GOALI: A Strickly Thermal Route to Thin Film Nanotemplates Via Functionalized Block-Random Copolymers

嵌段共聚物由两个化学上不同的聚合物链组成，在一端连接在一起，微相分离成有序的纳米特征阵列，在薄膜中，这些特征可以用作制造亚微米器件和结构的支架和模板。通过开发新的化学方法来合成嵌段共聚物，其中一个嵌段可以热交联，第二个嵌段可以在更高的温度下分解，模板和支架的制造可以大大简化，为纳米结构的制造和利用开辟了新的途径。这项工作的目的是开发新的嵌段共聚物和制备策略，以满足这一“一步”加工目标的要求。此外，还将研究这些纳米结构的功能化和增强嵌段共聚物薄膜的横向有序性的途径，以便可以根据每个元素的横向位置来定量描述每个元素。这项建议中描述的学术和工业机构之间的综合合作有可能为促进学生和博士后的职业发展提供独特的机会。与工业界的密切互动也将有助于指导学术研究朝着现实世界的目标迈进，同时促进向工业界转让技术。通过在这两所学院进行跨学科研究，该项目的学生还将发展聚合物材料的合成、表征和物理以及生成定义明确的纳米结构的基本技能。因此，他们将为在材料科学领域从事多学科的工业或学术生涯做好更好的准备。因此，通过在这两个主要机构进行研究而获得的总教育经验将远远超过在单一学术环境下可能获得的教育经验。利用国家实验室的X射线和中子设施将进一步促进研究人员的发展，使他们接触到第三种不同的研究环境，同时将该计划整合到更大的国家和国际努力中。这些机构的研究环境在发展多样化劳动力方面都有强有力的、公认的努力，该方案将利用这两方面的努力来促进对女性和代表性不足的少数民族学生的教育和培训。

Block copolymers, comprised of two chemically distinct polymer chains linked together at one end, microphase separate into arrays of ordered nanoscopic features that, in thin films, can be used as scaffolds and templates for the fabrication of sub-micron devices and structures. By developing novel chemistries to synthesize block copolymers, where one of the blocks can be thermally crosslinked and the second block can be decomposed at higher temperatures, the fabrication of templates and scaffolds can be dramatically simplified, opening up new avenues in the manufacture and utilization of nanostructures. It is the intent of this work to develop new block copolymers and fabrication strategies, which will meet the demands of this "one-step" processing goal. In addition, routes will be investigated for the fuctionalization of these nanostructures and to enhance the lateral ordering of thin films of the block copolymers so that each element can be quantitatively described in terms of its lateral position.The integrated collaboration between academic and industrial institutions described in this proposal has the potential to provide a unique opportunity for enhancing the career development of students and postdoctoral fellows. Close interaction with industry will also help guide the academic research towards real-world goals, while at the same time facilitating technology transfer to industry. By performing cross-disciplinary research at both institutions, the students in this program will also develop fundamental skills in the synthesis, characterization and physics of polymeric materials and in the generation of well-defined nanoscopic structures. As a consequence, they will be better prepared for a multi-disciplinary industrial or academic career in materials science. The total educational experience gained by performing research at these two premier institutions will therefore far exceed that possible in a single academic environment. The utilization of x-ray and neutron facilities at national laboratories will further enhance the development of the researchers, exposing them to a third different research setting while at the same time integrating the program into a much larger national and international endeavor. The research environments of each of these institutions have strong, well-recognized efforts in the development of a diverse workforce and this program will draw on both efforts to promote the education and training of female and under-represented minority students.