TAILORED INTERFACES
12 PARTICIPATING FACULTY: BIANCONI, EMRICK, GIDO, HALLOCK, HOAGLAND, KOKKOLI, MCCARTHY, MUTHUKUMAR, ROTELLO, RUSSELL, SANTORE, TUOMINEN (WITH 9 GRADUATE STUDENTS AND 1 POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW)
The increasing technological need for small-scale devices, sensors with amplified response, and well-defined bioresponsive surfaces requires a control over the lateral arrangement of morphologies in thin films or interacting sites on a surface. Polymeric materials offer unique opportunities to meet this challenge via self-assembly processes giving access to structures over a wide range of length scales. Self-assembly alone, though, is not sufficient. Rather, directed self-assembly is necessary to achieve simultaneous orientation and lateral order of structures.
Interfacial interactions and external fields provide effective means to regulate orientation. However, achieving control over the extent of lateral order, ranging from defect-free structures to well-defined gradients requires coupling at least two orthogonal fields. Integrating chemistry, physics, biochemistry and engineering, IRG-I will develop routes to tailor order in thin films by making use of interfacial interactions to manipulate thin film morphologies and surface topography. IRG-I will pursue distinct, yet interrelated research areas to achieve these ends (shown schematically in the figure).
Heterogeneous Surfaces will focus on locally heterogeneous interfacial interactions, isotropically distributed on surfaces. Gradient Surfaces will be investigated where there is a continuous variation in the lateral size scale, distribution, or strength of interacting sites across the surface. Long-Range Lateral Order on surfaces and thin films will be induced via orthogonal fields and controlled chain dynamics. Surface topography will be tailored by taking advantage of the unique templating opportunities afforded by polymer morphologies on thin films. Topography control enables routes to manipulate functionality normal to a surface for Decorating in 3-D, extending planar concepts into third dimensions.
These approaches will pave ways to addressable magnetic media, displays, sensors, separations devices, and bioactive surfaces with well-defined response. Fundamental insight into surface dynamics, entropic confinement, and recognition will be gained with these tailored surfaces. IRG-I integrates a broad range of expertise necessary to achieve the research proposed. Close collaborations with Bruce Jacobson (Biochemistry, UMass), Nikos Hadjichristidis (U Athens), Craig Hawker (IBM, San Jose), Charles Black and Kathryn Guarini (IBM, Yorktown), and Jimmy Mays (U Tennessee) provide complementary expertise necessary to meet the research objectives.
