrodes. However, materials produced by chemical synthesis and intercalation of nanoparticles are too costly for a large-scale production of inexpensive supercapacitor electrodes. Therefore, we introduced the idea of producing graphene and similar nano-sized materials in a high-pressure homogenizer. Layered materials like graphite can be exfoliated when subjected to high shear forces. In order to form mechanical stable electrodes, binders need to be added. Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) can be used as binder to improve the mechanical stability of the porous electrodes. Furthermore, NFC can be prepared in a high-pressure homogenizer and we aim to produce both NFC and graphene simultaneously to obtain a NFC-graphene composite. The addition of 10% NFC in ratio to the amount of graphite, increased the supercapacitor's capacitance, enhanced the dispersion stability of homogenized graphite and improved the mechanical stability of graphite electrodes in both dry and wet conditions. Scanning electron microscope images of the electrode's cross section revealed that NFC changed the internal structure of graphite electrodes depending on the type of graphite used. Thus, we discussed the influence of NFC and the electrode structure on the capacitance of supercapacitors.

This diploma thesis deals with material printing using roll to roll material printer. Several kinds of printing inks were prepared and their parameters, like viscosity and homogeneity were optimized. Corona treated PET foil was used as the flexible substrate. Thin layers of function material were prepared by coating by using the smooth cylinder and slot die method. Layers homogeneity was characterized by optical density. Layer thickness was measured by profilometer.

Considerable attention has been focused on nanomaterials and their extensive applications. Metallic nanoparticles, especially gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), due to their superior physical, chemical, and optical properties, are vastly developed for numerous biomedical applications such as drug and gene delivery systems, diagnostic biosensors, imaging, and therapeutics. This study presents a low-cost method for the fabrication of self-assembled metallic nanoparticles, including gold and silver, via a reactive blade coating process, which is carried out based on in situ reduction of the metal precursors. This technique is a roll-to-roll compatible technique suitable for scalable nanomanufacturing. Oleylamine was used as a reducer agent, and gold (III) chloride hydrate and silver salts, including silver nitrate and silver perchlorate hydrate, were used as the metal precursors. Fabrication was carried out by first blade coating the reducer ink and subsequently coating the precursor ink followed by 3 hours of heat treatment. Various solvent systems were used to examine the effect of different solvents on the fabrication process. Surface morphology, crystalline phase composition, and plasmon resonance of the coated samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. Results demonstrated the synthesis of spherical self-assembled AuNPs using toluene (TOL) and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for reducing and precursor solvents, respectively. Changing the concentration of reactants or increasing the coating layers exhibited a change in the average size of AuNPs. Self-assembled AuNPs thin films were also demonstrated to have the potential to be used as a biosensing platform based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect to detect the elevated levels of glucose in an aqueous solution. Recently, the world has faced a pandemic of Covid-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has threatened human health and has brought a worldwide devastating economic and social crisis. Hence, finding a solution to mitigate the current breakout of Covid-19 is vital to protect the international community from its causing harm. AgNPs as an antimicrobial agent, which has exhibited promising antiviral activity against several viruses, can offer a resolution to combat the spread of Covid-19. In this regard, AgNPs thin films were fabricated analogously via blade coating using various reducer and silver salt inks made of different solvent systems. Virucidal efficacy of reactive blade coated AgNPs on glass substrates was analyzed against human coronavirus 229E, a virus from the Coronavirus family, as a surrogate SARS-CoV-2 (according to the Level 2 Biosafety facility at uOttawa). Plaque forming assay indicated more than 99.99% reduction in infectivity of the virus when it contacts the AgNPs coated glass for 30 min before infecting cells. These results suggest the excellent potential for reactive blade coated AgNPs as an antiviral agent against coronavirus to avoid the spread of the virus.

<div>Roll-to-roll processes provide a low-cost and high-throughput scheme for scalable flexible devices manufacturing. Multiple processes are used in roll-to-roll manufacturing, such as functional printing, evaporation/drying, UV curing, hot embossing, laser/heat annealing, laser ablation, plasma/ chemical growth, and sputtering. These processes change the web temperature field and/ or local properties. In addition, residual stresses by the process and web tension can destabilize the process and lead to wrinkling or undesirable performance of the products.</div><div>This dissertation investigates three different multi-physics problems relevant to the roll-to-roll processes, which are web thermomechanics, air-coupled web vibrations, and the measuring of nonuniform web tension. First, a mathematical model for predicting the in-plane temperature and heat induced stress distributions in a flexible, axially moving web under arbitrary shape of heat flux is presented. The computational approach is validated on experiments performed on moving paper and PET webs with infrared laser heating source. Second, a closed-form, semi-analytical, universal hydrodynamic functions is developed to accurately predict the lowest symmetric and anti-symmetric transverse frequency responses for any uniaxially tensioned web of arbitrary material and aspect ratio used in roll-to-roll processes with the surrounding air acting as distributed added mass. Experimental validation is carried out by using pointwise laser measurements of acoustically excited webs with different pre-tensions, web materials, and aspect ratios. Finally, we develop and test a non-contact resonance method and a gentle contact stiffness mapping method based on the first principles mechanical models of a tensioned plate to accurately measure the average web tension and its linear variation for a wide range of web properties, web path, web tension, measurement configurations, and environmental conditions. The two methods are cross-validated on a stationary test stand and the non-contact resonance method is used to study the web tension distribution within a commercial roll-to-roll system.</div><div><br></div>

No description available.

