EAGER: Dually Photocrosslinkable and Photolabile Polymers for Fabricating Heterogeneous 3D structures

EARLY概念探索性研究资助（EAGER）奖将资助双重光交联和光不稳定聚合物的开发。将合成一系列功能性三元共聚物，其可以在长紫外波长下光交联，并在短紫外波长下光化学改性。三元共聚物将由三种类型的单元合成：结构单元、可光交联单元和具有可光裂解保护基的酸单元。光交联单元允许聚合物的结构图案化，并且光可裂解单元允许图案中酸性区域的区域选择性显影。待测试的结构单元包括甲基丙烯酸甲酯、N-异丙基丙烯酰胺和N，N-二甲基甲基丙烯酰胺。 将研究聚合动力学以确定最终组合物的可控性。此外，将在薄膜配置中研究交联和脱保护的效率。如果成功，这项研究的结果将提供结构可定义和光寻址的聚合物。一个主要的目标是，然后结合联合收割机传统的光刻与组装为基础的方法的异质集成的纳米粒子到MEMS器件。通过使用两种不同波长的光，可光交联且对光不稳定的聚合物可并入MEMS装置中，且随后通过常规光刻法酸图案化。反过来，酸性区域可以引导纳米颗粒从溶液到纳米制造多功能结构和表面的组装。

This EArly-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award will fund the development of polymers that are dually photo-crosslinkable and photolabile. A series of functional terpolymers will be synthesized that can be photo-crosslinked at long UV wavelengths and photo-chemically modified at short UV wavelengths. The terpolymers will be synthesized from three types of units: A structural unit, a photo-crosslinkable unit, and an acid unit with a photo-cleavable protecting group. The photo-crosslinking unit permits structural patterning of the polymer, and the photo-cleavable unit permits region-selective development of acidic regions in the pattern. The structural units to be tested include methylmethacrylate, N-isopropylacrylamide, and N,N-dimethylmethacrylamide. The kinetics of polymerization will be studied to establish the controllability of the final composition. Moreover, the efficiency of cross-linking and deprotection will be studied in thin film configurations.If successful, the results of this research will provide polymers that are both structurally definable and photo-addressable. A major goal is to then combine conventional photolithography with assembly-based methods for the heterogeneous integration of nanoparticles into MEMS devices. Through the use of two different wavelengths of light, the photo-crosslinkable and photolabile polymers can be incorporated into MEMS devices and subsequently acid patterned through conventional photolithography. The regions of acidity, in turn, can direct the assembly of nanoparticles from solution to nanomanufacture multi-functional structures and surfaces.