Self-Assembly of Organic/Inorganic Superlattice Structures May Enable Novel Photonic Devices
- PDF / 76,414 Bytes
- 1 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 25 Downloads / 173 Views
RESEARCH/RESEARCHERS
Self-Assembly of Organic/ Inorganic Superlattice Structures May Enable Novel Photonic Devices Novel organic-based electro-optic (EO) components have the potential to greatly increase the rates of information transmission. The preparation of an organic EO superlattice consisting of layers of chromophore molecules separated by polysiloxane films was recently reported by M.E. van der Boom and T.J. Marks of Northwestern University and their colleagues both at Northwestern and the University of Arizona. The intrinsically acentric superlattice was prepared by a simple and efficient “one-pot” wet chemical self-assembly procedure and exhibited high structural regularity and excellent EO response properties. The researchers said that the material, synthetic method, and nanoscale control of the fabrication may contribute to a simplified method of macroscopic device fabrication. As communicated in the January issue of Chemistry of Materials, the superlattice was prepared by allowing a layer of chromophore molecules to chemisorb onto a hydrophilic substrate, chemically de-protecting the chromophore film, and growing a thin polysiloxane layer (–SiO2 –) which is capable of covalently binding another layer of chromophore molecules. The researchers used the known chromophore 4-[[4-[N,N-[(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)ethyl]amino]phenyl]azo]pyridine, which was modified with an n-propyl-3trimethoxysilane functionality to allow strong covalent binding to silicon, glass, or indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates. The chromophore layer was then treated with n-Bu4NF to remove the t-butyldimethylsilyl protecting groups, resulting in a large density of reactive surface hydroxyl sites. The de-protected chromophores were treated with a hep-
SBIR Update Update SBIR
MATECH Advanced Advanced Materials Materials MATECH (Westlake Village, Village, California) California) has has (Westlake been awarded awarded aa Phase Phase II SBIR SBIR grant grant been from the the U.S. U.S. National National Science Science from Foundation to to develop develop aa new new class class Foundation of photocurable photocurable preceramic preceramic polypolyof mers to to silicon silicon nitride, nitride, an an advanced advanced mers ceramicmaterial. material. ceramic Powdermet, Inc. Inc. (Sun (Sun Valley, Valley, Powdermet, California) has has been been granted granted aa sixsixCalifornia) month Phase Phase II SBIR SBIR contract contract from from month the Department Department of of Energy Energy to to further further the develop nanoengineered, nanoengineered, oxide-disoxide-disdevelop persion-strengthened iron iron alualupersion-strengthened minidepowders. powders. minide
MRS BULLETIN/MARCH 2001
Schematic representation of iterative self-assembly of acentric organic/inorganic superlattice structures. Reproduced with permission from Chem. Mater. 13 (2001) p. 16. Copyright 2001 American Chemical Society.
tane solution of octachlorotrisiloxane, which cross-linked and capped the chromophores with a robust polysiloxane film. The formati
Data Loading...
