Multi-scale Nanotextured Surfaces by Tribo-Electrohydrodynamic Lithography for Controlled Drug Release

该补助金支持创建一种用于快速制造多尺度纳米结构的破坏性纳米制造技术的研究，促进科学进步，并促进国家繁荣和健康。用现有的纳米制造方法实现多尺度纳米结构是一项具有挑战性的奋进。例如，电子束光刻限于非常小规模的结构，而纳米压印光刻需要非常精细的母版图案。这个项目探讨了纳米级复制模塑技术作为一种快速和廉价的方式来形成复杂的主纳米结构从大面积模板。伴随的表面“摩擦电荷”的形成被用来制造具有亚100纳米亚结构的多尺度纳米结构。通过这种方式，具有生物医学用途的纳米纹理表面是可能的。通过精心设计的计划来刺激纳米制造，并将由此产生的表面图案化生物医学设备带给患有心脏病的人，这项工作与国家促进美国制造业和创新生物医学技术的努力非常一致。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括制造，表面物理，电磁学和材料科学。这种多学科的方法有助于扩大妇女和代表性不足的少数民族在研究中的参与，并积极影响工程教育。该项目通过纳米级复制成型，实现了聚合物基底上摩擦电荷分布的高度可控纳米图案化，并提供了对摩擦电荷产生和图案化的潜在机制的更深入理解。的摩擦电荷的寿命，空间稳定性，和纳米纹理的依赖性进行调查。纳米图案化的摩擦电荷，然后被用作源的纳米尺度调制电场的电流体动力学光刻，通过该3级分层多尺度纳米结构的制造。目标纳米结构包括具有亚100 nm尺度纳米级的火山和多周期纳米结构阵列。由生物相容性聚合物制成的这种多尺度纳米结构的药物释放也被研究用于新兴应用，例如用于心脏治疗的支架。基础研究成果拓宽了实现多尺度纳米结构所需的知识，最终使合成具有新功能的新材料和结构成为可能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This grant supports research that creates a disruptive nanoscale manufacturing technology for rapid fabrication of multiscale nanostructures, promotes scientific progress, and advances national prosperity and health. Realization of multiscale nanostructures with existing nanofabrication methods is a challenging endeavor. For example, electron beam lithography is limited to very small scale structures, whereas nanoimprint lithography requires very elaborate master patterns. This project explores the technique of nanoscale replica molding as a rapid and inexpensive way to form intricate master nanostructures from large-area templates. The accompanying formation of surface "tribocharges" are utilized to fabricate multiscale nanostructures with sub-100 nanometer sub-structures. By this means, nanotextured surfaces having biomedical uses are possible. With elaborate plans to stimulate nanomanufacturing and bring the resulting surface-patterned biomedical devices to the people with heart-disease, this work aligns well with the nation's efforts to boost manufacturing in the U.S. and to innovate biomedical technologies. This research involves several disciplines including manufacturing, surface physics, electromagnetics, and materials science. This multi-disciplinary approach helps broaden the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in research and positively impacts engineering education.This project enables highly controlled nanopatterning of tribocharge distribution on polymer substrates through nanoscale replica molding and provides a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms for generation and patterning of tribocharges. Investigations of the tribocharge's longevity, spatial stability, and nanotexture dependence are performed. The nanopatterned tribocharges are then used as the source of nanoscale-modulated electric fields for electrohydrodynamic lithography, by which 3-level hierarchical multiscale nanostructures are fabricated. The target nanostructures include nanoscale volcanoes with sub-100 nm-scale nanocraters and multiple-period nanostructure arrays. The drug release from such multiscale nanotextures made of biocompatible polymers are also studied for emerging applications such as stents for cardiac therapies. The fundamental research outcomes widen the knowledge required for the realization of multiscale nanostructures in general, eventually enabling the synthesis of new materials and structures with novel functionalities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.