NER: Photomanipulation of Hydrophobicity Using a 2-D Nanostructured Surface

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ABSTRACT CTS-0102680A. Garcia/Arizona State UniversityThis is a NER Grant. Surface phenomena become prominent when fluidic systems and devices are miniaturized since the surface area to volume ration increases. Biological systems capitalize on nanoscale surface phenomena by assembling unique elements such as membranes and vesicles to shuttle materials into and out of cells or to process wastes in organs such as the kidney. Much research is currently underway to find alternatives to moving parts in order to move ultra-small volumes of liquid (i.e. micorfluidics) since mechanical pumps and valves are currently difficult to manufacture at the nanoscale and require very careful choice of materials. This NER research project is an exploration of the nanoscale engineering of the surface of capillaries to control movement of ultra-small volumes of liquid. It explores the hypothesis that molecular mixtures including photochromic molecules can be attached to the surface to form various types of nanoscale monolayer films in which the solvation and free volume of the active element (i.e. the photochormic molecule) are controlled. This in turn will allow the design of light controlled micorfluidic pumping, switching, and valving systems with biotechnological applications. This project also supports the establishment of collaboration with the NSF-CREST Computational Center for Molecular Structure and Interactions at Jackson State University in order to visualize and interpret our experimental results as well as to guide further experimentation.