Molecularly Organized Nanostructural Materials (Greg Exarhos's BES Project - 12152)
EMSL Project ID
13500
Abstract
Molecularly Organized Nanostructural Materials - Materials synthesis approaches are designed to achieve targeted nanoarchitectures through control of chemical reactivity at interfaces. Molecular templating routes invoke structure-directing properties of chemically tailored surfactants or copolymers to induce ordering through manipulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions of the precursor reagents. This affords not only the opportunity to self-assemble hierarchical structures from the ground up but also allows exact replication of biological structures in a ceramic material complete with pore architecture and pore interconnectivity. Such materials are in great demand as a result of their high surface area and ability to sequester targeted molecules and ions. In addition, such structures when appropriately functionalized, can function as chemical nano-factories where confinement and local pore chemistries act in consort to promote specific chemical reactions. The research agenda also focuses on chemical approaches to producing supra-molecular cage-like structures where the equilibrium shape can be regulated by the ambient chemical and/or thermal environment. Characterization approaches rely heavily on non-conventional magnetic resonance and optical spectroscopic methods that are augmented by electron microscopy, both neutron and x-ray scattering methods, and force microscopy measurements. The chemical robustness, adsorption dynamics and molecular specificity, photophysical, and thermo-mechanical behavior of materials derived through this approach also are evaluated. A key element of the project involves a multilaboratory effort directed toward developing artificial materials having architectured meso- and microporosity followed by analysis that invokes the powerful technique of hyperpolarized 127Xe NMR spectroscopy to probe the resident porosity and its interconnectedness. This core research activity supports the Smart Polymers Thrust Area within the DOE Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2005-02-28
End Date
2007-06-04
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
?Green? approach for self-assembly of platinum nanoparticles into nanowires in aqueous glucose solutions. Y. Shin, I.-T. Bae, G. J. Exarhos, Colloids and Surfaces A In press.
Oh TK, JY Kim, Y Shin, MH Engelhard, and KS Weil. 2011. "Effects of Tungsten Oxide Addition on the Electrochemical Performance of Nanoscale Tantalum Oxide-Based Electrocatalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane PEM Fuel Cells." Journal of Power Sources 196(15):6099-6103. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2011.03.058
Shin Y, GA Baker, LQ Wang, and GJ Exarhos. 2008. "Investigation of the hygroscopic growth of self-assembled layers of N-alkyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bromides at the interface between air and organic salt ." Colloids and Surfaces. A, Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 318(1-3):254-258. doi:10.1016/j.colsurfa.2007.12.045
Shin Y, IT Bae, BW Arey, and GJ Exarhos. 2008. "Facile stabilization of gold-silver alloy nanoparticles on cellulose nanocrystal." Journal of Physical Chemistry C 112(13):4844-4848. doi:10.1021/jp710767w
Shin Y, LQ Wang, IT Bae, BW Arey, and GJ Exarhos. 2008. "Hydrothermal Syntheses of Colloidal Carbon Spheres from Cyclodextrins." Journal of Physical Chemistry C 112(37):14236-14240. doi:10.1021/jp801343y