This CAREER award to Professor David Vanden Bout of the University of Texas at Austin is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division. The primary research objective of the proposed work is the development of near field optical microscopic techniques to study the rigid rod polymer polyfluorene and the small molecule alpha sexithiophene. Both materials have great promise for applications in electronic devices and show properties that are dependent on the thin film morphology. The thin film morphology should be evident in the near field images obtained. The educational aspect of the proposal focuses on the development of a state of the art integrated laboratory course that introduces microscopy and spectroscopy to undergraduates, and works to improve scientific communications skills as well.
Near field microscopy is a relatively new optical technique that allows the viewing of very small structures on surfaces without optical distortion. In this project, Professor Vanden Bout will use the method to examine the shape and orientation of selected molecules held on a rigid insulating supporting surface. The molecules to be studied are those that will form the basis for the fabrication of molecular wires. Molecular wires are conductive paths only a few molecules thick and a few molecules wide that are the key to successful fabrication of the next generation of microchip electronic devices.
