Materials World Network: Nanostructured Materials from Nanoparticle and Block Copolymer Assemblies for Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics

材料世界网络：用于纳米光子学和光电子学的纳米颗粒和嵌段共聚物组件的纳米结构材料

• 批准号: 1008125
• 负责人: Ulrich Wiesner
• 金额: $ 57万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-15 至 2014-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1008125&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Materials; World; Network; Nanostructured; Nanoparticle

This Materials World Network award supports an international team of researchers at Cornell (US), Imperial College (UK) and Oxford University (UK) to investigate the synthesis and characterization of novel classes of metal-based nano-structured particles and composites with well-defined geometry and connectivity. The materials are obtained by a modular bottom-up approach of metal-containing nanoparticles (NPs) with core-shell architecture as well as nanocomposites from metal NPs and block copolymers (BCs) as structure-directed agents. The aim of the program is to understand the underlying fundamental chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic formation principles enabling general and relatively inexpensive wet-chemistry methodologies for the efficient creation of multiscale functional metal materials with novel optical property profiles that may revolutionize the field of nanophotonics/plasmonics/ metamaterials, enabled by nm-scale control over the underlying structure over large dimensions. The proposed research includes synthesis of all necessary organic/polymer and inorganic components, characterization of assembly structures using various scattering, optical and electron microscopy techniques, as well as thorough investigations of their optical properties including simulation and modeling efforts, and work towards major novel optics in the form of sub-wavelength imaging, highly sensitive hot-spot arrays over macroscopic dimensions for sensing, and sub-wavelength waveguiding. While the main focus of the work lies on non-magnetic materials and the assessment of linear optical properties of the fabricated compounds, a crucial point of the investigations is finding synthesis approaches that can be generalized over a wider class of materials systems. A final thrust of the program addresses a particularly topical exploitation area, integrating specific plasmonic structures into hybrid solar cells and characterizing and optimizing plasmon enhanced photogeneration of charges and subsequent solar cell efficiency. Understanding the fundamental principles for successfully combining nanomaterials science with photonics/plasmonics in order to exert control over electromagnetic waves in deep sub-wavelength volumes will have profound impact in a broad range of areas. If successful, the project will provide advanced molecular design concepts for the next generation nanostructured materials in applications such as nanowaveguiding, single-molecule sensing and power generation (photovoltaics). Furthermore, discovering soft-matter, bottom-up approaches to co-assemble polymers and ceramics with metals could enable completely novel ways to organize matter into structures with functionalities not previously available. Team members are well-qualified bringing together unique expertise in the areas of hybrid materials synthesis and characterization, plasmonics and photovoltaics. The research project draws on a number of traditionally separated scientific disciplines, combining materials science with optics/nanophotonics and optoelectronics, thus providing a unique educational experience for students of all levels. The international collaboration will integrate research and education through a suite of proposed programs including international student exchanges, development of cyberinfrastructure, the participation of underrepresented groups, enhancement of infrastructure for research and education, and industrial outreach.

该材料世界网络奖为康奈尔大学，帝国学院（英国）和牛津大学（英国）的国际研究人员提供了支持，以研究具有明确定义的几何形状和连接性的新型金属纳米结构粒子和复合材料的合成和表征。这些材料是通过具有核心壳结构的金属纳米颗粒（NP）的模块化自下而上方法获得的，以及来自金属NP和块共聚物（BCS）的纳米复合材料作为结构定向剂。 The aim of the program is to understand the underlying fundamental chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic formation principles enabling general and relatively inexpensive wet-chemistry methodologies for the efficient creation of multiscale functional metal materials with novel optical property profiles that may revolutionize the field of nanophotonics/plasmonics/ metamaterials, enabled by nm-scale control over the underlying structure over large dimensions.拟议的研究包括合成所有必要的有机/聚合物和无机组件，使用各种散射，光学和电子显微镜技术对组件进行表征，以及对它们的光学特性的彻底研究，包括模拟和建模工作，以及以高波性敏感成像范围的台词和高度播放的序列式播放序列序列序列和高度启动式序列，并努力地朝着主要的光学范围内进行新颖的态度。尽管这项工作的主要重点在于非磁性材料以及对制造化合物的线性光学特性的评估，但研究的关键点是找到可以在更广泛的材料系统上推广的合成方法。该程序的最终推力解决了一个特别局部的开发区域，将特定的等离子结构整合到杂化太阳能电池中，并表征和优化等离子体增强了电荷的光生成以及随后的太阳能电池效率。了解成功将纳米材料科学与光子学/血浆的基本原理了解，以便在深层次波长中对电磁波的控制将在广泛的区域中产生深远的影响。如果成功，该项目将为下一代纳米结构的材料提供高级分子设计概念，例如纳米线引导，单分子传感和发电（Photovoltaics）。此外，发现与金属共同组装聚合物和陶瓷的软性，自下而上的方法可以使完全新颖的方法将物质组织成具有以前无法使用的功能的结构。团队成员合格地汇集了在混合材料综合和表征，等离子体和光伏的领域中的独特专业知识。该研究项目借鉴了许多传统上分离的科学学科，将材料科学与光学/纳米光学和光电子学相结合，从而为各个级别的学生提供了独特的教育经验。国际合作将通过一套拟议的计划来整合研究和教育，包括国际学生交流，网络基础设施的发展，代表性不足的群体的参与，研究和教育基础设施的增强以及工业外展活动。