Materials World Network: Condensation Fabrication of Nano/Micro Structured Organic Films

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This MWN (Materials World Network) project is a joint research and education activity between Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Wales, in Swansea. The project is centered around fabricating ordered nano/microporous organic materials, using a simple but elegant way to create macroporous structures with three-dimensional order from a variety of polymers in a very short time. This is based on the phenomenon of "breath figures", the result of moisture condensing on a cold surface. The self-assembly and crystallization of water droplets to produce a very ordered array of two- and three-dimensionally packed holes in a polymer film will be used in applications ranging from picoliter "beakers" to scaffolds for tissue engineering. The chemical physics of phenomena involved during the self-assembly of breath figures--nucleation and growth, noncoalescence, surface tension driven instabilities, packing of spheres and heat/mass transport -- will be studied. The goal of the research is to determine the growth laws for breath figures formed over a volatile fluid surface, and the mechanism that leads to noncoalescence of the water droplets. These measurements will be made using a high-speed video microscopy.An important feature of the project is the strong emphasis on education, with emphasis on its integration with research, and an international collaboration providing both scientific and educational benefits. These include: interdisciplinary and international research opportunities, integrated research and education, and a "best practices" approach which will take advantage of the expertise and diversity of an international group at multiple educational levels.