NER: Top-down meets bottom-up, active hierarchical nanostructures fabricated by holographic polymerization and block copolymer self assembly

Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 05-610, category NER. The objective of this research is to develop a new method to create active, tunable hierarchical nanostructures. The approach is combining top-down and bottom-up nanomanufacturing techniques in one system: using the top-down technique to create long-range, large scale features within which self-assembly is employed to create tailored fine scale architectures. Holographic polymerization (H-P) and block copolymer (BCP) self assembly will be employed as the top-down and bottom-up methods, respectively. In H-P structures, the feature size is on the length scale >100 nm; this is "plenty" for conducting BCP self-assembly whose typical size is ~ 10-50 nm. By combining these two techniques in one system, BCP will be confined in the nanoenvironment created by H-P fabrication. Further self assembly thus leads to hierarchical nanostructures. The proposed method could potentially lead to a new, feasible method to achieve hierarchical functional nanostructures; it is therefore high-rewarding. The educational component of the proposal includes: (1) developing "H-P in nanotechnology" module which will be used in the "Nanostructured Polymeric Materials" course. (2) involving high school students and teachers, particularly under-represented populations, in the proposed nanotechnology exploratory research activities.