Abstract
Applications of block copolymer (BCP) thin films are diverse and range from organic photodiodes and high-density storage media to membrane separation applications. Challenges associated with the use of BCP thin films involve controlling organizational order over large areas and developing reliable strategies for templating and sequestration of “active” nanoparticles. Indeed, the processing of these materials to achieve the desired self-organization characteristics can be particularly complex, sometimes involving the use of external fields, substrates and the use of compressed fluid environments. Nanoparticles, homopolymers, various kinds of salts and substrates can a have a significant influence on the ordering transitions and structural evolution of these materials. This presentation will address two areas: (1) the role of interfaces on the structural evolution and the ordering transition; (2) the influence of a compressed fluid environment on the self-organization process. One specific topic of interest in this presentation will involve coarsening phenomena in BCPs; comparisons will be made with other physical systems.
Biography
Peter Green is Professor and Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. He also holds appointments in Chemical Engineering and in Applied Physics. He is currently the Chair of Solid State Sciences Committee of the National Academy of Sciences. He served as President-Elect, President, and is the current immediate past President of the Materials Research Society (MRS). He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in 1981 from Hunter College, N.Y. and a Ph.D. from Cornell in Materials Science and Engineering in 1985. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a recipient of an NSF Special Creativity Award, 2002. His current research interests include phase behavior of mixtures, self-assembly of block copolymers, interfacial instabilities and confinement effects in thin films. He is author of the book "Kinetics Transport and Structure in Hard and Soft Materials," Taylor and Francis, CRC Press.
