NER: Coupled Self-Assembly and Flow Alignment of Inorganic Nanorods

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Understanding and exploiting liquid crystalline phase behavior of nanorod dispersions is a nascent field formed by the intersection of nanotechnology, liquid crystalline science and colloid science. This exploratory research focuses on the combined effects of self-assembly and flow alignment for model inorganic nanorod dispersions. Inorganic nanorods have a plethora of potential applications due to their intriguing optical, electronic and magnetic properties. However, the production of many functional active materials requires aligning nanorods on the micro- to macro- scales. The self-assembly of rod-like materials into liquid crystalline phases is a well established means to produce high performance polymeric materials such as bullet-proof vests and liquid crystalline displays. The results of this investigation will provide a foundation for developing applications requiring aligned macroscopic assemblies of nanorods. The graduate and undergraduate students engaged in the research will learn to incorporate knowledge from multiple disciplines and apply it to the development of nanomaterial applications. They will also become skilled in a range of materials characterization techniques. In addition, the microscopy images obtained will not only provide key information but serve as a useful tool for explaining nanorods liquid crystalline phase behavior in a manner easily accessible to students at both the undergraduate and K-12 levels.