The development of improved resist materials and processes for use in semiconductor device manufacturing is an area of research interest among several of the Chemical Engineering and Chemistry faculty. This research includes components of computer modeling and simulation, synthetic organic chemistry, polymer synthesis and characterization, photochemistry, and studies of the dissolution and transport process in thin films as a function of composition and process variables. A primary goal of this research is the rational design of new radiation sensitive materials. Other research projects on polymer thin films include confinement effects on miscibility in blends, polymer chain dynamics and self assembly of block copolymers on substrates. Tools including computer simulations, atomic force microscopy, near-field microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and neutron reflectivity, rheology are often used to address many of these problems.
Several projects involve cellulose modification during synthesis.
Using modern molecular biology approaches, genetic improvement of natural cellulose biosynthesis is being studied in systems such as cotton, trees, and bacteria. Isolation and purification of enzymes and proteins involved in cellulose polymerization and crystallization have provided novel tools to better understand cellulose assembly in living cells. Other topics include the abiogenic assembly of cellulose in the test tube using purified cellulases in organic solvents. In addition, active development in fermentation technology is underway for the eventual industrial production of novel cellulose membranes, gels, fibers, and other structural materials. The nonlinear optical materials research is focused on poled polymers for use in electro-optic applications.