CAREER:Engineered Nanoscopic Objects via Controlled Creation and Rearrangement of Amorphous Nanoparticles

0846586 Nair智力优点：本职业计划的长期目标是开发和展示复杂形态和结构的超小金属氧化物物体的设计和反应工程原理的通用使能框架。具体来说，PI建议理解和操纵新的机制和热力学，这些机制和热力学控制着一类独特的单壁混合氧化物纳米管（长度非常小，为20-100 nm，直径为2-4 nm）和单壁纳米壳（直径为5 nm）的液相工程，所有这些都具有复杂和有序的内部结构。在非常小的长度尺度上设计纳米级金属氧化物物体的形状、尺寸、结构和成分的能力--只使用必要的最小量的物质--是非常有吸引力的（但迄今为止还难以实现）。许多新兴的应用可以利用这些物体独特的形状，尺寸和结构复杂性所产生的新颖和可大幅调节的电子，光学，催化，运输和机械性能。这样的发展将强调先进化学加工方法在纳米科学和技术方面的全部潜力，并可以克服当前材料和工艺所带来的限制。PI最近的工作提出了一种长期的分子工程策略（总结为“无定形纳米颗粒凝聚和再结晶”），该策略提供了优于当前模板或催化方法的内在优势，并产生具有复杂结构的超小金属氧化物物体。在为期五年的CAREER资助期间，PI建议通过材料合成，先进的液相和固态表征工具，分子模拟和分析理论的独特组合，阐明第一个控制单壁金属氧化物纳米管和纳米壳形成的广义机械和热力学框架。在这一时期结束时，从长远来看，他将应用这个使能框架来指导新类别的纳米物体的工程设计，这些物体可以影响不同研究人员所追求的更广泛的技术，并影响当前基于氧化物材料的自下而上纳米技术的思想。这个框架在理解自然过程中也有潜在的意义，其假设的机制与他的方法有几个共同的特征，例如二氧化硅和其他无机氧化物的生物矿化，以及有序物体的进化（例如，纳米管、纳米壳和原沸石）。更广泛的影响：这项职业规划，沿着PI近年来建立的基础设施，将有效地整合从高中生到教授的多个层次的研究和教育，并对许多人产生长期影响。这项职业补助金将是格鲁吉亚技术（GT）教师和数学科学与技术（GSMST），一个以STEM为重点的特许高中Gwinnett学校之间的伙伴关系的基石。PI，他的研究生和本科生，访问学生，GSMST教师和GT K-12外展专家将合作开发一套实验室和课堂模块，这些模块将被整合到纳米技术和替代能源的新高中课程中。这种合作方法-正在通过试点项目开发-每年将使约150名高中生接触尖端的工程和科学学习;保留并鼓励这些学生追求STEM职业生涯;并为GT和GSMST参与者创造愉快和富有成效的体验，其活动水平不会影响研究生产力。PI将通过将其纳入纳米化学工程的本科/研究生课程，将令人兴奋的研究见解转化为GT课堂。该项目涉及五名GT本科生和五名外部学生，他们与NSF-SURE计划合作，该计划每年夏天将少数群体学生带到GT进行研究。研究结果将通过出版物和专题介绍加以传播，并有可能继续通过科学和技术新闻媒体向公众传播。总的来说，这个职业计划的目的是帮助建立一个训练有素的技术和科学研究，教育和应用人员的大量干部;谁可以很容易地被美国工业（包括不断增长的纳米技术产业）和学术界吸收。

0846586NairIntellectual Merit: The long-term objective of this career plan is to develop and demonstrate a generalized enabling framework of principles for the design and reaction engineering of ultra-small metal oxide objects of complex morphology and structure. Specifically, the PI proposes to understand and manipulate the novel mechanisms and thermodynamics that govern the liquid-phase engineering of a unique class of single-walled mixed oxide nanotubes (with exceptionally small lengths of 20-100 nm and diameters 2-4 nm) and single-walled nanoshells (with diameter 5 nm), all with complex and ordered internal structures. The ability to engineer the shape, size, structure, and composition of nanoscopic metal oxide objects at very small length scales - using only the minimum quantity of matter necessary - is highly attractive (but thus far elusive). A number of emerging applications could exploit the range of novel and drastically tunable electronic, optical, catalytic, transport, and mechanical properties arising from the unique shape, size, and structural complexity of these objects. Such a development would underscore the full potential of advanced chemical processing approaches for nanoscale science and technology, and can overcome limits imposed by current materials and processes. The PI's recent work has led to a proposed long-term molecular engineering strategy (summarized as 'amorphous nanoparticle condensation and rearrangement') that offers intrinsic advantages over current templating or catalytic approaches, and produces ultra-small metal oxide objects with complex structures. During the five-year CAREER grant, the PI proposes to elucidate the first generalized mechanistic and thermodynamic framework governing the formation of single-walled metal oxide nanotubes and nanoshells, through a unique combination of materials synthesis, advanced liquid-phase and solid-state characterization tools, molecular simulation, and analytical theory. Towards the end of this period and in the longer term, he will apply this enabling framework to guide the engineering of new classes of nanoscopic objects that can impact a wider range of technologies pursued by diverse researchers and also impact current thinking in bottom-up nanotechnology based on oxide materials. This framework also has potential implications in understanding natural processes whose hypothesized mechanisms have several common features with his approach, such as the biomineralization of silica and other inorganic oxides, and the evolution of ordered objects (e.g., nanotubes, nanoshells, and proto-zeolites) in natural environments. Broader Impacts: This career plan, along with infrastructure built by the PI in recent years, will effectively integrate research and education at multiple levels - from the high school student to the professor - and create long-term impact on a number of people. This CAREER grant will be a cornerstone of a partnership between Georgia Tech (GT) faculty and the Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science and Technology (GSMST), a STEM-focused charter high school. The PI, his graduate and undergraduate students, visiting students, GSMST teachers, and GT K-12 outreach experts will collaborate to develop a set of laboratory and classroom modules that will be integrated in novel high-school courses on Nanotechnology and Alternative Energy. This collaborative approach - under development via a pilot project - will expose a total of ~150 high school students per year to cutting-edge engineering and science learning; retain and encourage such students in pursuit of STEM careers; and create an enjoyable and productive experience for GT and GSMST participants with a level of activity that does not affect research productivity. The PI will translate the exciting research insights into the GT classroom by incorporating them into his undergraduate/graduate course in nanoscale chemical engineering. The project involves five GT undergraduates and five external students by collaboration with the NSF-SURE program which brings minority-group students to GT for research every summer. The results will be disseminated via publications and presentations, and also have continued potential for dissemination to the general public by the science and technology news media. Overall, this career plan is designed to help build a substantial cadre of well-trained personnel in technology and science research, education, and application; who can be readily absorbed by US industry (including the growing nanotechnology industry) and academia.