FIRST TEAM

About our research

Our research group specializes in functional polymers, self-assembling soft materials, and surface science, with a particular focus on block copolymer thin films. Among our key achievements is the development of photothermal methods using laser radiation to control supramolecular self-assembly;  for example to produce perfectly ordered block copolymer thin films. [Leniart et al., ACS Nano, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c00696.]. We have also shown how block copolymers can be used in synthesizing semiconducting nanowires, which are applied in miniaturized atmospheric pollutants-sensing devices through a straightforward one-pot synthetic process. [Pula et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c10439]

Together with our international collaborator, Dr. Kevin Yager, we conducted GISAXS experiments on the directed self-assembly of block copolymers during the laser annealing process at Brookhaven National Laboratory synchrotron facility.

More recently, our work in collaboration with a group of Prof. Graczykowski from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan has led to the development of a synthetic pathway for depositing ultra-thin polymeric membranes that are sensitive to light and humidity. These membranes, created through a unique plasma-assisted polymerization technique, exhibit exceptional durability and can function as microscopic actuators controlled by light or as highly sensitive sensors responsive to environmental changes such as humidity and temperature. [Krysztofik et al., Advanced Materials, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202403114]

First Team programme – people

Principal Investigator

Paweł Majewski

I studied at the University of Warsaw where I earned an MSc in Physical Chemistry (2007) and, one year later, in Molecular Biology. In 2008, I joined the group of Prof. Osuji at Yale University where I pursued my PhD research, studying the interactions of strong magnetic fields with soft materials. After graduation, I joined the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory where I worked with Dr. Kevin Yager and Dr. Charles Black on development of photo-thermal methods for directing self-assembly of block copolymer thin films.

Recently, I have obtained a prestigious fellowship – Polonez, funded by National Science Center (NCN) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement and returned to the University of Warsaw. Here, I am starting my independent research as an assistant professor and a leader of a new soft-materials research group whose establishment is generously funded by the Foundation for Polish Science under the First Team grant program.

Currently working

Przemysław Puła

I am a PhD Student at the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw. My master thesis required construction of Sequential Infiltration Synthesis System, which I used to obtain aluminium oxide thin films on block copolymer templates. Morphology and structure of these samples were examined as well as they served as templates to create multilayered metal – metal oxide heterostructures. The supervisor of my MSc thesis was Dr Pawel W. Majewski.

I had many opportunities to present my scientific results during many international conferences inter alia in Thessaloniki, Greece or Aveiro, Portugal. In my spare time I like rollerblading and skiing as well as reading about news in the field of nanotechnology.

Former students

Arkadiusz Leniart

I am a PhD Student at the Faculty of Chemistry of Warsaw University. During my BSc was reasearching properties of different micellar colloids modified with gold nanoparticles as prospective drug carriers, including block copolymers and liposomes. The supervisor of my thesis was Dr Maciej Mazur from Laboratory of Electrochemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry.

Later on I joined Dr Pawel Majewski research group, where I investigated different approaches to improve directed self-assembly of block copolymers. I am also a semi-proffesional chess player with a Grandmaster title.

I am currently preparing for the defense of my doctoral thesis.

Karolina Łempicka

Karolina was a collaborator from September 2017 to September 2018. She successfully defended her master thesis “Resonant Faraday effect in dielectric microcavities with organic magneto-optically active layers”. She is currently working as a Post-doc at ETH Zurich.

Andrzej Sitkiewicz

I am a PhD Student at the Faculty of Chemistry of Warsaw University. I am working in Polymer Research Laboratory directed by Dr. Pawel Majewski.

In 2017 I obtained Master’s degree from the Department of Chemistry of University of Lodz in chemistry and nanotechnology of modern materials. I was working in NanoMat Group directed by Dr. hab. Jaroslaw Grobelny.  The topic of my diploma dissertation was “Electromagnetic radiation assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles”. In 2015 I finished undergraduate studies at the same University and in the same group. Main topic of my research was “Synthesis, characterization and applications of core-shell nanoparticles”.

I am interested in materials chemistry, nanotechnology and measurement technics like SEM, AFM and STM. My hobbies include travelling, classic music (e.g. by Mozart, Penderecki) and Scandinavian literature.

