N. J. Wagner, E. W. Kaler, E. M. Furst, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware

O. D. Velev, Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University

J. F. Brady, Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology

Fabricating nanostructured materials or nanoscale devices will most certainly employ self assembly. In particular, solution-phase self-assembly, which is the biological route to creating functional nanostructures, promises scientifically and economically viable ways to develop industrial nanotechnology. Engineering micro-to-nanoscale devices and nanostructured materials requires control and understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of self-assembly of nanoscale building blocks in solution. This process is hierarchical in nature, so that molecular-level physics and chemistry lead to interaction potentials between nanoparticles and solvent molecules, which under the right conditions can assembly into higher-order structures on the nano-to-micron scale with emergent functionality. However, to harness self-assembly for man-made applications a high level of ''direction and control'' are required. We propose an integrated scientific and educational program to develop novel routes using ''directed self assembly'' to manufacture nanoscale devices and advance the state of knowledge in the field of nanoscale manufacturing, including both rapid dissemination of our results and broader nanotechnology training. Directed self-assembly is the application of external fields (i.e., electric, optical, and flow) to bias or modulate thermodynamic and mechanical driving forces in order to assemble large numbers of particles in parallel with high selectivity and precision. To advance this technology, we have created a partnership of five researchers from three universities who have complementary talents and skills that, in combination, can develop new and valuable approaches to understand and control the interactions between colloidal & nanometer scale "building blocks", and then to manipulate those objects to form useful structures, devices, and prototypical nanoscale manufacturing schemes. Specifically, we propose a research program primarily designed to address the need to understand and control atomic and molecular interactions in nanoparticles and molecular assemblies to manufacture novel self-assembled microstructures with higher levels of functionality. Experimental techniques, such as DEP and optical tweezers, capable of controlling molecular-to-micron scale structure and dynamics will be developed, along with complementary theoretical modeling and simulations.