CAREER: Nanostructured Surfaces and Materials

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The proposal entitled Nanostructured Surfaces and Materials aims to develop the chemistry and physics related to nanostructured surfaces and materials. A number of (nano) lithographic techniques will be demonstrated for generating nanostructured surfaces with well-defined interfacial properties to be used as model systems to investigate fundamental issues in surface chemistry and materials science such as wetting and dewetting, pinning of the contact line of a very small liquid drop, the evaporation of an array of liquid drops as small as a few femtoliters in volume, the nucleation and growth of crystalline materials in femtoliter reactors, and the chemistry of precipitation reactions confined to small liquid volumes. The integration of research with education will be aimed at the incorporation of materials science into the teaching of chemistry courses at both introductory and advanced levels, the introduction of materials related experiments into laboratory courses, the development of a new course on nanostructured materials for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and the inclusion of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities into the research programs. %%% These projects will have a very broad impact on the fundamental chemistry and physics basis needed for various emerging nanotechnologies. Technological applications that will benefit include the fabrication of ordered two-dimensional arrays of nanocrystalllites of metals, alloys, metal oxides, and semiconductors that can be employed as active components for new types of electrical, optical, electrooptical, magnetic, display, and information-storage devices. These high relevant areas will have a broad impact on new approaches to educating students that will be highly competitive for available jobs in the emerging global economy. ***