Molecular and surface interactions in the 'directed' assembly of nano-structured inorganic-organic materials

化学系的大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目将支持加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的Jacob Israelachvili教授和Bradley Shmelka教授的合作研究项目。研究人员和他们的学生将专注于半导体纳米颗粒的合成和表征，以及它们的二维和三维组装。这些材料将由具有适当结构和性能的（II-VI和III-V族）半导体制成。原子定位顺序、粒子内电子顺序和量子约束效应将通过固态核磁共振光谱、表面力测量、光学、透射电镜和x射线技术，结合第一性原理计算进行检验。这些基本的见解将被用于理解纳米颗粒和纳米颗粒集成内部的层次顺序，通过各种外部刺激，如外部施加的法向力和剪切力以及电场，进行定向组装。拟议项目的更广泛影响包括展示新的和通用的方法来测量、理解、设计和改进局部成分和结构特征，这些特征解释了纳米材料的不寻常特性。将获得的基本见解将适用于各种其他系统，包括大分子，胶体和生物材料。加州大学圣巴巴拉分校和以色列本古里安大学之间的合作努力将为两个互补和装备精良的团体之间的学生提供跨文化教育和研究机会。学生将在新纳米颗粒的合成和表征方面接受跨学科培训，这将具有广泛的可转移性。预计从拟议项目中获得的见解将使学生和更广泛的科学界能够开发下一代材料，旨在提高电子和光电过程和设备的性能。

The Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the collaborative research program of Prof. Jacob Israelachvili and Prof. Bradley Shmelka of the University of California at Santa Barbara. The investigators and their students will focus on the synthesis and characterization of semiconductor nanoparticles, as well as their 2D and 3D assemblies. The materials will be fabricated from (II-VI and III-V groups) semiconductors with tailorable structures and properties. The atomic positioning order, intraparticle electronic order and quantum confinement effects will be examined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, surface forces measurements, and optical, TEM and X-ray techniques, in conjunction with first-principles calculations. These fundamental insights will then be exploited for the understanding of the hierarchical ordering within the nanoparticles and nanoparticle ensembles by directed assembly through varied external stimuli such as externally applied normal and shear forces, and electric fields.The broader impacts of the proposed project include the demonstration of new and general approaches for the measurement, understanding, design, and improvement of the local compositional and structural features that account for the unusual properties of nanomaterials. Fundamental insights that will be obtained will apply to diverse other systems, including macromolecular, colloidal and biological materials. The collaborative efforts between the University of California at Santa Barbara and Ben Gurion University in Israel will provide cross-cultural educational and research opportunities for students between two complementary and well-equipped groups. The interdisciplinary training that students will receive in the synthesis and characterization of new nanoparticles will be broadly transferrable. It is expected that the insights gained from the proposed project will enable students and the broader scientific community to develop next-generation materials aimed at improving the performances of electronic and opto-electronic processes and devices.