CAREER: An Integrated Research and Education Plan for the Advancement of Surface Engineering via Thin Polymer Films

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This project seeks (1) to expand the fundamental knowledge of polymer thin films, and (2) to broaden the educational awareness of surface engineering through the development of a cohesive curriculum that will expose students of various age groups to critical aspects of surface engineering. The proposed project combines preparative efforts, substrate design, and a thorough characterization approach in order to generate fundamentally new insights into poly-p-xylylene thin films and their structure-function relationships. Prior to the synthesis of functionalized polymer films via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) polymerization, a diverse library of [2.2]paracyclophanes will be prepared and the CVD polymerization process of such [2.2]paracyclophanes will be optimized to yield well-defined polymers. The resulting functionalized poly-p-xylylene films will be characterized with respect to their chemical, structural, mechanical, optical and transport properties. The project further includes fundamentally motivated studies on crystallization, chain mobility, and local plasticity in poly-p-xylylene films that exploit a range of analytical methods, such as ellipsometry, impedance spectroscopy, Brillouin light scattering, and hot stage atomic force microscopy.Intellectual merits: Based on the CVD polymerization of substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes, a library of molecularly diverse polymer films will be synthesized. These polymers all share the same polymer backbone, poly-p-xylylene, but differ in the chemical nature of their side groups and/or their side group density. Through a combination of preparative efforts, substrate design, and thorough characterization, fundamentally new insights into polymer thin films and their structure-function relationships will be generated. Because poly-p-xylylenes do not require the use of solvents, initiators, or plasticizers during polymerization and can be deposited as nanometer thin films in well-controlled manner, they comprise exceptional model systems for the systematic investigation of the effects of side group functionality and film structure on critical thin film properties. Broader impacts: The integrated research plan will promote the teaching, training and learning of the graduate and undergraduate students in the field of surface engineering. The PI has Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students in his research group actively working on CVD polymerization. A cohesive educational plan will be developed to enhance the awareness of surface engineering among students of different age groups. Finally, the PI will develop a pre-college curriculum to promote students from underrepresented groups and to ensure diversity in science and engineering. The educational goals will be assessed through an evaluation design consisting of undergraduate and graduate course evaluations, faculty peer review, one-year follow-up via surveys, and periodic follow-up feedback from selected groups of participants to document long-term impact.