CAREER: Understanding Electrostatic Interactions in Non-Polar Media for Generation of Nanostructured Thin Films

技术概要：这个职业奖的目的，由固态和材料化学（SSMC）计划和国际科学与工程办公室（OISE）共同资助，是通过研究非极性介质中静电相互作用的基本原理来了解最近开发的纳米结构薄膜的非水层层（LbL）组装。 这项工作的桥梁在单个粒子水平上的带相反电荷的材料之间的静电相互作用的基本调查的预测的组成和结构的纳米结构的LBL薄膜的基础上的单个纳米粒子的电荷特性。将使用原子力显微镜研究非极性介质中单粒子水平静电相互作用的性质和意义，这也将揭示带相反电荷的粒子的表面电势和电荷如何在小间距处变化。 在非极性溶液中带相反电荷的材料的LBL组装的热力学性质也将使用等温滴定量热法来研究，以揭示纳米颗粒组装是否是熵驱动的过程或熵驱动的过程。 这些研究的知识将结合和翻译，以定量预测和理解基于单个纳米颗粒的电荷特性的LbL薄膜的组成和结构。非技术性总结：纳米结构薄膜是由纳米颗粒和聚合物等多种材料组成的薄层，具有独特的特性组合，使其可用于能量转换和存储等高级应用。层层（LbL）组装，它涉及相反电荷的物质的顺序沉积，提供了一个简单而通用的方法，用于生成功能纳米结构薄膜，然而，这种技术，到目前为止，主要用于水溶性材料。这种做法对产生用于替代能源应用的功能性纳米结构薄膜设置了主要障碍，因为大量有用且独特的纳米材料仅在非水非极性溶剂中合成且稳定。 PI最近成功地赋予表面电荷的非极性介质中的各种纳米材料和制造功能的纳米结构薄膜的LbL组装的基础上。该职业奖的目的是了解非极性溶剂中静电相互作用的基本方面，这将进一步扩展新的LbL技术用于替代能源应用。该职业奖还将教育活动融入研究计划，目的是充分利用逐层组装的视觉和动手方面，以丰富大学预科学生和教育工作者的教育经验。 代表性不足的少数民族和女本科生将参加韩国蔚山国立科学技术学院的“海外研究”项目，该项目将为她们提供机会，拓宽世界视野，培养科学沟通能力。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The objective of this CAREER award, co-funded by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry (SSMC) program and the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE), is to understand a recently developed non-aqueous layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of nanostructured thin films by studying the fundamentals of electrostatic interactions in non-polar media. This work bridges the fundamental investigation of electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged materials at the single particle level to the prediction of the composition and structure of nanostructured LbL thin films based on the charge characteristics of individual nanoparticles. The nature and significance of electrostatic interactions in non-polar media at the single particle level will be studied using atomic force microscopy, which will also reveal how the surface potential and charge of oppositely charged particles change at small separations. The thermodynamic nature of LbL assembly of oppositely charged materials in apolar solutions will also be investigated using isothermal titration calorimetry to uncover whether the nanoparticle assembly is an entropically or enthalpically driven process. Knowledge from these studies will be combined and translated to quantitatively predict and understand the composition and structure of LbL thin films based on the charge characteristics of individual nanoparticles. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Nanostructured thin films are thin layers composed of multiple materials such as nanoparticles and polymers, and possess distinctive combinations of properties that make them useful for advanced applications such as energy conversion and storage. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly, which involves the sequential deposition of oppositely charged species, provides a simple yet versatile method for the generation of functional nanostructured thin films; however, this technique, to date, has been primarily used with water-soluble materials. This practice places a major obstacle to generating functional nanostructured thin films for alternative energy applications, because a large number of useful and unique nanomaterials are synthesized and stable in non-aqueous non-polar solvents only. The PI has recently successfully imparted surface charge to various nanomaterials in non-polar media and fabricated functional nanostructured thin films based on LbL assembly. The aim of this CAREER award is to understand the fundamental aspects of electrostatic interactions in non-polar solvents, which will further extend the new LbL technique for alternative energy applications. This CAREER award also integrates educational activities into the research plan with the goal of fully utilizing visual and hands-on aspects of layer-by-layer assembly to enrich the educational experiences of pre-college students and educators. Under-represented minority and female undergraduate students will participate in "Research Abroad" program at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Korea, which will provide them with opportunities to broaden their view of the world and develop scientific communication skills.