NER: Nanotubes-Array Based Lithography

这个纳米级探索性研究(NER)项目的目标是展示一种基于纳米管阵列的新型光刻技术，用于分子和聚合物的沉积。镶嵌在聚合物基质中的锥形纳米管将被用作纳米开口，用于将分子沉积到平面上。分子的沉积可以很容易地由纳米管中的电极和浸泡在表面浴液中的电极之间的施加电位的符号和大小来控制。与基于AFM的分子沉积等被动沉积系统不同，这种沉积是一种主动沉积系统，因为它可以通过外加电场的调制来控制分子和聚合物的沉积。可以很容易地在聚合物基质中制备成百上千个纳米管；因此，可以在实验室中廉价地生产大规模平行的纳米开口，而不需要使用无尘室。利用这种方法，还可以在各种衬底上沉积纳米粒子(包括半导体量子点、聚合物、金属和磁性粒子)。与现有技术相比，该系统的主要优势是结合了快速、廉价和大规模平行控制的分子和纳米颗粒表面沉积。这项工作涉及高中、本科生和研究生的研究和培养。这项工作为学生在纳米科学领域进行跨学科研究提供了一个很好的环境。学生们将学习一系列新的科学概念和技术，帮助他们为毕业后的职业生涯做准备。就其性质而言，该项目的研究和教育举措相结合，将有助于美国保持在高科技材料加工和制造方面的领先地位，并将在材料科学和工程、电子、替代能源、生物和医学等领域产生重大影响。

The objective of this Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER) project is to demonstrate a novel nanotube-array based lithography for deposition of molecules and polymers. Conical nanotubes embedded in a polymer matrix will be used as nanopens for the deposition of molecules onto flat surfaces. The deposition of molecules can be easily controlled by the sign and magnitude of the applied potential between an electrode in the nanotubes and an electrode immersed in a bath on the surface. Unlike some passive deposition systems such as AFM-based deposition of molecules, this deposition is an active deposition system because it can control the deposition of molecules and polymers by modulation of applied electric field. Many hundreds to thousands of nanotubes in a polymer matrix can be easily prepared; therefore, it is possible to produce massively parallel nanopens inexpensively in the laboratory without use of a clean room. With this method, it is also possible to deposit nanoparticles (including semi-conducting quantum dots, polymeric, metallic and magnetic particles) on various substrates. The main advantage of this system over existing technologies is the combination of rapid, inexpensive and massively-parallel controlled deposition of molecules and nanoparticles on surfaces. This work involves the research and training of high school, undergraduate and graduate students. The work provides an excellent environment for students to conduct interdisciplinary research in the nanoscience field. The students will learn a wide range of new scientific concepts and techniques that will help them prepare for careers after graduation. By its nature, the combined research and education initiatives of this project will help the US to maintain its lead in hi-tech materials processing and manufacturing and will have significant impact in areas including material science and engineering, electronics, alternative energy sources, biology and medicine.