This research focuses on the development of a simple and inexpensive platform to pattern soft and hard nanoscale materials over wafer-sized areas. The majority of this work exploits advances in soft nanolithography and free-floating and flexible gold masks perforated with nanoholes to pattern chemical, biological, and inorganic materials at the nanoscale level. These nanomanufacturing methods can achieve, in parallel, sub-100 nm patterns with sub-100 nm separations over several square inches. The multi-scale and nanoscale patterns are simply determined by the master. The outcomes of this new soft nanomanufacturing platform will drive scientific prospects, such as architectures for multiplexed chemical and biological sensing and unique hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials for direct integration with chip-based processing. The educational and outreach goals of this work focus on integrating nanofabrication research into the classroom. Domestically, three efforts will be carried out: (1) research-based courses on nanopatterning for freshmen and sophomores sponsored by an NSF-Nanotechnology in Undergraduate Education award (lab modules for the experiments at www.nanoed.org/courses/nano_experiments_menu.html); (2) contributing content to a self-assembly/nanopatterning working group as part of the NSF-National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering; and (3) delivery of public lectures on nanotechnology that also involve live demonstrations. Internationally, the leading of hands-on nanotechnology workshops such as the one at the African Materials Research Society (2007) will continue. Here, professors and students were taught benchtop nanopatterning experiments based on CDs and soft lithography.