<p>Fully portable, rapid, and user-friendly sensors can successfully lead to the continuous monitoring of toxins present in the ecosystem as well as the detection of biomarkers to prevent diseases. Towards this goal, we explore electrochemical and colorimetric methods to develop platforms for the on-site detection of pesticides, heavy metals, and inflammation biomarkers. </p> <p>This thesis presents work with the primary aim of developing non-biological and biological-based platforms. Chapter 2 describes a fully roll-to-roll electrochemical sensor with high sensing and manufacturing reproducibility for detecting nitroaromatic organophosphorus pesticides (NOPPs). This sensor is based on a flexible, screen-printed silver electrode modified with a graphene nanoplatelets coating and a zirconia coating. This chapter outlines the evaluation of the electrocatalytic activity of zirconia towards the reduction of NOPPs, using methyl parathion as a pesticide sample. Furthermore, it describes the fundamentals of electrochemistry focused on voltammetry techniques used for surface characterization and quantification. The topics reviewed serve as the first step to further manufacturing sensors through large-scale methods (e.g., roll-to-roll). Chapter 3 describes the development of a dual-modality sensing system for the detection of mercury in river waters with high accuracy and precision. The objective of this project was to incorporate colorimetric platforms into the electrochemical methods to create a dual detection design and avert false positives and negatives. Here, novel bio-functional aptamers were incorporated in a sensor containing a paper test that detects mercury by a color change and an electrochemical test that measures charge transfer resistance changes upon aptamer-target interaction. For this platform, the colorimetric test demonstrates the utilization of two systems that consist of silver and gold citrate-capped nanoparticles bio-functionalized with highly specific aptamers. The mechanism of detection of these two systems is through Ps-AgNPs and Ps-AuNPs aggregation as a result of ssDNA-Hg2+ interaction. Using Ps-AuNPs microparticles, Chapter 4 describes a fully colorimetric and smartphone-based biosensor for detecting cardiac troponin T, a biomarker for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction. Here, a comparison in detection performance between Whatman grade 1 and high-flow filter paper is reviewed. Finally, Chapter 5 evaluates the colorimetric detection performance of Ps-AuNPs microparticles towards imidacloprid and carbendazim, two of the pesticides most found in imported produce in the United States. The chapter compares gold-based microparticles in which different aptamers were immobilized, and image acquisition approaches.</p> <p>All sensors reported in this thesis are especially suitable for environmental contaminants monitoring or point-of-care diagnosis applications. The materials selection, use or synthesis, and platforms’ performance optimization, development, and feasibility for scale-up manufacturing are expected to advance on-site biosensing technologies and their commercialization.</p>

Afin d obtenir une approche où l aspect industriel du projet est soutenu par les connaissances académiques et les capacités analytiques du monde de la recherche, ce travail portant sur les cellules photovoltaïques organiques souples grande surface commence par décrire l énergie photovoltaïque dans son ensemble. Les tenants et aboutissants de son développement sont détaillés, ainsi que ses filières technologiques. Les semi-conducteurs organiques, les mécanismes physiques mis en jeu dans la production d électricité d origine photovoltaïque et les grandeurs électriques associées aux cellules photovoltaïques organiques ainsi que les différentes structures de celles-ci sont ensuite présentés. Les dispositifs réalisés dans le cadre de ce travail sur les cellules photovoltaïques organiques sont présentés. Les différentes techniques de dépôt de couches minces, aussi bien celles permettant la production en masse que celles permettant la production à plus petite échelle sont présentées. Cette présentation s accompagne d une recherche qui se veut exhaustive des publications relatant l utilisation des ces techniques d impression afin de créer des dispositifs photovoltaïques organiques. Une comparaison de ces différentes techniques est menée afin de déterminer les modes de production pertinents. Une étude bibliographique complète menée sur les cellules grande surface est présentée. Les cellules et modules réalisés grâce au procédé pilote d enduction par héliogravure sont ensuite présentés. Le travail réalisé sur un autre procédé, le doctor blade , est ensuite exposé. Enfin, la problématique du séchage et du recuit des couches minces déposées en continu est posée, et le traitement micro-onde proposé comme solution.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Schottky-Dioden mittels Rolle-zu-Rolle-Verfahren hergestellt und charakterisiert. Die Dioden bestanden dabei aus einer Kathode (Aluminium oder Kupfer), die durch Sputtern aufgebracht wurde, einer Halbleiterschicht aus Polytriphenylaminen (PTPA3), die mittels Tiefdruck aufgebracht wurde und einer im Flexodruck hergestellten Anode (PEDOT:PSS, Pani oder Carbon Black). Aus elektrischer Sicht wiesen dabei Dioden mit Kupfer und Carbon Black die besten Eigenschaften auf. Mit Hilfe dieser Elektrodenmaterialien und bei Halbleiterschichtdicken von ca. 200 nm konnten Grenzfrequenzen der Dioden von über 1 MHz realisiert werden. Weiterhin wiesen diese Dioden eine gute Langzeitstabilität sowie eine gute Stabilität gegenüber UV-Licht, Feuchtigkeit und Temperatur auf. / Aim of this work was to demonstrate that Schottky-Diodes can be fabricated by means of Roll-to-Roll-Methods and to characterize these diodes. The diodes consists of a sputtered cathode (Aluminum or Copper), a gravure printed semiconducting layer of Polytriphenylamine (PTPA3) and a flexo printed anode (PEDOT:PSS, Pani, Carbon Black). Best electrical characteristics were obtained with diodes consisting Copper and Carbon Black as electrodes. With a thickness of the semiconducting layer of ~200 nm diodes with a cut-off frequency above 1 MHz could be demonstrated. These diodes showed also a good stability when exposed to UV-light, moisture and temperature.