Self and guided assembly of colloids at air-water and substrate -water interfaces
Abstract
This dissertation presents the development and study of new techniques for fabricating functional nano/microstructures on surfaces or at interfaces by self- and guided assembly of colloids and block copolymers at the corresponding surfaces or interfaces. Fundamental issues related to four different fabrication techniques are discussed. The first method investigated utilizes polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) patterns created by soft lithography as surface templates for producing 2-D ordered arrays of colloidal particles with programmed symmetries. The second technique works by transferring a Langmuir monolayer of colloids initially constructed at the air-water interface onto a micro-patterned substrate by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition technique; this novel technique developed in our laboratory allows us to fabricate 2-D colloid crystals with unprecedented precision and efficiency. The third is the formation of binary colloidal crystals by spontaneous organization of bidisperse colloid mixtures at the air-water interface under certain thermodynamic parameter conditions. The last topic concerns a new method developed in this thesis work for fabrication of polymer/polyelectrolyte brushes having grafting density gradients. Through combined experimental and theoretical investigations, the research discussed in this thesis explores how, in each of these cases, various thermodynamic and process parameters impact the quality and properties of the resultant colloid/polymer assemblies thus produced.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Won, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Chemical engineering
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