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新的基于纳米管阵列的光刻技术，用于分子和聚合物的沉积。嵌入聚合物基质中的锥形纳米管将用作纳米孔，用于在平面上沉积分子。分子的沉积可以很容易地通过纳米管中的电极和表面上浸在溶液中的电极之间的外加电位的符号和大小来控制。与一些被动沉积系统（如基于原子力显微镜的分子沉积）不同，这种沉积系统是一种主动沉积系统，因为它可以通过调制外加电场来控制分子和聚合物的沉积。在聚合物基质中可以很容易地制备出成百上千的纳米管；因此，在不使用洁净室的情况下，可以在实验室廉价地生产大量平行纳米管。通过这种方法，还可以在各种衬底上沉积纳米颗粒（包括半导体量子点、聚合物、金属和磁性颗粒）。与现有技术相比，该系统的主要优点是结合了快速、廉价和大规模平行控制的表面分子和纳米颗粒沉积。这项工作涉及高中生、本科生和研究生的研究和培训。这项工作为学生在纳米科学领域进行跨学科研究提供了良好的环境。学生们将学习广泛的新的科学概念和技术，这将有助于他们毕业后的职业生涯做好准备。就其性质而言，该项目的研究和教育结合将有助于美国保持其在高科技材料加工和制造方面的领先地位，并将在材料科学与工程、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.