CAREER: Manipulating the Interfacial Structures of Additively Manufactured Semiconductor Chalcogenides

Developing new manufacturing capacities for semiconductor materials is crucial for optoelectronics, sensing, computing, and energy conversion technologies. Metal chalcogenides are semiconductors with unique lattice structures and intriguing material properties; however, additive manufacturing of high-quality chalcogenides remains challenging. Most printed chalcogenides rely on organic surfactants that aid printability but leave insulating residues that hinder performance. This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award supports research that advances the additive manufacturing of chalcogenide-based semiconductors by manipulating their interfacial structures and transport properties. By advancing the understanding of interfacial interactions between metal chalcogenides and emerging inorganic additives, this award will establish fundamental structure-property relationships and accelerate innovations in printed electronics and energy devices. By enabling new manufacturing capacities for semiconductor chalcogenides, it strengthens U.S. leadership in next-generation manufacturing through innovative strategies that enhance the performance, precision, and reliability of emerging semiconductor technologies. In addition, this project will extend its impact beyond campus to serve local and surrounding rural communities by creating accessible, hands-on opportunities for K-12 students and inspiring pathways into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers, contributing to the future U.S. workforce.   While the printing of semiconductor chalcogenides promises novel energy and sensing electronics, a lack of understanding of interfacial interactions and subsequent difficulty in controlling undesired film porosity pose considerable manufacturing challenges, leading to poor conductivity and device performance. To overcome these limitations, research enabled by this award aims to establish interfacial design principles that enable pore-free, high-performance chalcogenide films for printed electronics. This research plan investigates key characteristics of nanoparticle-based additives and colloidal surfactants in determining interfacial structures and develops effective ink design strategies to enhance device performance. Unlike traditional organic surfactants that aid printability but leave insulating residues, this research studies polymer-free nanoinks to reduce film porosity at mild temperatures and establish quantitative structure-property relationships linking microstructure to charge transport and mechanical durability. This project will identify the underlying densification attributes of nanoparticle additives for semiconductor chalcogenide inks and manipulate key factors limiting the electrical and mechanical properties of printed semiconductor devices. The tunable band structure of nanoparticle additives, in combination with nanofiller-driven densification mechanisms, will advance the understanding of the interfacial physics of additively manufactured structures and enable a new generation of ink formulation strategies for printed electronics.  This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2542773 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Minxiang Zeng | Institution: Texas Tech University, LUBBOCK, TX | Award Amount: $534,821 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2542773 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2542773.html