This Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Team (NIRT), co-funded by the Divisions of Materials Research (DMR) and Electrical and Communications Systems (ECS) will use a combination of macromolecular engineering, self-assembly and solid state chemistry to develop a new generation of well-defined nanostructured carbons for electronics. This approach is based on controlled pyrolysis of self-organizing condensed phase precursors, such as well-defined block copolymers containing polyacrylonitrile, prepared using controlled radical polymerization techniques. The carbon materials, as a consequence of the self-organized nanoscale morphology of the block copolymer precursors, will exhibit a wide range of well-defined nanostructures of different dimensionalities (dots, filaments, lamellae, and complex three-dimensional architectures). The team will undertake a concentrated, systematic, interdisciplinary effort to map the phase diagrams of the block copolymer precursors and resulting nanostructured carbons, and determine the relationship between the molecular compositions and processing conditions and the resulting nanostructure and electronic properties. Particular emphasis will be given on the establishment of the relationship between the pyrolysis conditions and the resulting carbon nanostructures, and their electronic properties. %%% Novel nanostructured carbon materials obtained through this effort could potentially find a wide range of electronic device applications ranging from field emission flat panel displays to sensors and actuators, as well as, environmentally friendly devices for energy conversion (photovoltaic cells) and energy storage (supercapacitors). The team will develop prototypes for some of the most promising of these applications and will identify the nanostructures/properties most desirable for each.. The proposed synthetic methods are potentially scalable for use in commodity, engineering carbons. Thus it is anticipated that the research results may provide a basis for practical large-scale technologies. The team has ties to industry, through the Atom Transfer Polymerization/Controlled Radical Polymerization Consortium housed at Carnegie Mellon. Strong industrial participation in this consortium will facilitate transfer of information and technology generated by the proposed activities and will provide a starting point for industrial partnerships. The broader educational impacts of the team's efforts will include training graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a highly interdisciplinary environment. The members of the team will also participate in Carnegie Mellon's Science-Van K-12 outreach program, developing units aimed at acquainting students with nanoscience and nanotechnology. ***
