Polymer as Structure Director in Colloid Self-assembly

Sangwoo Lee

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering,

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Abstract:

Close-packed structures are one of the fundamental crystal classes in numerous materials, such as elements, nanoparticles, and even stacked oranges on grocery stands. Despite the importance of close-packed structures for practical applications and scientific understanding of the origin of crystalline states, how a material system selects and stabilizes a specific polytype among its close-packed structures is still poorly understood. We investigated the polytypism of block copolymer colloids self-assembling on close-packed structures. Our observation suggests that polymer chains in the interstitial space of block copolymer colloids serve as the hidden structure director for a polytype in the phase space: polymer chains prefer to accommodate the Gaussian conformations, and a polytype offering a larger interstitial site space for the chains is stabilized. This finding suggests an unrealized importance and utility of the interstitial space in the directed self-assembly of colloids.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI):

RPI is a private university established in 1824 and located in Troy, New York. As the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world, RPI has been one of the leading institutions in science and engineering education and forefront research. The Howard Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) was established in 1914, and the CBE department has attracted talented students from all over the world through its rigorous education program, cutting-edge research opportunities, and highly competitive financial assistance. The CBE faculty are leaders in the Chemical Engineering and related research fields, and 3 members of 14 tenured/tenure-track faculty are members of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States. Currently, the CBE awards 74 B.S., 8 M.E./M.S., and 14 Ph.D. degrees yearly average.

* Refreshments and giveaways will be available for students attending this seminar.

○ 일시 : 2023년 11월 8일 14:00 ~ 15:00

○ 장소 : 공대 5호관 203호 (연진학실)

관련 연구와 RPI 소개, 미국 유학관련 정보를 나누는 자리가 있다고 하니, 관심있는 학생들의 많은 참여 바랍니다. (기념품과 피자 준비 예정)