Surface-Embedded Additives in Device Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for incorporating active or functional additives into device components, such as bulk incorporation and coating processes, face issues like non-uniform mixing, agglomeration, poor adhesion, delamination, and high roughness, which hinder the effective exposure of additives at the surface and impact the performance of electronic or optoelectronic devices.
Innovation Solution
The development of surface-embedded device components where additives are physically embedded into the host material's surface, allowing for improved uniformity, adhesion, and reduced roughness, while maintaining the host material's characteristics, and providing enhanced electrical conductivity and spectral shifting capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If bulk incorporation is used to disperse particles throughout base material, then particles are distributed throughout the material, but non-uniform mixing and agglomeration occur and processability is adversely impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts particles from the bulk interior and places them specifically at or near the surface of the base material. This is achieved through surface treatment processes that create surface-embedded structures, concentrating particles where they are most needed for functionality while avoiding bulk mixing issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a non-uniform distribution of particles that is concentrated at the surface region rather than uniformly throughout the bulk. This localized concentration provides enhanced surface functionality while maintaining uniformity within the local surface region, resolving the contradiction between quantity and mixing precision.
2Quantity of substance
If bulk incorporation is used to disperse particles throughout base material, then particles are distributed throughout the material, but adhesion and delamination issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts particles from bulk incorporation and repositions them at the surface with proper embedding. This surface-embedded configuration creates strong adhesion between particles and base material, preventing delamination while maintaining effective particle distribution for the intended function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary surface treatment to the base material before particle incorporation. This pre-treatment creates surface characteristics that enhance particle embedding and adhesion, ensuring reliable bonding before particles are placed, thus preventing subsequent delamination issues.
3Quantity of substance
If coating processes are used to apply particles to surface, then particles can be exposed at surface, but non-uniform mixing and agglomeration occur within coating material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the coating layer approach and directly embeds particles into the base material surface. This removes the intermediate coating material that causes mixing non-uniformity and agglomeration, while still achieving effective particle exposure at the surface through direct surface embedding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates local surface embedding zones where particles are precisely positioned at the surface. This localized approach ensures uniform particle distribution within the embedding region and maintains excellent surface finish, resolving the contradiction between surface exposure and mixing uniformity.
4Quantity of substance
If coating processes are used to apply particles to surface, then particles can be exposed at surface, but poor adhesion and delamination occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the problematic coating layer and directly embeds particles into the base material surface. This eliminates the coating-base material interface that causes adhesion failure and delamination, while maintaining effective particle exposure through direct surface embedding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary surface treatment to create an embedding-ready surface before particle incorporation. This pre-treatment establishes strong bonding characteristics at the surface, ensuring reliable adhesion when particles are embedded, thus preventing delamination while achieving surface exposure.
5Quantity of substance
If coating processes are used to apply particles to surface, then particles can be exposed at surface, but high roughness is produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the coating layer that produces high roughness and directly embeds particles into the base material surface. This approach maintains the inherent smoothness of the base material surface while achieving effective particle exposure through controlled surface embedding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates localized embedding zones with precise control over particle depth and distribution. This localized precision embedding maintains excellent surface finish and low roughness while ensuring adequate particle exposure, resolving the contradiction between surface exposure and surface smoothness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in improved performance, cost benefits, and increased durability of device components with enhanced electrical conductivity and spectral shifting, reducing the need for additional coatings and binding materials, and minimizing self-absorption and quenching effects.
Implementation Method 1
a surface embedding process in which additives are physically embedded into a host material
Implementation Method 2
imparting additional desired characteristics to the resulting surface-embedded device components, such as electrical conductivity and spectral shifting
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 1D~1E
Figure 1F~1G
AI summary
Active or functional additives are embedded into surfaces of host materials for use as components in a variety of electronic or optoelectronic devices, including solar devices, smart windows, displays, and so forth. Resulting surface-embedded device components provide improved performance, as well as cost benefits arising from their compositions and manufacturing processes.