CAREER: Functional Nanostructures of Core-Shell Metal Oxides Within ABC Triblock Copolymer Templates

总体目标是开发具有独特微波和磁性能的新型核壳功能纳米结构，这些纳米结构在散装材料中是不可用的。应用于通信，计算机硬件和磁存储系统。主要目标是将金属氧化物纳米团簇纳入ABC三嵌段共聚物模板的自组装纳米畴中，并由于纳米畴的核壳结构而制造出具有改善磁性和微波性能的功能纳米结构。将探索的一个研究领域与下一代磁存储有关。目前有相当大的努力旨在创建每平方英寸100 Gbit的存储系统。这种存储系统中单个存储元件的尺寸在50-100纳米之间。这种方法将使我们能够在这个尺寸范围内创建核壳磁性氧化物颗粒，并将它们限制在核壳ABC三嵌段共聚物纳米形态中。核壳纳米形貌会导致矫顽力的增强。将金属氧化物材料插入到廉价、可制造的聚合物基体中，将大大降低功能性纳米结构器件的成本。将巨磁阻抗金属氧化物限制在三嵌段共聚物核壳纳米模板中可以制备出独立的薄膜，提高了薄膜的微波吸收性能。教育活动包括本科生和研究生教学，开发新的高分子合成研究生课程，显著提高材料特性本科课程的内容，研究生指导和本科生研究参与和指导的各种机会。K-12学生也将通过互动网页从拟议计划中的教育活动中受益。

The overall goal is the development of novel core-shell functional nanostructures having unique microwave and magnetic properties, which are not available in the bulk. Applications are sought in communications, computer hardware and magnetic storage systems. The primary objective is to incorporate metal oxide nanoclusters into the self-assembled nanodomains of ABC triblock copolymer templates, and to fabricate functional nanostructures exhibiting improved magnetic and microwave properties due to the core-shell structure of the nanodomains. One area of research which will be explored is relevant to the next generation of magnetic storage. There is currently considerable effort aimed at creating the 100 Gbit per square inch storage systems. The sizes of individual storage elements in such a memory system are in the range of 50-100 nm. This approach will enable us to create core-shell magnetic oxide particles, in this size range and confine them into core-shell ABC triblock copolymer nanomorphologies. The core-shell nanomorphology will result in an enhancement of the coercivity. The insertion of metal oxide materials into a cheap, manufacturable polymeric matrix would considerably reduce the cost of the functional nanostructured device. The confinement of colossal magnetoimpedance metallic oxides in a triblock copolymer core-shell nanotemplate can produce a free-standing film, with improved microwave absorption properties.The education activities include undergraduate and graduate teaching, development of a new graduate course in Polymer Synthesis, and significantly improving the content of an undergraduate course in Materials Properties, graduate student advising and various opportunities in undergraduate research involvement and mentoring. K-12 students will also benefit from education activities in the proposed program, through an interactive web page.