CAREER: Fabrication and Characterization of Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Nanostructures

提出的研究计划将对刺激响应型生物分子和生物激发聚合物纳米结构的制备和表征做出重大贡献，并将有助于纳米技术和生物/非生物混合微器件的进步。具体地说，这项研究将开发纳米刻蚀策略，将扫描探针光刻(SPL)，如Dippen纳米光刻(DPN)，与表面引发聚合(SIP)或直接沉积相结合，并承诺采用一种廉价的“自下而上”方法来创建功能刺激响应架构。拟议的研究计划的结果有望在整体和单分子水平上洞察刺激响应型聚合物的机械行为。在单分子水平上，SRP的机械力化学性质将通过力光谱来探测，测量单分子水平的力-伸展行为。在单分子水平上，将通过力光谱来探索SRP的机械力化学性质，测量原子力显微镜悬臂梁尖端和表面之间的单个分子的力伸展行为。在系综水平上，将通过光学探针(成像椭偏测量法、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)来完成表征。拟议的研究结果将为开发生物启发材料的机械性能奠定必要的基础，并将在分子水平上为驱动和力传递应用提供可靠的机械性能。在更广泛的背景下，拟议的计划将影响我们对工程、生物和医学界面上的软湿材料的理解，拟议的纳米制造方法将有可能被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迅速增长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层面的影响。最后，拟议的计划寻求将听力障碍学生纳入研究和发现过程，试图打破往往阻碍残疾学生被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.