RUI: Electrostatic Generation and Characterization of Conducting Polymer Nanofibers: Motivating Undergraduate Students towards Research in Materials Science

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This proposal presents a simple technique to controllably and reproducibly produce ultrafine fibers of conducting polymers. Many factors that control fiber diameter (like solvent viscosity) using this technique (electrospinning) will be investigated so that fibers with average diameters 100 nm (1 nm = 10 -9 m) can be prepared. Electrospinning involves a high voltage source, a metal cathode collector and a glass pipette with the polymer solution to be electrospun. Single fibers will be captured on heavily doped silicon oxide coated wafers. The surface morphology will be studied with an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. Fiber diameters and possible polymer chain alignment will be studied using these methods. Single fibers will also be characterized electrically via dc and ac conductivity measurements as a function of temperature. The PI's will study how the conduction mechanisms in these nanofibers differ from that in the bulk and could provide insights into the importance of interchain coupling that lead to charge delocalization. Finally, the fibers will be studied to check if the dc conductivity can be affected by applying a voltage to the heavily doped silicon. The purpose is to explore the possibility of fabricating nanodevices based on field effects, like nanoelectronic p.n junctions, Schottky junctions or field effect transistors (FET's).%%%This project in materials research is directed at helping underrepresented students in academia to participate in scientific research during their undergraduate years. The equipment requested in this proposal will strengthen the institutional infrastructure and also have a broader impact of improving the research facilities on the South-East part of the island.