The Synthesis and Characterization of Imprinted Silica Using Nanoparticle Templates

该项目提供了由孤立的口袋组成的印迹材料，这些口袋具有均匀和可控的结构，连接性和化学成分的界面，嵌入在散装材料框架内。 正在开发新的合成方法，用于在2至15纳米的长度尺度上合成散装无机氧化物材料内的印迹口袋，同时保持对口袋内的界面状态的高度控制。这些纳米颗粒印迹材料将被开发用于研究荧光活性分子和金属/半导体纳米颗粒在二氧化硅中孤立的中孔口袋范围内的纳米级组装的影响。 目前，固态材料的合成方法很少，可以实现功能元件的这种受控组装，部分原因是大部分相关长度尺度是传统的材料合成光刻方法无法实现的。 压印是一种很有前途的合成固态材料的方法，可以进行纳米级组装的功能元件。 物质的设计和控制组装有望影响各种设备的光学，电子和功能材料。由于这是工业界高度关注的领域，因此，包括妇女和少数民族学生在内的研究生将在就业市场上具有很强的竞争力。

This project provides imprinted materials consisting of isolated pockets with interfaces of uniform and controllable structure, connectivity, and chemical composition, embedded within a bulk material framework. New synthetic methods are being developed for the synthesis of imprinted pockets within bulk inorganic oxide materials on the length scale of 2 to 15 nanometers, while retaining a high degree of control over interfacial states within the pocket. These nanoparticle-imprinted materials will be developed to study the effects of nanoscale assembly of fluorescently active molecules and metal/semiconductor nanoparticles within the confines of isolated mesoporous pockets in silica. There are currently few methods for the synthesis of solid-state materials that will permit such controlled assembly of functional elements, in part because much of the relevant length scales are inaccessible to conventional photolithographic methods of material synthesis. Imprinting is a promising approach for the synthesis of solid-state materials that can perform nanoscale assembly of functional elements. The designed and controlled assembly of matter promises to impact optical, electronic and functional materials for devices of all sorts. Because this is an area of high interest to industry, the graduate students, including women and minority students being recruited and educated, will be very competitive in the job market.