Synthesis and Reversible Self-Assembly of Monodisperse Plasmonic Nanorods Permanently Ligated with Photoresponsive Polymers

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In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Zhiqun Lin of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology is developing a new class of nanomaterials which contain polymers on their surfaces that are responsive to light. Nanoparticles are very tiny particles about 500-100,000 times "thinner" than a human hair. However, they have surface area to volume ratios orders of magnitudes larger than seen in traditional materials such as steel, wood, concrete or plastic. As a matter of fact, just a couple of grams of such particles can have an area as enormous as a football field. Combining nanoparticles in a controlled manner to create materials with useful properties is often very tedious and challenging synthetic task. This work greatly simplifies the assembly of nanoparticles into materials by utilizing precisely designed polymers on their surfaces. These polymers when activated by light drive nanoparticles to combine in a controlled manner and therefore act as a photo-switch. Such control by a virtue of polymer architecture and chemistry has the potential to provide important knowledge that could impact the development of useful stimuli-responsive technologies that are often seen in optical cables used for high speed internet, durable "smart fabrics", light sensors, and even drug delivery in cancer therapy. The work has a broader impact through the development of several activities and programs that focus on education of students, especially women and students from underrepresented groups. The research team is further broadening the impact of their work by including and mentoring high school teachers from the greater Atlanta area.This research is focused on the synthesis and reversible self-assembly of monodisperse plasmonic nanorods permanently ligated with photo-responsive polymers. The innovative and highly transformative strategy is focused on (a) designing and crafting monodisperse polymer-tethered plasmonic gold nanorods and nanotubes with accurate control over their dimension, (b) systematic exploration of their structure-dependent optical properties and (c) investigation into light-enabled self-assembly of particles intimately and permanently capped with photo-responsive polymers, and accordingly the reversible optical properties. The knowledge gained from the project has the potential to impact the development of technologies with applications in optics, optoelectronics, catalysis, sensory materials and devices, energy conversion, drug delivery, nanotechnology and biotechnology.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.