CAREER: Control Through Molecular Design in Engineering: Molecular Order and Function from Ionic Multilayers of Liquid Crystal Polymers

摘要CTS-9702752这项职业计划致力于将基于分子设计和结构的思想的研究和教学职业生涯规划纳入基本工程学原理和课程。分子的自组装、分子的有序性和最终控制材料性质的加工是所描述的工作的重点。离子多层组装(又称逐层组装)是一种通过顺序吸收交替带正负电荷的多离子或双极有机分子的单分子膜来形成超薄有机薄膜的新方法。这种方法在形成具有复杂超分子结构的薄膜方面比传统的Langmuir-Blodgett(LB)技术更受青睐，因为逐层技术更简单，相当便宜，并且具有很强的通用性。不幸的是，到目前为止，这项技术一直受到限制，因为与LB方法不同，没有一致的方法在吸附薄膜的各层中引入分子尺度有序。在这个项目中，液晶聚合物被用来在离子多层组装过程中引入秩序。能够产生具有特定所需分子取向的薄膜，使离子多层技术在电气、光学和传感器应用中得到了更广泛的应用。此外，如果在这种薄膜中可以实现电场或磁场感应的开关，那么这种方法可能会产生许多新型的智能材料。该项目的教育方面包括在化学工程课程中开发一门新课程，该课程涉及分子间相互作用和自组装在基本化学工程问题上的作用。还讨论了本科生聚合物科学实验室和聚合物合成课程的教学、方法和范围的变化，重点讨论了分子尺度现象和结构-加工-性能关系的问题。最后，在职业项目中还包括了一般的社区推广活动和为少数族裔本科生和研究生以及女性学生提供男性辅导的具体方案。

Abstract CTS-9702752 This Career project addresses a research and teaching career plan based on the idea of molecular design and structure into basic engineering principles and curricular. The molecular self-assembly, molecular order and processing to ultimately control material properties is the focus of the work described. Ionic multilayer assembly (also known layer-by-layer assembly) is a new means of forming ultrathin organic films by the sequential absorption of monolayers of polyions or bipolar organic molecules of alternating positive and negative charge. This method has won favor over traditional Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques for forming films with complex supramolecular architectures because the layer-by-layer techniques are simpler, considerably inexpensive, and highly versatile. Unfortunately, this technique has been limited thus far, because, unlike LB methods, there is no consistent means of introducing molecular scale ordering within the layers of the adsorbed films. In this project liquid crystalline polymers are used to introduce order in the ionic multilayer assembly process. The ability to create films with a specific desired molecular orientation opens the ionic multilayer technique to a broader range of electrical, optical, and sensor applications. Furthermore, if switching induced by an electrical or magnetic field is possible in such films, a number of novel smart materials may result from this approach. The educational aspect of the project includes the development of a new course in the chemical engineering curriculum which addresses the role of intermolecular interactions and self-assembly with respect to basic chemical engineering problems. Changes in the teaching, approach and scope of an undergraduate polymer science laboratory and a polymer synthesis course are also addressed with emphasis on the issues of molecular scale phenomena and structure-processing-property relationships. Finally, general community outreach and a specific program for the men toring of undergraduate and graduate minority and women students is included in the Career project.