NER: Top-down meets bottom-up, active hierarchical nanostructures fabricated by holographic polymerization and block copolymer self assembly

该提案是对NSF 05-610类纳米科学与工程倡议的响应。这项研究的目的是开发一种新的方法来创建活性的、可调的层次化纳米结构。这种方法是将自上而下和自下而上的纳米制造技术结合在一个系统中：使用自上而下的技术来创建远程、大规模的特征，其中使用自组装来创建定制的精细结构。自上而下和自下而上分别采用全息聚合(H-P)和嵌段共聚(BCP)自组装方法。在H-P结构中，特征尺寸在100 nm的长度尺度上，这对于进行典型尺寸约10-50 nm的BCP自组装来说已经足够了。通过将这两种技术结合在一个系统中，BCP将被限制在由H-P制造产生的纳米环境中。进一步的自组装导致了层次化的纳米结构。所提出的方法可能会导致一种新的、可行的方法来实现层次化的功能纳米结构；因此，它是高回报的。该建议的教育部分包括：(1)开发“纳米技术中的惠普”模块，该模块将用于“纳米结构聚合物材料”课程。(2)让高中生和教师，特别是代表性不足的人群，参与拟议的纳米技术探索性研究活动。

This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 05-610, category NER. The objective of this research is to develop a new method to create active, tunable hierarchical nanostructures. The approach is combining top-down and bottom-up nanomanufacturing techniques in one system: using the top-down technique to create long-range, large scale features within which self-assembly is employed to create tailored fine scale architectures. Holographic polymerization (H-P) and block copolymer (BCP) self assembly will be employed as the top-down and bottom-up methods, respectively. In H-P structures, the feature size is on the length scale 100 nm; this is "plenty" for conducting BCP self-assembly whose typical size is ~ 10-50 nm. By combining these two techniques in one system, BCP will be confined in the nanoenvironment created by H-P fabrication. Further self assembly thus leads to hierarchical nanostructures.The proposed method could potentially lead to a new, feasible method to achieve hierarchical functional nanostructures; it is therefore high-rewarding. The educational component of the proposal includes: (1) developing "H-P in nanotechnology" module which will be used in the "Nanostructured Polymeric Materials" course. (2) involving high school students and teachers, particularly under-represented populations, in the proposed nanotechnology exploratory research activities.