CAREER: Control Through Molecular Design in Engineering: Molecular Order and Function from Ionic Multilayers of Liquid Crystal Polymers

摘要：CTS-9702752本职业生涯计划以分子设计和结构的思想为基础，将其纳入基本的工程原理和课程，提出一个研究和教学的职业生涯规划。分子的自组装、分子的有序和加工最终控制材料的性能是本文工作的重点。离子多层组装（又称层接层组装）是一种通过连续吸收具有正负交替电荷的多离子单层或双极性有机分子来形成超薄有机薄膜的新方法。这种方法比传统的Langmuir-Blodgett （LB）技术更容易形成具有复杂超分子结构的薄膜，因为这种一层一层的技术更简单，相当便宜，而且用途广泛。不幸的是，这种技术迄今为止受到限制，因为与LB方法不同，没有一致的方法在吸附膜层内引入分子尺度排序。在这个项目中，液晶聚合物被用于引入离子多层组装过程中的秩序。制造具有特定所需分子取向的薄膜的能力为离子多层技术开辟了更广泛的电、光学和传感器应用领域。此外，如果由电场或磁场诱导的开关在这种薄膜中是可能的，那么这种方法可能会产生许多新颖的智能材料。该项目的教育方面包括在化学工程课程中开设一门新课程，该课程涉及分子间相互作用和自组装的作用，涉及基本的化学工程问题。在教学、方法和范围的变化，本科高分子科学实验室和高分子合成课程也强调了分子尺度现象和结构-加工-性质关系的问题。最后，在职业项目中还包括一般的社区外展和一个专门为本科生和研究生少数民族学生和女学生提供指导的方案。

Abstract CTS-9702752 This Career project addresses a research and teaching career plan based on the idea of molecular design and structure into basic engineering principles and curricular. The molecular self-assembly, molecular order and processing to ultimately control material properties is the focus of the work described. Ionic multilayer assembly (also known layer-by-layer assembly) is a new means of forming ultrathin organic films by the sequential absorption of monolayers of polyions or bipolar organic molecules of alternating positive and negative charge. This method has won favor over traditional Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques for forming films with complex supramolecular architectures because the layer-by-layer techniques are simpler, considerably inexpensive, and highly versatile. Unfortunately, this technique has been limited thus far, because, unlike LB methods, there is no consistent means of introducing molecular scale ordering within the layers of the adsorbed films. In this project liquid crystalline polymers are used to introduce order in the ionic multilayer assembly process. The ability to create films with a specific desired molecular orientation opens the ionic multilayer technique to a broader range of electrical, optical, and sensor applications. Furthermore, if switching induced by an electrical or magnetic field is possible in such films, a number of novel smart materials may result from this approach. The educational aspect of the project includes the development of a new course in the chemical engineering curriculum which addresses the role of intermolecular interactions and self-assembly with respect to basic chemical engineering problems. Changes in the teaching, approach and scope of an undergraduate polymer science laboratory and a polymer synthesis course are also addressed with emphasis on the issues of molecular scale phenomena and structure-processing-property relationships. Finally, general community outreach and a specific program for the men toring of undergraduate and graduate minority and women students is included in the Career project.