CAREER: Fabrication and Characterization of Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Nanostructures

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed research program will make significant contributions to the fabrication and characterization of stimulus-responsive biomolecular and bio-inspired polymeric nanostructures, and will contribute to the advancement of nanotechnology and hybrid biological/nonbiological microdevices. Specifically, the research will develop nanopatterning strategies that combine scanning probe lithography (SPL), such as dippen nanolithography (DPN), with surface initiated polymerization (SIP) or direct deposition, and promises an inexpensive, "bottom-up" approach to create functional stimulus-responsive architectures. The results from the proposed research program promise insight into the mechanical behavior of stimulus-responsive polymers on the ensemble and single molecule level. On the single molecule level the mechano-chemical properties of SRPs will be probed by force spectroscopy, measuring the force-extension behavior of a single molecule level. On the single molecule level the mechano-chemical properties of SRPs will be probed by force spectroscopy, measuring the force-extension behavior of a single molecule tethered between the tip of an atomic force microscope cantilever and a surface. On the ensemble level, characterization will be accomplished by optical probes (imaging ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy) and by scanning probe methods (force spectroscopy, colloidal probe microscopy). The results from the proposed research will lay the groundwork necessary to exploit the mechanical properties of biologically inspired materials and will provide a sound understanding of their mechanical properties on the molecular level for actuation and force transduction applications. In a broader context, the proposed program will impact our understanding of soft-wet materials at the interface between engineering, biology and medicine and the proposed nanofabrication methods will potentially be developed into immunosensor arrays or used for gating in nanofluidics applications. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed research and education activities will equip students with indispensable experimental and analytical skills in the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology. A collaboration with researchers in Sweden will provide an international dimension to the research and education activities. Finally, the proposed program seeks to include hearing impaired students in the research and discovery process in an attempt to break down attitudinal barrier that often prevent the acceptance and inclusion of students with disabilities in research.