NIRT: Active nanofluidic manufacturing and hierarchical assembly of anisotropic nanocolloids

一个迅速发展的研究前沿是各向异性颗粒积木的流体制造。同时，将信息编码到各向异性粒子构建块的序列、形状和对称性中，以便它们可以组装成复杂的三维(3D)结构的概念提供了巨大的潜力。总而言之，这两个区域各自代表了新的分级组装范例的一个级别，该范例可以输入球形纳米胶体前体，并通过各向异性构建块的方式输出具有一系列新的、活跃的功能的复杂的3D终端结构。然而，到目前为止，组装层次的两个层次在不同的尺度上独立地推进，即微粒(制造)和分子(各向异性组装)，而不是在纳米尺度上共同推进。在这个项目中，我们试图解决在纳米尺度上实现这种层次化范例所需的关键的基本科学挑战，在纳米尺度上，需要材料在光子学、电子学和能源管理方面的主动功能的应用具有丰富的新潜力。在这一目标中，我们最近的发现支持了我们的发现，即可以使用射流处理将微粒组装成具有高顺序和形状保真度的永久结合的各向异性构件。我们之前的研究还表明，各向异性积木是组装3D终端结构的关键基础。基于这一在流体制造和各向异性颗粒组装方面的经验，我们的工作计划旨在解决随着分层组装范例扩展到纳米尺度而产生的四个关键基础科学和工程设计问题。首先，为了解决纳米流体通道中可能出现的污垢，随着颗粒尺寸减小到纳米级范围，我们将研究各向异性积木如何与复杂设计的流体通道相互作用。其次，我们将利用这种理解来发现最佳的流体设计，以产生新的序列、形状和手性的构建块。第三，考虑到现在已经有了一套这样的新型积木，并且给定的复杂3D终端结构已经成为组装的目标，我们将寻找最优的方法来设计用于自我和引导组装的各向异性积木。最后，我们将发现如何执行自组装或引导组装操作，以便从制造的积木中获得目标结构。这些目标每个都具有内在的智力优势，将通过一个综合研究计划来实现，该计划将利用我们在纳米制造、流体制造、纳米胶体组装、共聚焦和电子显微镜的直接可视化以及各向异性积木相互作用和组装的计算机模拟方面的最先进能力。同时，通过在国家科学数字图书馆框架内开发新的数据存储库和维基网络工具，我们将创建一个传播我们的发现的明确渠道，以促进更广泛的国家纳米科学和工程界的整合，为我们的学生的培训和教育做出贡献，并改善密歇根东南部地区代表不足的群体和中低收入学生的参与。我们工作的更广泛影响将是通过建立潜在的科学理解来推动国家在纳米科学和工程方面的努力，使流体制造和各向异性构建块组装能够渗透到潜在应用最丰富的纳米胶体尺寸体系中。此外，通过创建新的研究传播和学习途径，通过数据仓库和维基百科，我们可以进一步将全国研究界、我们的学生和我们所在的地区整合到纳米流体制造和各向异性积木组装这一令人兴奋的研究前沿。

A rapidly expanding research frontier is the fluidic manufacture of anisotropic particle building blocks. Simultaneously, the concept of encoding information into the sequence, shape and symmetry of anisotropic particle building blocks so they can assemble into complex three-dimensional (3D) structures offers tremendous potential. Taken together, these two areas each represent one level of a new hierarchical assembly paradigm that can input spherical nanocolloidal precursors and, by way of anisotropic building blocks, output complex 3D terminal structures with a range of new, active functionalities. Yet, to date, the two levels of the assembly hierarchy have advanced independently on the different scales of microparticles (fabrication) and molecules (anisotropic assembly) rather than together at the nanoscale. In this project we seek to address the key fundamental scientific challenges needed to realize this hierarchical paradigm at nanoscale dimensions where there is rich new potential for applications requiring active functionality for materials in photonics, electronics and energy management. In this aim we are supported by our recent discovery that fluidic processing can be used to assemble microparticles into permanently bonded anisotropic building blocks with high sequence and shape fidelity. Our prior research has additionally shown vis simulation that anisotropic building blocks are a key foundation from which 3D terminal structures can be assembled.Building on this experience in fluidic manufacturing and anisotropic particle assembly, our work plan is organized to address four key fundamental science and engineering design questions that arise as the hierarchical assembly paradigm is extended to the nanoscale. First, to address the potential for fouling in nanofluidic channels, as particle size is reduced into the nanoscale range, we will study how anisotropic building blocks interact with fluidic channels of complex design. Second, we will harness this understanding to discover the fluidic designs that optimally produce building blocks of novel sequence, shape and chirality. Third, given that a suite of such novel building blocks are now available, and that a given complex 3D terminal structure has been targeted for assembly, we will search for optimal ways to design the anisotropic building blocks for self- and guided assembly. Finally, we will discover how to execute self- or guided- assembly operations so as to achieve the target structures from the manufactured building blocks. These objectives, each with intrinsic intellectual merit, will be addressed through an integrated research program that brings to bear our state-of-the-art capabilities in nanofabrication, fluidic manufacturing, nanocolloid assembly, direct visualization by confocal and electron microscopy and computer simulation of anisotropic building block interactions and assembly. Simultaneously, by developing new data repository and wiki cyber tools within the National Science Digital Library framework, we will create a clear conduit for dissemination of our discoveries so as to contribute to the integration of the broader national nanoscale science and engineering community, to the training and education of our students and to the improvement of the participation of underrepresented groups and low to moderate income students from the southeastern Michigan area. The broader impact of our work will be to advance the national effort in nanoscale science and engineering by creating underlying scientific understanding that enables the penetration of fluidic manufacturing and anisotropic building block assembly into the nanocolloidal size regime where potential applications are richest. Furthermore, by creating new avenues for research dissemination and learning through the framework of data repositories and wikis, we can further integrate the national research communities, our students and our region into the exciting research frontier of nanofluidic manufacturing and anisotropic building block assembly.