RUI: Electronic Device Fabrication Based on Conducting Polymer Nanofibers: Motivating Undergraduate Students Towards Research in Materials Science

该项目始于三年前，由NSF资助，用于制备导电聚合物纳米纤维，基于这些纳米纤维的设备制造，以及激励本科生攻读科学和工程研究生学位。采用静电纺丝技术制备了纳米纤维。在这项更新提案中，我们将扩展过去在基于聚合物纳米纤维的器件制造方面所做的工作，还包括使用原子力显微镜（AFM）在纳米级水平上探测这些导电聚合物纳米纤维的电荷传输特性。聚合物纳米纤维也将使用界面聚合技术生产。交叉聚合物纳米纤维也将进行研究，以了解所产生的纳米结的电性能，以及如何将纳米纤维连接在一起，形成多终端设备和最终复杂的电路。该建议的智力优点是与用于制备例如碳纳米管的其他复杂方法相比，使用静电纺丝技术或界面聚合技术可以容易地制备导电聚合物的纳米纤维。基于导电聚合物的设备的加工和制造相对容易且便宜。这具有能够制造大表面积柔性电子器件的潜力。我们还将使用一个偏置的原子力显微镜尖端，以局部探测（局部门控）的传导沿着的长度的聚合物导电，以研究的作用，导电缺陷，从而能够在导电聚合物的金属状态下，脱落额外的光。使用的AFM作为一个积极的工具，在个别聚合物纳米纤维和交叉纳米纤维的电特性还没有被详细研究相比，碳纳米管，所以提出的局部门控效应与AFM是可能导致新的结果，并建议新的实验方法（使用AFM）研究导电聚合物。这一提议的广泛影响是重大的。所有提出的实验都在本科生的智力掌握范围内，也旨在激励学生攻读科学和工程研究生课程。计划将基于拟议研究的修改实验纳入PI在过去五年中教授的中级实验室课程，从而将研究和教育结合起来。本提案中要求的工具将加强体制基础设施，增加教师合作，并对改善该岛东南部的研究设施产生更广泛的影响。这一提议还将增加参与科学研究的本科生人数，而这些本科生在科学和工程领域的代表性不足。最后，PI和他的部门同事写了一份建议，董事会的普遍定期审议开始在材料科学的新的硕士课程。这将是岛上独一无二的。通过改善研究基础设施和加强部门内的研究合作，该提案将帮助我们达到活跃于研究的教师的临界质量，从而提高我们在材料科学中成功的MS计划的机会。

This project began three years ago with NSF funding for the preparation of conducting polymer nanofibers, for device fabrication based on these nanofibers, and for motivating undergraduate students to pursue graduate degrees in science and engineering. The nanofibers were fabricated using the electrospinning technique. In this renewal proposal, we will extend the past work done on device fabrication based on polymer nanofibers and also include the use of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to probe at the nanoscale level, the charge transport properties of these conducting polymer nanofibers. Polymer nanofibers will also be produced using the interfacial polymerization technique. Crossed polymer nanofibers will also be studied in order to understand the electrical properties of the resulting nanojunction, and how to join nanofibers together to form multiterminal devices and ultimately complex circuits. The intellectual merit of this proposal is the ease with which nanofibers of conducting polymers can be prepared using the electrospinning technique or the interfacial polymerization technique as compared to other complex methods used to prepare for example carbon nanotubes. The processing and fabrication of devices based on conducting polymers is relatively easy and cheap. This has the potential of being able to fabricate large surface area flexible electronic devices. We will also use a biased AFM tip to locally probe (local gating) the conduction along the length of the polymer nanofiber in order to study the role of defects on electrical conduction and hence be able to shed additional light on the metallic state in conducting polymers. The use of the AFM as an active instrument in the electrical characterization of individual polymer nanofibers and crossed nanofibers has not been studied in detail as compared to carbon nanotubes and so the local gating effect proposed with the AFM is could lead to new results and suggest new experimental methods (using the AFM) of studying conducting polymers. The broader impact of this proposal is significant. All of the experiments proposed are within the intellectual grasp of undergraduate students and are also aimed at motivating the students to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. Modified experiments based on the proposed research are planned to be included into the Intermediate Laboratory course that the PI has taught for the last five years thus integrating research and education. The instrument requested in this proposal will strengthen the institutional infrastructure, increase faculty collaboration and also have a broader impact of improving the research facilities on the South-East part of the island. This proposal will also increase the number of undergraduate students that participate in scientific research and who are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering. Finally, the PI and his Departmental colleagues have written a proposal to the UPR board of directors to begin a new Master's program in Materials Science. This program will be unique on the island. By improving the research infrastructure and enhancing research collaboration within the Department, this proposal will help us reach a critical mass of faculty that are active in research and hence boost our chances of having a successful MS program in Materials Science.