Nanoscale Multimaterials with Complex Anisotropies

Most of the current materials are isotropic, materials with anisotropic properties are in general much more difficult to prepare and much more difficult to characterize. In the past our team has introduced the so-called Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly method1,2) which has the largest choice of deployable components among all existing techniques for surface functionalization. It allows to design and prepare nanoscale materials composed of hundreds of different components with adjustable multifunctionality, a task close to impossible for most other self-assembly methods.
For the preparation of highly anisotropic nanocomposites we have recently introduced grazing incidence spraying3,4) (Fig. 1) for aligning nano-wires, nano-rods and nano-fibers in-plane during the deposition of individual layers when building up LbL-assemblies. With unidirectionally oriented multilayers one can for example fabricate multilayer films containing ultrathin polarizers4). Grazing incidence spraying is, however, capable of producing more complex anisotropies even over large surface areas by changing the direction of alignment in each individual layer of a multilayer films.

References:
1) See for example: Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Multifunctional Hybrid Materials and Nanoscale Devices, Seyrek E and Decher G
(2012). In: Polymer Science: A Comprehensive Reference, Vol 7, (2012) pp. 159–185, Matyjaszewski K. and Möller M. (eds.),
Amsterdam: Elsevier BV
2) G. Decher, Science 277 (5330), 1232-1237 (1997)
3) R. Blell, X.F. Lin, T. Lindstrøm, M. Ankerfors, M. Pauly, O. Felix and Gero Decher, ACS Nano 11(1), 84-94 (2016).
4) H. Hu, M. Pauly, O. Felix and G. Decher, Nanoscale 9(3), 1307-1314 (2016).
Bio: • 2004-2007 Membre nommé du Comité National (C.N.R.S., Section 11)
• since 2005 Co-Editor “Biointerphases” (American Institute of Physics)
• 2005 Chair Gordon Research Conference on "Ion-Containing Polymers", May 1-6,
2005, Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy, (Chairs: Gero Decher & Robert B. Moore)
• 2003 Chair Gordon Research Conference on "Organic Thin Films", May 18-23, 2003,
Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy
• 2001-2009 Deputy Director of the Institut Charles Sadron (CNRS, UPR 22)
• 2000-2005 Editorial Advisory Board "Nano Letters" (American Chemical Society)