NIRT: Nanostructured Carbons from Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Precursors: From Synthesis and Characterization to Devices

由材料研究部（DMR）和电气与通信系统部（ECS）共同资助的这个纳米级跨学科团队（NIRT）将使用大分子工程，自组装和固态化学的组合来开发新一代定义明确的纳米结构碳电子产品。 这种方法是基于自组织凝聚相前体的受控热解，例如使用受控自由基聚合技术制备的含有聚丙烯腈的明确定义的嵌段共聚物。 作为嵌段共聚物前体的自组织纳米级形态的结果，碳材料将表现出各种不同维度的明确定义的纳米结构（点、丝、薄片和复杂的三维结构）。 该团队将进行集中，系统，跨学科的努力，绘制嵌段共聚物前体和所得纳米结构碳的相图，并确定分子组成和加工条件与所得纳米结构和电子性质之间的关系。 特别强调的是，将给予热解条件和所得的碳纳米结构之间的关系，以及它们的电子性质的建立。通过这种努力获得的新型纳米结构碳材料可能会发现广泛的电子设备应用，从场发射平板显示器到传感器和致动器，以及用于能量转换（光伏电池）和能量存储（超级电容器）的环境友好型设备。 该团队将为其中一些最有前途的应用开发原型，并将确定每种应用最理想的纳米结构/特性。 所提出的合成方法可能可扩展用于商品，工程碳。 因此，预计研究结果可能为实际的大规模技术提供基础。 该团队通过卡内基梅隆大学的原子转移聚合/受控自由基聚合联盟与工业界有联系。 工业界对这一联合体的有力参与将促进拟议活动产生的信息和技术的转让，并将为工业伙伴关系提供一个起点。 该团队努力的更广泛的教育影响将包括在高度跨学科的环境中培训研究生和本科生以及博士后研究员。该团队的成员还将参加卡内基梅隆大学的科学范K-12外展计划，开发旨在培养学生与纳米科学和纳米技术的单位。***

This Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Team (NIRT), co-funded by the Divisions of Materials Research (DMR) and Electrical and Communications Systems (ECS) will use a combination of macromolecular engineering, self-assembly and solid state chemistry to develop a new generation of well-defined nanostructured carbons for electronics. This approach is based on controlled pyrolysis of self-organizing condensed phase precursors, such as well-defined block copolymers containing polyacrylonitrile, prepared using controlled radical polymerization techniques. The carbon materials, as a consequence of the self-organized nanoscale morphology of the block copolymer precursors, will exhibit a wide range of well-defined nanostructures of different dimensionalities (dots, filaments, lamellae, and complex three-dimensional architectures). The team will undertake a concentrated, systematic, interdisciplinary effort to map the phase diagrams of the block copolymer precursors and resulting nanostructured carbons, and determine the relationship between the molecular compositions and processing conditions and the resulting nanostructure and electronic properties. Particular emphasis will be given on the establishment of the relationship between the pyrolysis conditions and the resulting carbon nanostructures, and their electronic properties. %%%Novel nanostructured carbon materials obtained through this effort could potentially find a wide range of electronic device applications ranging from field emission flat panel displays to sensors and actuators, as well as, environmentally friendly devices for energy conversion (photovoltaic cells) and energy storage (supercapacitors). The team will develop prototypes for some of the most promising of these applications and will identify the nanostructures/properties most desirable for each.. The proposed synthetic methods are potentially scalable for use in commodity, engineering carbons. Thus it is anticipated that the research results may provide a basis for practical large-scale technologies. The team has ties to industry, through the Atom Transfer Polymerization/Controlled Radical Polymerization Consortium housed at Carnegie Mellon. Strong industrial participation in this consortium will facilitate transfer of information and technology generated by the proposed activities and will provide a starting point for industrial partnerships. The broader educational impacts of the team's efforts will include training graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a highly interdisciplinary environment. The members of the team will also participate in Carnegie Mellon's Science-Van K-12 outreach program, developing units aimed at acquainting students with nanoscience and nanotechnology. ***