Non-technical Abstract The combination of hard materials (ceramics or semiconductors) and soft materials (polymers) into a single construct enables technologies (e.g., soft electronics and low-cost sensors) with new forms and functions that promise to broadly impact areas such as health care, consumer electronics, and public safety; however, combining materials with such disparate properties (thermal, mechanical, chemical, etc.) directly into hybrid structures is challenging. In this project the research team investigates dynamic solution- and surface-chemical processes that provide new methods for the controlled synthesis of crystalline materials and their direct integration with soft materials yielding hybrid structures with useful properties (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). In complimentary activities, the principal investigator uses the methods and outcomes of the research activities in the creation of new educational curriculum and outreach activities that strengthen the tradition of innovation and the participation of underrepresented groups (especially Native American youths) in materials science in Nebraska.
With the support of the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research and the EPSCoR program, this project seeks to generate new approaches to controlling crystal growth that enable the direct fabrication of hybrid structures which combine soft materials with complex, three-dimensional, inorganic materials. Such seamless integration of components with exceedingly different properties (thermal and mechanical) cannot be achieved using traditional microfabrication. This project includes the following specific goals: (i) Utilize mechanical deformations of chemically functionalized soft polymers to actively control the synthesis, assembly, and 2D organization of hard materials enabling the fabrication of hybrid structures with reconfigurable properties. (ii) Synthesize hierarchical, 3D crystal morphologies and hybrid materials using the effects of flowing liquids in soft reactors. The approaches to controlling crystal growth under investigation emphasize dynamic manipulation of physical variables surface chemistry and fluid flow that go beyond those available in systems which use rigid materials or static conditions. Specifically, the deformation of elastomeric substrates provides a convenient way to reversibly change surface chemistry and manipulate the spatial organization of crystals; the flow of liquids in reactors can simultaneously tune the chemical and fluid-mechanical environments of crystals. These research activities contribute significantly to the realization of new, additive approaches to the direct production of functional, hybrid materials with applications in existing and emerging technologies including, microelectronics, energy, and soft, stretchable, and flexible electronics and sensors.
