The research exploits interface dynamics and near-substrate electric field to manipulate materials at the nanoscale. Polymer films are heated to above the glass transition temperature to obtain enough mobility. The polymer-air or polymer-polymer interfaces migrate under the substrate electric field, forming morphological patterns. Diverse nanostructures are created, erased or recreated dynamically by adjusting the field distribution. Light from a laser will be utilized to produce local heating in a 'dot-matrix' fashion to pattern nanoscale features. The research will reveal the dependencies of the morphology and pattern of nanostructures on the processing parameters. The combined experimental and computational work will address fundamental issues such as the matter and interface interaction with in-plane electric field, interface energetics and transport properties, the substrate effect, and the influence of field frequency/phase.
The ability of designing and constructing useful structures at the nanometer length scale promises to have a dramatic impact on the future. A main challenge has been to produce them efficiently and economically. The proposed research allows constructing nanostructures and devices with greater ease, flexibility and lower cost, which would benefit a wide range of applications from organic memory devices, reconfigurable sensors, to nanopatterning of polymers for healthcare. The research also provides unique educational opportunities for the students. The acquired knowledge will be incorporated into a graduate course on nanostructure evolution and simulation. Undergraduate students will gain valuable research experience through the design course and the summer research opportunity program.
