Unconventional surface patterning routes

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The proposed research program is aimed at the development of new approaches to producing organic interfaces that are laterally structured on the nanometer-to-micrometer length scales over macroscopic areas. The spatially-directed assembly of nanostructures onto and patterning of surfaces is a subject of increasing interest because it is central to the continued progression in the miniaturization of electronic devices and to the development of novel nanoscale device concepts. Current top-down lithographic and printing methods each have limitations in terms of cost and accessibility, lateral feature size, parallel fabrication capability (throughput) or the type of materials that can be patterned. There is thus a real need for alternative methods that allow simple large-scale patterning of nanometer-to-micrometer size features. We are addressing this need by using the Langmuir-Blodgett film deposition technique, stereo- and chemoselective enzymatic surface transformations, and charge transfer interactions to assemble amphiphilic molecules (phospholipids, ionic surfactants, polyelectrolytes) and nanoparticles at solid/liquid interfaces in a controlled fashion. The research carried out within the time frame of the Discovery Grant is expected to have an impact in the fields of nanofabrication, membrane biophysics, colloidal chemistry, and materials science.