U.S.-Japan Cooperative Research: Block Polymers Confined onTwo-Dimensional Surfaces: Morphology, Thermodynamics, and Application for Surface Modification

该奖项为明尼苏达大学化学工程与材料科学系Matthew Tirrell教授与日本大阪大学大分子科学系Tadao Kotaka教授的合作研究项目提供支持。该项目的目的是研究，实验和理论，形态和某些方面的性质的模型嵌段聚合物吸附和限制在各种类型的底物的表面。局限于二维区域的嵌段聚合物，例如那些吸附在给定底物表面的嵌段聚合物，处于一种特殊的热力学状态，不同于更熟悉的三维体。这种薄层的物理化学性质在科学上是非常重要的，因为表面可以改变热力学的有序-无序转变，以及在粘附、表面改性和功能化等实际应用中。研究限于二维结构的嵌段聚合物的表面形态、分子结构和表面物理化学性质之间的关系，阐明控制嵌段聚合物表面形态的因素，并获得如何获得良好控制的表面形态形成的信息。修改和功能化。两个研究团队的优势非常互补，日本团队在传统方法下的合成和表征方面拥有丰富的经验，而美国团队在受限尺寸的表面和材料表征方面拥有几乎独特的专业知识。这些研究将有望产生新的方法来制备具有特定形态和新特性的薄膜，从而提高我们制造具有技术应用所需特性的薄膜的能力。

This award provides support for a cooperative research project between Professor Matthew Tirrell, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota and Professor Tadao Kotaka, Department of Macro- molecular Science, Osaka University, Japan. The objectives of the project are to investigate, both experimentally and theoretically, the morphology and some aspects of the properties of model block polymers adsorbed and confined on surfaces of substrates of various types. Block polymers confined in two-dimensional regions, such as those adsorbed on surfaces of given substrates, are in a special thermodynamic state different from that of a more familiar three-dimensional bulk. Physico-chemical properties of such thin layers are very important scientifically, in the sense that surfaces may alter thermodynamic order-disorder transitions, as well as for practical applications such as adhesion, surface modification and functionalization. The researchers will study the relationships among surface morphology, molecular structure and surface physico-chemical properties of block polymers confined on two-dimensional structures, to clarify the factors controlling the surface morphology of the block polymers, and to obtain information on how to attain well- controlled surface morphology formation, modification and functionalization. The strengths of the two research teams are very complementary, the Japanese team having a great deal of experience in synthesis and characterization under conventional means and the US team having almost unique expertise in characterization of surfaces and materials in confined dimensions. These studies will hopefully yield new ways of preparing films with specific morphologies and consequently, novel properties, thus enhancing our ability to fabricate films with desired characteristics for technological applications.