Instabilities in Patterned Polymer Surfaces

该奖项的研究目标是阐明纳米图案化聚合物表面不稳定性的性质。与平面聚合物膜中已被积极研究的弹性或粘性不稳定性相比，图案化聚合物表面中的粘弹性不稳定性在很大程度上仍未被探索，并且由于可以影响其特性的多个变量而更加复杂。该研究结合了实验和理论工作，将使人们对图案不稳定性的科学基础有一个清晰的认识，包括它们的边界条件、特征波长和起始时间的标度关系、纳米加工参数的作用以及材料性质。如果成功，该研究结果将有利于图案化聚合物表面的应用，这是许多技术的关键组成部分。深入了解图案化聚合物表面的不稳定性将为高保真图案制造铺平道路，并实现利用溶剂和热退火的后制造工艺。这些不稳定性，一旦理解，也将提供一个独特的途径来创建新的层次结构，否则具有挑战性的制造与并行光刻技术。该奖项将通过直接参与研究为K-12，本科生和研究生提供教育福利。该补助金还将促进材料学位课程的课程，为落基山脉前沿地区的学生提供机会。研究结果将作为主题和模块纳入课程，并通过期刊出版物，国家会议和TeachEngineering数字图书馆广泛传播。

The research objective of this award is to elucidate the nature of the instabilities in nano-patterned polymer surfaces. Compared with the elastic or viscous instabilities that have been actively studied in planar polymer films, the viscoelastic instabilities in patterned polymer surfaces remain largely unexplored, and are far more complex due to the multiple variables that can affect their characteristics. The proposed study, combining experimental and theoretical work, will result in a clear understanding on the scientific underpinning of the pattern instabilities, including their boundary conditions, scaling relationships for characteristic wavelength and onset time, the role of nano-fabrication parameters, and materials properties.If successful, the results of this research will benefit applications of patterned polymer surfaces, which are critical components to many technologies. Thorough understanding of the instabilities in patterned polymer surface will pave the way for high fidelity pattern fabrications and enable post-fabrication processes that utilize solvents and thermal annealing. These instabilities, once understood, will also offer a unique avenue to create novel hierarchical structures that are otherwise challenging to fabricate with parallel lithographic techniques. This award will provide educational benefits to K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students by directly involving them into the research. The grant will also facilitate curriculum for a materials degree program which offers opportunity for students in the front range of rocky mountain area. The results of the research will be incorporated as topics and modules into courses, as well as broadly disseminated through journal publications, national conferences and TeachEngineering digital library.