Publications

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A molecular-scale interpretation of interfacial processes is often downplayed in the analysis of traditional water treatment methods. However, such an approach is critical for the development of enhanced performance in traditional desalination and water treatments. Water confined between surfaces, within channels, or in pores is ubiquitous in technology and nature. Its physical and chemical properties in such environments are unpredictably different from bulk water. As a result, advances in water desalination and purification methods may be accomplished through an improved analysis of water behavior in these challenging environments using state-of-the-art microscopy, spectroscopy, experimental, and computational methods.

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Low solid interfacial energy and fractally rough surface topography confer to Lotus plants superhydrophobic (SH) properties like high contact angles, rolling and bouncing of liquid droplets, and self-cleaning of particle contaminants. This project exploits the porous fractal structure of a novel, synthetic SH surface for aerosol collection, its self-cleaning properties for particle concentration, and its slippery nature 3 to enhance the performance of fluidic and MEMS devices. We propose to understand fundamentally the conditions needed to cause liquid droplets to roll rather than flow/slide on a surface and how this %22rolling transition%22 influences the boundary condition describing fluid flow in a pipe or micro-channel. Rolling of droplets is important for aerosol collection strategies because it allows trapped particles to be concentrated and transported in liquid droplets with no need for a pre-defined/micromachined fluidic architecture. The fluid/solid boundary condition is important because it governs flow resistance and rheology and establishes the fluid velocity profile. Although many research groups are exploring SH surfaces, our team is the first to unambiguously determine their effects on fluid flow and rheology. SH surfaces could impact all future SNL designs of collectors, fluidic devices, MEMS, and NEMS. Interfaced with inertial focusing aerosol collectors, SH surfaces would allow size-specific particle populations to be collected, concentrated, and transported to a fluidic interface without loss. In microfluidic systems, we expect to reduce the energy/power required to pump fluids and actuate MEMS. Plug-like (rather than parabolic) velocity profiles can greatly improve resolution of chip-based separations and enable unprecedented control of concentration profiles and residence times in fluidic-based micro-reactors. Patterned SH/hydrophilic channels could induce mixing in microchannels and enable development of microflow control elements. Acknowledgements This work was funded by Sandia National Laboratory's Laboratory Directed Research & Development program (LDRD). Some coating processes were conducted in the cleanroom facility located at the University of New Mexico's Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM). SEM images were performed at UNM's Center for Micro-Engineering on equipment funded by a NSF New Mexico EPSCoR grant. 4

A gecko's extraordinary ability to suspend itself from walls and ceilings of varied surface roughness has interested humans for hundreds of years. Many theories and possible explanations describing this phenomenon have been proposed including sticky secretions, microsuckers, and electrostatic forces; however, today it is widely accepted that van der Waals forces play the most important role in this type of dry adhesion. Inarguably, the vital feature that allows a gecko's suspension is the presence of billions 3 of tiny hairs on the pad of its foot called spatula. These features are small enough to reach within van der Waals distances of any surface (spatula radius %7E100 nm); thus, the combined effect of billions of van der Waals interactions is more than sufficient to hold a gecko's weight to surfaces such as smooth ceilings or wet glass. Two lithographic approaches were used to make hierarchal structures with dimensions similar to the gecko foot dimensions noted above. One approach combined photo-lithography with soft lithography (micro-molding). In this fabrication scheme the fiber feature size, defined by the alumina micromold was 0.2 um in diameter and 60 um in height. The second approach followed more conventional photolithography-based patterning. Patterned features with dimensions %7E0.3 mm in diameter by 0.5 mm tall were produced. We used interfacial force microscopy employing a parabolic diamond tip with a diameter of 200 nm to measure the surface adhesion of these structures. The measured adhesive forces ranged from 0.3 uN - 0.6 uN, yielding an average bonding stress between 50 N/cm2 to 100 N/cm2. By comparison the reported literature value for the average stress of a Tokay gecko foot is 10 N/cm2. Acknowledgements This work was funded by Sandia National Laboratory's Laboratory Directed Research & Development program (LDRD). All coating processes were conducted in the cleanroom facility located at the University of New Mexico's Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM). SEM images were performed at UNM's Center for Micro-Engineering on equipment funded by a NSF New Mexico EPSCoR grant. 4

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Our discovery that the introduction of living cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) alters dramatically the evaporation driven self-assembly of lipid-silica nanostructures suggested the formation of novel bio/nano interfaces useful for cellular interrogation at the nanoscale. This one year ''out of the box'' LDRD focused on the localization of metallic and semi-conducting nanocrystals at the fluid, lipid-rich interface between S. cerevisiae and the surrounding phospholipid-templated silica nanostructure with the primary goal of creating Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)-active nanostructures and platforms for cellular integration into electrode arrays. Such structures are of interest for probing cellular responses to the onset of disease, understanding of cell-cell communication, and the development of cell-based bio-sensors. As SERS is known to be sensitive to the size and shape of metallic (principally gold and silver) nanocrystals, various sizes and shapes of nanocrystals were synthesized, functionalized and localized at the cellular surface by our ''cell-directed assembly'' approach. Laser scanning confocal microscopy, SEM, and in situ grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) experiments were performed to study metallic nanocrystal localization. Preliminary Raman spectroscopy studies were conducted to test for SERS activity. Interferometric lithography was used to construct high aspect ratio cylindrical holes on patterned gold substrates and electro-deposition experiments were performed in a preliminary attempt to create electrode arrays. A new printing procedure was also developed for cellular integration into nanostructured platforms that avoids solvent exposure and may mitigate osmotic stress. Using a different approach, substrates comprised of self-assembled nanoparticles in a phospholipid templated silica film were also developed. When printed on top of these substrates, the cells integrate themselves into the mesoporous silica film and direct organization of the nanoparticles to the cell surface for integration into the cell.

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Thin films of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) doped with perylene provide selective, robust and easily prepared optical sensor films for NO2 gas with suitable response times for materials aging applications. The materials are readily formed as 200 nm thin spin cast films on glass from chlorobenzene solution. The fluorescence emission of the films (λmax = 442 nm) is quenched upon exposure to NO2 gas through an irreversible reaction forming non-fluorescent nitroperylene. Infrared, UV-VIS and fluorescence spectroscopies confirmed the presence of the nitro adduct in the films. In other atmospheres examined, such as air and 1000 ppm concentrations of SO2, CO, Cl2 and NH3, the films exhibited no loss of fluorescence intensity over a period of days to weeks. Response curves were obtained for 1000, 100 and 10 ppm NO2 at room temperature with equilibration times varying from hours to weeks. The response curves were fit using a numerical solution to the coupled diffusion and a nonlinear chemical reaction problem assuming that the situation is reaction limiting. The forward reaction constant fitted to experimental data was kf to approximately 0.06 (ppm min)-1.

This report summarizes research on the aging of Class I components in environments representative of nuclear power plants. It discusses Class IE equipment used in nuclear power plants, typical environments encountered by Class IE components, and aging techniques used to qualify this equipment. General discussions of radiation chemistry of polymers and accelerated aging techniques are also included. Based on the inadequacies of present aging techniques for Class IE equipment, a proposal for an experimental program on electrical cables is presented. One of the main purposes of the proposed work is to obtain relevant data in two areas of particular concern--the effect of radiation dose rate on polymer degradation, and the importance of synergism for combined thermal and radiation environments. A new model that allows combined environment accelerated aging to be carried out is introduced, and it is shown how the experimental data to be generated can be used to test this model.