MRI:Development of an Instrument for Synthesis of Polymer Thin Films by Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition with Capability of in Situ Structural Characterization

MRI：开发具有原位结构表征能力的引发化学气相沉积聚合物薄膜合成仪器

• 批准号: 1919803
• 负责人: Aravind Suresh
• 金额: $ 29.35万
• 依托单位: Manhattan College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1919803&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; Instrument; Synthesis; Polymer

Polymeric coatings have been part of the fabric of human life for decades. As we move forward, the coatings will need to be functional yet minimal, safe and environmentally responsible. To meet these challenges, we need to understand the fundamental principles behind any deposition process so that it could be harnessed to develop new coatings and to improve upon existing ones. It is this idea that is the driving force behind the conception of the instrument with all its unique capabilities. Manhattan College is a primarily undergraduate institution with an emphasis on providing a well-rounded education. Therefore, a core objective of the project will be to use the instrument as a vehicle to its students the scientific and engineering concepts underlying the deposition process, to train them and give them the opportunity to work with professors and scientists on cutting-edge research projects, and to put them on the path of discovery so that they may be prepared to solve technological problems of the future. Another key objective of the project is to leverage the instrument to create meaningful opportunities for outreach to the public at large. Specifically, our goal is to educate parents and school teachers from the Bronx and surrounding communities about the operation and applications of the instrument so that they may use it as a platform to inspire greater numbers of students to pursue careers in STEM fields. This project focuses on the development of an instrument at Manhattan College to study the application of polymer thin films on substrates by the technique of initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD). The instrument will contain the following novel capabilities that are not currently available in an off-the-shelf iCVD instrument a) in situ characterization of the polymer films by infrared spectroscopy during the deposition process, by embedding an Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) crystal in the stage of the chamber b) polymer deposition by thermal as well as photo-initiation, by providing a slot for illumination inside the deposition chamber c) feeding monomers using a carrier gas, which would be an important step in the scale-up of the iCVD technique for commercial applications d) polymer deposition under a wide range of pressures, from vacuum to positive pressure, which would enable polymerization of monomers that have thus far been outside the scope of the technique. Finally, the instrument will be designed so as to be used in conjunction with a gas analyzer to study low-temperature, photocatalytic properties of materials. The proposed instrument would be capable of simultaneously supporting a variety of interdisciplinary research projects, which would make it a valuable addition to the research infrastructure of a primarily undergraduate institution like Manhattan College.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.

几十年来，聚合物涂层一直是人类生活结构的一部分。随着我们的发展，涂料将需要功能性，但最小，安全和环保。为了应对这些挑战，我们需要了解任何沉积工艺背后的基本原理，以便利用它来开发新涂层并改进现有涂层。正是这一想法是该仪器具有所有独特功能的概念背后的驱动力。曼哈顿学院是一所主要的本科院校，重点是提供全面的教育。因此，该项目的一个核心目标将是利用该仪器作为一种工具，向学生介绍沉积过程中的科学和工程概念，培训他们，使他们有机会与教授和科学家一起从事尖端研究项目，并使他们走上发现之路，以便他们能够解决未来的技术问题。该项目的另一个关键目标是利用该工具为与广大公众的外联创造有意义的机会。 具体来说，我们的目标是教育家长和学校教师从布朗克斯和周边社区的操作和应用的仪器，使他们可以使用它作为一个平台，以激励更多的学生追求职业生涯在干领域。 本计画主要是在曼哈顿学院开发一种仪器，以研究以化学气相沉积（iCVD）技术在基材上形成聚合物薄膜的应用。该仪器将包含目前在现成的iCVD仪器中不可用的以下新能力a）在沉积过程中通过红外光谱法，通过在腔室B的阶段中嵌入衰减全反射（ATR）晶体，对聚合物膜进行原位表征b）通过热引发以及光引发进行聚合物沉积，通过在沉积室内提供用于照明的狭缝，c）使用载气供给单体，这将是用于商业应用的iCVD技术按比例放大的重要步骤，d）在从真空到正压的宽压力范围下进行聚合物沉积，这将使得迄今为止在该技术范围之外的单体能够聚合。最后，该仪器将被设计为与气体分析仪一起使用，以研究材料的低温光催化性能。拟议的仪器将能够同时支持各种跨学科的研究项目，这将使它成为一个宝贵的除了主要是本科院校，如曼哈顿college.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命的研究基础设施，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。