CAREER: Fabrication and Characterization of Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Nanostructures

该研究项目将对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，并将为纳米技术和混合生物/非生物微器件的进步做出贡献。具体来说，该研究将开发纳米图案策略，将扫描探针光刻（SPL），如dip纳米光刻（DPN），与表面引发聚合（SIP）或直接沉积相结合，并承诺以一种廉价的，“自下而上”的方法来创建功能性刺激响应结构。该研究计划的结果有望在整体和单分子水平上深入了解刺激响应聚合物的机械行为。在单分子水平上，将通过力谱法探测SRPs的力学化学性质，测量单分子水平上的力扩展行为。在单分子水平上，SRPs的机械化学性质将通过力光谱来探测，测量拴在原子力显微镜悬臂顶端和表面之间的单个分子的力延伸行为。在系综层面，表征将通过光学探针（成像椭偏仪，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。该研究的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转导应用提供对其机械性能的合理理解。在更广泛的背景下，所提出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，所提出的纳米制造方法将有可能发展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具备在迅速发展的纳米技术领域中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一个国际层面。最后，该计划旨在将听力受损的学生纳入研究和发现过程，试图打破通常阻碍接受和包容残疾学生的态度障碍。

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.