Paul Nealey is a pioneer of directed self-assembly, which is becoming very important in microelectronics processing to create patterns for integrated circuits. He is one of the world’s leading experts on patterning organic materials, literally creating physical patterns of structure and composition in the materials at the nanometer length scale, where the patterns affect the function of the materials.
Many of Prof. Nealey’s collaborative projects with Prof. Juan de Pablo have focused on block copolymer films, which spontaneously self-assemble to form structures with dimensions that range from three to 50 nanometers. Nealey’s experimental and de Pablo’s computational teamwork extends even to jointly advised doctoral students. Their approach has become so powerfully productive that other institutions seek to replicate their formula for success with their own research teams.
Nealey’s interest in tissue engineering of corneal prosthetic devices, pursued in collaboration with a veterinary ophthalmologist, demonstrates the versatility of his expertise in fabricating nanostructured surfaces.
Nealey holds 14 patents and is the author of more than 180 publications. His honors include fellowship in the American Physical Society, the 2010 Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a 2009 Inventor Recognition Award from Semiconductor Research Corporation.
Prior to arriving at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, Nealey was Shoemaker Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University and was an engineer at Solvay et Compagnie, Brussels.
Nealey earned a PhD in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a BChE, magna cum laude, from Rice University.
The Nealey Group consists of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers pursuing interdisciplinary topics in advanced lithography, nanofabrication, polymer thin films, and cell-substrate interactions.
Effect of Graft Molecular Weight and Density on the Mechanical Properties of Polystyrene-Grafted Cel
James H. Lettow, Han Yang, Paul F. Nealey and Stuart J. Rowan. Macromolecules 2021, 54, 10594−10604
Role of Molecular Architecture on Ion Transport in Ethylene oxide-Based Polymer Electrolytes
Deng, Chuting, et al. "Role of Molecular Architecture on Ion Transport in Ethylene oxide-Based Polymer Electrolytes." Macromolecules 54.5 (2021): 2266-2276.
Chuting Deng, Michael A. Webb, Peter Bennington, Daniel Sharon, Paul F. Nealey, Shrayesh N. Patel, Juan J. de Pablo
Role of solvation site segmental dynamics on ion transport in ethylene-oxide based side-chain polymer electrolytes
Bennington, Peter, et al. "Role of solvation site segmental dynamics on ion transport in ethylene-oxide based side-chain polymer electrolytes." Journal of Materials Chemistry A 9.15 (2021): 9937-9951.
Peter Bennington, Chuting Deng, Daniel Sharon, Michael A. Webb, Juan J. de Pablo, Paul F. Nealey, Shrayesh N. Patel
Stabilizing Dendritic Electrodeposition by Limiting Spatial Dimensions in Nanostructured Electrolytes
Daniel Sharon, Peter Bennington, Shrayesh N Patel, Paul F Nealey. Stabilizing Dendritic Electrodeposition by Limiting Spatial Dimensions in Nanostructured Electrolytes. ACS Energy Letters. 2020, 5, 9, 2889–2896
Intrinsic Ion Transport Properties of Block Copolymer Electrolytes
Daniel Sharon, Peter Bennington, Moshe Dolejsi, Michael A Webb, Ban Xuan Dong, Juan J de Pablo, Paul F Nealey, Shrayesh N Patel. Intrinsic Ion Transport Properties of Block Copolymer Electrolytes. ACS Nano. 2020, 14, 7, 8902–8914
Thermal Stability of π-Conjugated n-Ethylene-Glycol-Terminated Quaterthiophene Oligomers: A Computational and Experimental Study
Mayank Misra, Ziwei Liu, Ban Xuan Dong, Shrayesh N Patel, Paul F Nealey, Christopher K Ober, Fernando A Escobedo. Thermal Stability of π-Conjugated n-Ethylene-Glycol-Terminated Quaterthiophene Oligomers: A Computational and Experimental Study. ACS Macro Letters. 2020, 9, 3, 295–300
Ultrathin initiated chemical vapor deposition polymer interfacial energy control for directed self-assembly hole-shrink applications
Dolejsi, Moshe, et al. "Ultrathin initiated chemical vapor deposition polymer interfacial energy control for directed self-assembly hole-shrink applications." Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena 37.6 (2019): 061804.
Sculpted grain boundaries in soft crystals
Li, Xiao, et al. "Sculpted grain boundaries in soft crystals." Science Advances 5.11 (2019): eaax9112.
Surface Reconstruction Limited Conductivity in Block‐Copolymer Li Battery Electrolytes
Sutton, P., Bennington, P., Patel, S., Stefik, M., Wiesner, U., Nealey, P., Steiner, U., & Gunkel, I. (2019). Surface Reconstruction Limited Conductivity in Block‐Copolymer Li Battery Electrolytes. Advanced Functional Materials, 29(48), https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201905977
Role of Defects in Ion Transport in Block Copolymer Electrolytes
Kambe, Yu, et al. "Role of Defects in Ion Transport in Block Copolymer Electrolytes." Nano Letters (2019).