Engineered Ceramic-Organic Interfaces: Properties and Applications

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

Engineered organic-ceramic interfaces offer a wealth of opportunities for materials synthesis. Furthermore, studying the formation and properties of organic-inorganic materials affords improved understanding of the interactions between these dissimilar components on nanoscopic and microscopic scales. Ceramic thin films formed from aqueous solutions on organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), the focus of this GOALI research program, constitute a geometrically simplified and chemically versatile model configuration with important technological applications. The research will study three aspects of these systems: 1) solution optimization; 2) substrate engineering; and 3) process design, directed toward economical, environmentally benign synthesis of nanocrystalline ceramic thin films. The specific systems to be studied include aluminosilicate coatings on ceramic particles for pigments; indium-tin oxide films as transparent semiconductors; and vanadium-titanium oxides for catalytic applications. The major theoretical and experimental tools to be utilized include the Gorer-Hodes theory of critical solution ratios, ceramic-organic interfacial force measurements using the atomic force microscope, and in-situ conversions of organic surface functionalities. Materials that combine ceramics with organic substances range from indispensable and familiar objects like paint, tires, bones, and flexible magnets to innovative organic-inorganic nanocomposite materials for optics, electronics, sensors, catalysts, coatings, and biomedical applications. This research program will use ultrathin engineered organic layers two nanometers thick as "primers" to develop low-cost, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly routes for forming ceramic thin films and coatings. The versatility of the approach is reflected in the specific objectives, which include improved paint pigments (through a university-industry collaboration between Case Western Reserve University and Sherwin Williams Corporation), thin-film catalysts, and transparent semiconducting coatings. This work also seeks a clearer understanding of the fundamental interactions between engineered organic surfaces and ceramics, to facilitate more widespread applications for organic-inorganic composite engineering materials. Significant features of the educational plan include annual involvement of undergraduate students in year-long research projects, active collaborations (including extended reciprocal visits) with leading research groups in Germany and Israel, and continuous side-by-side collaboration between academic and industrial scientists at both the senior and junior level. Academia-to-industry technology-transfer discussions are underway, involving an active patent with significant commercial potential for the industrial partners.