IRGs

IRG2 seeks to understand the science, technology, and fabrication of large-scale ordered structures with features on the nanometer to micrometer scale. Substrates of square centimeters in area covered with trillions of organic or inorganic structures could be employed in nanofilters, sensors, catalytic supports, quantum dots, optical devices, and ultradense memories. Current foci of research include single-nanodomain-thick block copolymers aligned by stress; highly-regular micron-scale pattern formation guided by fluid instabilities coupled with the charge distribution on confining plates; and the simultaneous synthesis and alignment of nanoporous silicates using applied electric fields. A close coupling with theory spanning from the molecular to the mesoscopic level aids in interpreting and guiding the experiments.