Materials World Network: Condensation Fabrication of Nano/Micro Structured Organic Films

这个MWN（材料世界网络）项目是乔治亚理工学院和位于斯旺西的威尔士大学之间的联合研究和教育活动。该项目以制造有序的纳米/微孔有机材料为中心，使用一种简单而优雅的方法，在很短的时间内从各种聚合物中创造出三维有序的大孔结构。这是基于“呼吸图形”现象，即湿气在冷表面凝结的结果。水滴的自组装和结晶可以在聚合物薄膜中产生非常有序的二维和三维填充孔阵列，将用于从皮升“烧杯”到组织工程支架的各种应用。将研究呼吸图自组装过程中涉及的化学物理现象——成核和生长、非聚结、表面张力驱动的不稳定性、球体的包装和热/质量输运。研究的目的是确定在挥发性流体表面形成的呼吸图形的生长规律，以及导致水滴不聚结的机制。这些测量将使用高速视频显微镜进行。该项目的一个重要特点是非常重视教育，强调与研究的结合，以及提供科学和教育效益的国际合作。这些包括：跨学科和国际研究机会，综合研究和教育，以及“最佳实践”方法，该方法将利用国际团体在多个教育水平上的专业知识和多样性。

This MWN (Materials World Network) project is a joint research and education activity between Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Wales, in Swansea. The project is centered around fabricating ordered nano/microporous organic materials, using a simple but elegant way to create macroporous structures with three-dimensional order from a variety of polymers in a very short time. This is based on the phenomenon of "breath figures", the result of moisture condensing on a cold surface. The self-assembly and crystallization of water droplets to produce a very ordered array of two- and three-dimensionally packed holes in a polymer film will be used in applications ranging from picoliter "beakers" to scaffolds for tissue engineering. The chemical physics of phenomena involved during the self-assembly of breath figures--nucleation and growth, noncoalescence, surface tension driven instabilities, packing of spheres and heat/mass transport -- will be studied. The goal of the research is to determine the growth laws for breath figures formed over a volatile fluid surface, and the mechanism that leads to noncoalescence of the water droplets. These measurements will be made using a high-speed video microscopy.An important feature of the project is the strong emphasis on education, with emphasis on its integration with research, and an international collaboration providing both scientific and educational benefits. These include: interdisciplinary and international research opportunities, integrated research and education, and a "best practices" approach which will take advantage of the expertise and diversity of an international group at multiple educational levels.