Broader Aspects of Research Accomplishments

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Broader Aspects of Research Accomplishments
The work on the remarkable symmetry-breaking
phase transition in multilayers of spherical
domain block copolymers forms a major part of the
PhD thesis of Gila Stein. Besides her
considerable experimental skill, Gila has proved
adept at collaborating with Glenn Fredrickson and
his post-docs, Eric Cochran and Kirill Katsov.
This collaboration has led to an explanation of
the phase transition in the context of a
Landau-type theory, using self-consistent field
theory based simulations to demonstrate the
competition between the packing preferred in the
bulk with that at the interfaces. Gila has also
recently demonstrated that the multilayers melt
at a higher temperature than monolayers and plans
to apply for a NRC post-doc, which she will start
in late 2006/early 2007.
Se Gyu Jang, seen above using the scanning force
microscope, is a PhD student in ChE at KAIST in
the group of Sueng Man Yang. Se Gyu has spent
the last year in the Kramer group at UCSB
learning to combine the graphoepitaxy methods
for aligning and eliminating defects in cylinder
forming block copolymer worked out under NSF
support by Matt Hammond (PhD 05) as well as the
techniques for crosslinking and incorporating
SiO2 precursors into P2VP domains to produce
inorganic-organic hybrid films developed by Ryan
Hayward (PhD 04) . The aim, in addition to
establishing strong links between the Yang and
Kramer labs, is incorporate the etch resistance
necessary for nanopatterning inorganic substrates
into defect free block copolymer monolayers.
Gila Stein is shown here adjusting the position
of a GISAXS sample at the APS at Argoone National
Lab. Gila was a ChE undergraduate at Drexel and
has been an REU mentor for Hector Cota in the
summer of 2004