CAREER: Adaptive Photonic Polymers

职业：自适应光子聚合物

• 批准号: 1944625
• 负责人: Liheng Cai
• 金额: $ 58.84万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1944625&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Adaptive; Photonic; Polymers

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYUnlike electronic devices that control information by affecting the flow of electrons, photonic devices control information by affecting the flow of photons or light and have the potential to overcome the speed and bandwidth of electronic devices. Key to photonic devices is their basic components -- photonic crystals, which are periodic nanostructures consisting of regularly repeating regions of high and low dielectric constants. Transmission of light through such a crystal is prevented due to multiple reflections at the interfaces between alternating dielectric domains; this occurs when the wavelength is comparable to characteristic domain sizes. The band gaps of most existing photonic crystals, however, cannot be actively controlled because once a nanostructure is formed, its domain size cannot be changed. It remains a challenge in the development of adaptive photonic crystals to control light on-demand. This project aims to establish the foundational knowledge required to design and create Adaptive Photonic Polymers -- polymeric photonic crystals that enable active control of visible and infrared light. Educationally, in addition to providing research opportunities for graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students from diverse backgrounds, the topics considered in this program will be integrated into a newly developed course, "Advanced Polymers." The project also incorporates a number of outreach activities.PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis research program aims to establish the molecule-microstructure-property-function relation for Adaptive Photonic Polymers -- polymeric photonic crystals that enable on-demand control of light. The central hypothesis is that exploiting the self-assembly of architecturally designed block copolymers enables responsive periodic dielectric nanostructures with exceptionally large characteristic lengths necessary for manipulating light of a wide range of wavelengths. The PI's work will focus on: (i) development of methods for controlled synthesis of block copolymers with extreme molecular architecture such as large diameter and high molecular weight; (ii) determining the molecular architecture for which the polymers form long-range, ordered nanostructures of large characteristic lengths necessary for visible and infrared light; (iii) establishing the causal relation between microstructure and macroscopic optical properties; (iv) quantifying the response of optical properties to external stimuli using custom-developed in-situ characterization techniques. The experimental studies will be corroborated by scaling theory and self-consistent field theoretical simulations. Using the fundamental understanding gained and the technologies developed through these studies, active fast control of visible and infrared light will be demonstrated using one Adaptive Photonic Polymer. This research will be integrated into a variety of educational experiences in the laboratory and the classroom at the graduate, undergraduate, and 6-12 levels.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.

第 1 部分：非技术摘要与通过影响电子流动来控制信息的电子设备不同，光子设备通过影响光子或光的流动来控制信息，并且有可能克服电子设备的速度和带宽。光子器件的关键是它们的基本组件——光子晶体，它是周期性的纳米结构，由规则重复的高介电常数和低介电常数区域组成。 由于交替介电域之间的界面处存在多次反射，因此阻止了光通过这种晶体的传输；当波长与特征域尺寸相当时，就会发生这种情况。然而，大多数现有光子晶体的带隙无法主动控制，因为一旦形成纳米结构，其域尺寸就无法改变。开发自适应光子晶体来按需控制光仍然是一个挑战。该项目旨在建立设计和创建自适应光子聚合物（能够主动控制可见光和红外光的聚合光子晶体）所需的基础知识。在教育方面，除了为来自不同背景的研究生、本科生和高中生提供研究机会外，该计划中考虑的主题将被整合到新开发的课程“高级聚合物”中。该项目还包含许多外展活动。第 2 部分：技术摘要该研究计划旨在建立自适应光子聚合物（能够按需控制光的聚合光子晶体）的分子-微观结构-特性-功能关系。中心假设是，利用结构设计的嵌段共聚物的自组装能够实现响应性周期性介电纳米结构，其具有操纵宽范围波长的光所需的异常大的特征长度。首席研究员的工作将集中在：（i）开发具有极端分子结构（例如大直径和高分子量）的嵌段共聚物的受控合成方法； (ii) 确定聚合物形成可见光和红外光所需的大特征长度的长程有序纳米结构的分子结构； (iii) 建立微观结构和宏观光学特性之间的因果关系； (iv) 使用定制开发的原位表征技术量化光学特性对外部刺激的响应。实验研究将通过标度理论和自洽场理论模拟得到证实。利用通过这些研究获得的基本理解和开发的技术，将使用一种自适应光子聚合物来演示可见光和红外光的主动快速控制。这项研究将融入研究生、本科生和 6-12 年级实验室和课堂的各种教育体验中。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Unexpected Folding of Bottlebrush Polymers in Melts

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02053
• 发表时间: 2023-01-27
• 期刊: MACROMOLECULES
• 影响因子: 5.5
• 作者: Nian, Shifeng;Huang, Baiqiang;Cai, Li-Heng
• 通讯作者: Cai, Li-Heng

Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Self-Assembled Bottlebrush Polymer Networks

自组装洗瓶刷聚合物网络的动态机械性能

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01204
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Macromolecules
• 影响因子: 5.5
• 作者: Nian, Shifeng;Cai, Li-Heng
• 通讯作者: Cai, Li-Heng

All-aqueous printing of viscoelastic droplets in yield-stress fluids

屈服应力流体中粘弹性液滴的全水打印

• DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.09.031
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Acta Biomaterialia
• 影响因子: 9.7
• 作者: Zhu, Jinchang;Cai, Li-Heng
• 通讯作者: Cai, Li-Heng

Three-Dimensional Printable, Extremely Soft, Stretchable, and Reversible Elastomers from Molecular Architecture-Directed Assembly

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c04659
• 发表时间: 2021-03-31
• 期刊: CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
• 影响因子: 8.6
• 作者: Nian, Shifeng;Zhu, Jinchang;Cai, Li-Heng
• 通讯作者: Cai, Li-Heng

Molecular understanding for large deformations of soft bottlebrush polymer networks

• DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00759e
• 发表时间: 2020-07-21
• 期刊: SOFT MATTER
• 影响因子: 3.4
• 作者: Cai, Li-Heng