Van Patten This award supports the PI to visit the laboratory of Harald Morgner of the Department of Chemistry and Mineralogy at the University of Leipzig, Germany. The purpose of the visit is to finalize plans for a joint research project on the structure and evolution of polyelectrolyte thin films during and after deposition. Thin film assembly has become a critical area of nanotechnology research over the past decade and Morgner is one of the few scientists in the world with the equipment and expertise to use low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy to perform concentration depth profiling of condensed materials over ranges of tens to hundreds of nanometers. Together, the US and German labs will use ISS to map the internal structure of polyelectrolyte thin films and to monitor the evolution of the films as a function of ambient conditions during and after deposition.
The broader impacts of this collaboration are that it increases interactions between US researchers and those in the former East Germany, it promotes collaborative opportunities and career development for US junior faculty, and it enhances the infrastructure for research and education by laying the groundwork for future international research and education opportunities.
