CAREER: Fabrication and Characterization of Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Nanostructures

拟议的研究计划将为刺激响应生物分子和生物启发聚合物纳米结构的制造和表征做出重大贡献，并将有助于纳米技术和混合生物/非生物微器件的进步。 具体来说，该研究将开发纳米图案化策略，将扫描探针光刻（SPL）（例如迪彭纳米光刻（DPN））与表面引发聚合（SIP）或直接沉积相结合，并有望采用廉价的“自下而上”方法来创建功能性刺激响应架构。 拟议研究计划的结果有望深入了解刺激响应聚合物在整体和单分子水平上的机械行为。 在单分子水平上，SRP 的机械化学性质将通过力谱进行探测，测量单分子水平的力延伸行为。 在单分子水平上，SRP 的机械化学性质将通过力谱进行探测，测量束缚在原子力显微镜悬臂尖端和表面之间的单分子的力延伸行为。 在整体水平上，表征将通过光学探针（成像椭圆光度术、表面等离子体共振光谱）和扫描探针方法（力光谱、胶体探针显微镜）来完成。 拟议研究的结果将为利用生物启发材料的机械性能奠定必要的基础，并将在分子水平上提供对其机械性能的良好理解，以用于驱动和力传导应用。在更广泛的背景下，拟议的计划将影响我们对工程、生物学和医学之间界面的软湿材料的理解，并且拟议的纳米制造方法将有可能开发成免疫传感器阵列或用于纳米流体应用中的门控。 拟议的研究和教育活动的跨学科性质将使学生在快速发展的纳米技术领域具备不可或缺的实验和分析技能。 与瑞典研究人员的合作将为研究和教育活动提供国际视野。 最后，拟议的计划旨在让听力障碍学生参与研究和发现过程，试图打破通常阻碍残疾学生接受和纳入研究的态度障碍。

The proposed research program will make significant contributions to the fabrication and characterization of stimulus-responsive biomolecular and bio-inspired polymeric nanostructures, and will contribute to the advancement of nanotechnology and hybrid biological/nonbiological microdevices. Specifically, the research will develop nanopatterning strategies that combine scanning probe lithography (SPL), such as dippen nanolithography (DPN), with surface initiated polymerization (SIP) or direct deposition, and promises an inexpensive, "bottom-up" approach to create functional stimulus-responsive architectures. The results from the proposed research program promise insight into the mechanical behavior of stimulus-responsive polymers on the ensemble and single molecule level. On the single molecule level the mechano-chemical properties of SRPs will be probed by force spectroscopy, measuring the force-extension behavior of a single molecule level. On the single molecule level the mechano-chemical properties of SRPs will be probed by force spectroscopy, measuring the force-extension behavior of a single molecule tethered between the tip of an atomic force microscope cantilever and a surface. On the ensemble level, characterization will be accomplished by optical probes (imaging ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy) and by scanning probe methods (force spectroscopy, colloidal probe microscopy). The results from the proposed research will lay the groundwork necessary to exploit the mechanical properties of biologically inspired materials and will provide a sound understanding of their mechanical properties on the molecular level for actuation and force transduction applications.In a broader context, the proposed program will impact our understanding of soft-wet materials at the interface between engineering, biology and medicine and the proposed nanofabrication methods will potentially be developed into immunosensor arrays or used for gating in nanofluidics applications. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed research and education activities will equip students with indispensable experimental and analytical skills in the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology. A collaboration with researchers in Sweden will provide an international dimension to the research and education activities. Finally, the proposed program seeks to include hearing impaired students in the research and discovery process in an attempt to break down attitudinal barrier that often prevent the acceptance and inclusion of students with disabilities in research.