Polymer Interfaces and Materials Science
We conceptualize, design, synthesize, and fabricate new polymer materials with potential applications in high density 3D optical data storage, security data encryption, photonic band gap materials, confinement controlled synthesis of nanoparticles, and photo-thermally triggered drug release. We created a large number of novel approaches to polymer-based materials.In the first group of methods, polymer particles with dye-labeled rigid cores and optically inert soft shells formed films in which a periodic array of fluorescent particles was embedded in the optically inert matrix. We used the structure of this material for high-density 3D optical data storage: each optically sensitive fluorescent particle performed as a bit of information when its fluorescence was quenched by two-photon induced photobleaching. In the next step, the nanostructured material was derived from polymer multilayer particles comprising three distinct dyes in different layers. Using this material, we conducted selective photobleaching of the dyes to record up to three biometric features in the same location of the material. Each feature was selectively read by irradiating the material at a specific well-defined wavelength. The strategy provided the ability to realize a multiple modality approach to recording information in the composite material. In the second approach, we recorded in the polymer films full colour photographs with different shades of grey. The reported material has potential use as a medium for the recording of biometric features of holders of identification documents.
In another exemplary project, we conceptualized, synthesized and fabricated photonic crystals loaded with semiconductor quantum dots. For these materials, we demonstrated the coupling of structurally and angularly dependent resonances (arising from the periodicity of the material) and the optical properties of the quantum dots (providing spectral control through the quantum size effect). These materials hold promise for the fabrication of photonic band gap materials.
We also exploited polymer microgels as the microreactors for the synthesis of metal, semiconductor and magnetic particles with size-dependent properties that were pre-determined by the composition of microgels. Polymer microgels carrying inorganic nanoparticles were used for the fabrication of photonic crystals and for the photothermally triggered drug release.
(see also, Materials science in microfluidics).
Representative publications
- Kalinina, O. et al. A "Core-Shell" Approach to Producing 3D Polymer Nanocomposites. Macromolecules 32, 4122-4129 (1999).
- Siwick, B. et al. Polymer Nanostructured Material for High Density Three-Dimensional Optical Memory Storage. J. Appl. Phys. 90, 5328-5334 (2001).
- Lin, Y. et al. Photonic Pseudo-gap-based Modification of Photoluminescence from CdS Nanocrystal Satellites around Polymer Microspheres in a Photonic Crystal. Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 17 (2002)
- Zhang, J. et al. Microgel Reactors for Semiconductor, Metal and Magnetic Nanoparticles J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 26, 7908-7914 (2004) (highlighted in Science).
- Gorelikov, I. et al. Hybrid Microgels Photoresponsive in the Near-IR Spectral Range. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 126, 15938-15939 (2004).
- Pham, H. H. et al. Polymer Nanostructured Material: a Recording Medium for Biometric Features. J. Mater. Chem. 17, 523-526 (2007).
- Rao, B et al. Niche-mediated Control of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Differentiation. The European Mol. Biol. Org. (EMBO) Journal 26, 4744-4755 (2007)
- Nie, Z. et al. E. Patterning Surfaces with Functional Polymers. Nature Mater. 7, 277-290 (2008)