Nanoscience and Engineering Center (NSEC) for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (UIUC) is to address fundamental scientific issues underlying the design and synthesis of new materials, structures, and devices with dramatically improved capabilities for many industrial and biomedical applications. The work will focus on discovering and developing the means to assemble nanoscale building blocks with unique properties into functional structures under well-controlled, intentionally directed conditions. Directed assembly is the fundamental gateway to the eventual success of nanotechnology. The Center will integrate research, education, and technology dissemination, and will serve as a national resource for fundamental knowledge and applications of nanoscale science and technology. Partnering with major industry, with quality undergraduate colleges with diverse student populations, and with innovative K-1 2 educational outreach programs will ensure that the fruits of the Center's research, education, and outreach efforts will have a significant impact on society. The integrated research program combines computational design with experimentation to focus on the discovery of novel pathways to assemble functional multiscale nanostructures with junctions and interfaces between structurally, dimensionally, and compositionally different building blocks. A partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will enhance significantly the theoretical effort. The Center's core research program consists of two interdisciplinary thrusts: Nanoparticle Gels and Polymer Nanocomposites and Nanostructured Biomolecule Composite Architectures. It will be supported by crosscutting theory and characterization efforts and complemented by a new research effort on socioeconomic impacts of nanotechnology in areas of radical innovation pertaining to core competency, knowledge management, and globalization. Thus, the overall vision for the Center encompasses research, education, and outreach through interactions with students of all ages and members of industry. The results of this ambitious program will lead to new methodologies for assembling novel functional materials and devices from nanoscale building blocks, to an interdisciplinary cadre of students and researchers trained in nanoscale science and engineering, and to novel applications of nanotechnology to spur industry into the 21" century. The Center includes participation of 21 senior investigators at RPI, UIUC, and LANL, 6 postdoctoral associates, 18 graduate students, a similar number of undergraduates, and administrative and technical support personnel.