Title: Nanomaterials Patterning Involving Undergraduates at Illinois State University

The use of nanomaterials for the fabrication of different optical, magnetic, chemical, biomedical, and microelectronics devices has received tremendous attention because of lower power consumption, faster response, and higher performance. Patterns of these nanomaterials with a tunable structure, size, and composition are critical for achieving the precision necessary to make these emerging devices. In our experimental physics laboratory at Illinois State University, we use self-assembled patterned block copolymers (BCPs) as templates in a process called sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) to fabricate nanopatterns by selectively infiltrating inorganic material inside the polymer. During our study, we have explored different BCPs as templates for SIS, including poly(styrene-b-methylmethacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) and polystyrene-block-poly(α-caprolactone) (PS-b-PCL). In our lab, using these nanostructures of BCP as guiding patterns, we fabricate nanopatterns of various inorganic materials such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and aluminum nitrides (AlN). We characterize these nanopatterned structures using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In our presentation, we will discuss the fabrication process of nanomaterials using BCP and SIS and will show the structural and physical properties of the fabricated nanostructures.