Publications Details

Solvation Effects in Self-Assembled Systems

Frink, L.J.D.

Many types of self-assembly can be found in nature. They include crystallization, the formation of micelles, and the folding of proteins. Recently there has been much interest in pursuing nano-to-microscopically engineered materials by way of self-assembly on imprinted or templated surfaces. In all of these diverse cases, wetting plays a critical role in the assembly process. Wetting involves the interactions of the substrate or amphiphilic molecule or macromolecule with a solvent. In many self-assembled systems we find that the critical feature of the system is a substrate! or macromolecule with a both hydrophilic and hydrophobic nature. In this paper we discuss the wetting properties of a striped surface where the stripes represent alternating chemical characteristics. We show how the chemical heterogeneity affects the wetting properties of the surface (e.g. the static contact angle), and discuss the length limitations on the soft lithography approach. In this paper, the wetting of a chemically heterogeneous surface is studied using a nonlocal Density Functional Theory (DFT). The results for the heterogeneous surface model we discuss have immediate implications for soft-lithography by self-assembly. It also lends fundamental insight into the mechanisms controlling self-assembly of macromolecules. We present the results of nonlocal 2D DFT calculations on the wetting properties of chemically heterogeneous surfaces. These calculations showed complex density distributions and phase behavior as a result of the heterogeneity. The location of the wetting transition are found to be strongly dependent on the extent and strength of the heterogeneity, and complete wetting was suppressed altogether if the hydrophobic parts of the surface were large enough. In these cases, the condensed nanophase may crystallize if the hydrophilic surface-fluid interactions are strong enough. By exploring the phase space including strength of hydrophilic interactions and extent of chemical heterogeneity, an operational phase diagram was established that could be used for designing nanoscopically tailored devices and materials.