NIRT: Dimension Dependent Material Properties of Nanoscopic Macromolecular Structures

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Recent work has established that the mass transport and glass transition behavior of polymeric materials can be significantly different in nanoscopic structures than in the bulk. A structure in this case is defined as a physical construct (e.g. a film, a line, or a post). The origin of these differences is not well understood, and it is a subject of considerable debate. Less is known about the mechanical properties of nanoscopic structures, although it is precisely these properties that pose the most immediate and significant challenges to the success of future nanofabrication processes.The PI will conduct a comprehensive study of the thermophysical properties, including transport and mechanical behavior, of polymeric materials in nanoscopic structures. The work seeks to elucidate and establish the general principles that govern the physical and thermal behavior of polymers in such structures. To that end, advanced lithographic techniques capable of mass-producing nanoscopic patterns with dimensions on the scale of tens of nanometers will be developed and refined. The resulting experimental structures will permit the large-scale characterization effort envisaged in this work. Novel experimental strategies will be developed to measure mechanical properties and characterize mechanical behavior. Single-molecule, photobleaching and other spectroscopic experiments will be pursued to establish the connections between dynamics and mechanics. Molecular modeling methods will be developed and implemented for molecular and multi-scale simulations of nanoscopic polymeric structures; these will be used to interpret and rationalize the results of our experimental work.The results generated by this NIRT will fill a serious gap in nanoscience. There will be considerable scientific value in that it will provide much of the data and insights required to understand soft-matter advanced materials at a fundamental level. It will be of considerable technological impact in that it will help the semiconductor and nanofabrication industries target materials, processes, and strategies to manufacture deep sub-100 nm structures for integrated circuits, photonics, sensors, nanoelectromechanical systems, and nanobiotechnology.The research activities will be leveraged considerably by the existence on campus of a Center for Nanotechnology and a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. These centers will provide access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication and characterization facilities, which are essential for the proposed experiments.A vigorous education and outreach program will be aggressively pursued to bring nanotechnology to pre-college students, teachers and the general public. Through a collaboration with existing, nationally-renowned educational programs at the University of Wisconsin, it will be possible to disseminate the activities and results of the NIRT grant in lectures, exchange programs and internships (for both students and teachers), instructional material development, a web site, and participation in science and technology museums.