Marta Wrońska

Marta was a collaborator from October 2018 to September 2019. She successfully defended her master thesis “Analysis of the forming process and growth of nanotubes made of liquid crystalline material in the presence of solvent vapor on solid substrates”.

Aneta Leniart

Aneta was a collaborator from September 2016 to September 2017. She successfully defended her master thesis “Block copolymers as matrices for nanomaterials ordering”.

First Team programme – publications

(10) Łempicka-Mirek, K.; Król, M.; Mazur, R.; Piecek, W.; Szczytko, J.; Majewski, P. W.; Piętka, B. Free-Standing Ultrathin Films of 2D Perovskite for Light-Emitting Devices Operating at Strong Coupling Regime. Advanced Optical Materials 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202401666.

(9) Krysztofik, A.; Warżajtis, M.; Pochylski, M.; Boecker, M.; Yu, J.; Marchesi D’Alvise, T.; Puła, P.; Majewski, P. W.; Synatschke, C. V.; Weil, T.; Graczykowski, B. Multi-Responsive Poly-Catecholamine Nanomembranes.Nanoscale 2024, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR01050G.

(8) Pula, P.; Leniart, A. A.; Krol, J.; Gorzkowski, M.; Suster M.; Wrobel, P,; Lewera, A.; Majewski, P. W., Block Copolymer-Templated, Single-Step Synthesis of Transition Metal Oxide Nanostructures for Sensing Applications. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c10439.

(7) Yager, K. G.; Majewski, P. W.; Noack, M. M.; Fukuto, M. Autonomous X-Ray Scattering. Nanotechnology 2023, https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6528/acd25a

(6) Pula, P.; Leniart, A. A.; Majewski, P. W. Solvent-assisted self-assembly of block copolymer thin films. Soft Matter 2022, https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/sm/d2sm00439a.

(5) Leniart, A. A.; Pula, P.; Style R. W.; Majewski, P. W. Pathway-Dependent Grain Coarsening of Block Copolymer Patterns under Controlled Solvent Evaporation. ACS Macro Letters 2022, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00677.

(4) Leniart, A. A.; Pula, P.; Tsai, E. H. R.; Majewski, P. W. Large-Grained Cylindrical Block Copolymer Morphologies by One-Step Room-Temperature Casting. Macromolecules 2020, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02026.

(3) Leniart, A. A.; Pula, P.; Sitkiewicz, A.; Majewski, P. W. Macroscopic Alignment of Block Copolymers on Silicon Substrates by Laser Annealing. ACS Nano 2020, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c00696.

(2) Basutkar, M. N.; Majewski, P. W.; Doerk, G. S.; Toth, K.; Osuji, C. O.; Karim, A.; Yager, K. G. Aligned Morphologies in Near-Edge Regions of Block Copolymer Thin Films. Macromolecules 2019, 52 (19), 7224–7233. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.9b01703

(1) Choo, Y.; Majewski, P. W.; Fukuto, M.; Osuji, C. O.; Yager, K. G. Pathway-Engineering for Highly-Aligned Block Copolymer Arrays. Nanoscale 2018, 10 (1), 416–427. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7nr06069f

First Team programme – equipment

(1) SIS – Sequential infiltration synthesis method is used to infiltrate block copolymer matrices with the metal oxides. Gaseous precursors are introduced sequentially to the reaction chamber, where they chemically bound with specific functional groups in order to create oxide replica of a selected copolymer block. In our laboratory we can infiltrate block copolymers with following oxides: aluminium oxide, zinc oxide and tin oxide.

(2) Thermal evaporator Nano-PVD-T15A allows deposition of ultrathin metallic films on various substrates. This benchtop device offers a possibility of simultaneous evaporation of two metals from two different low-temperature sources. Also quartz crystal microbalance, which is installed inside the chamber, enables monitoring of thickness of currently evaporated layer. Substrate stage can rotate with a given speed in order to provide uniform film growth. Shutters mounted by the substrate stage and near thermal sources prevent from an excess deposition of material. Metals that can be evaporated in our system are gold, silver, aluminium, tin dioxide, titanium and nickel.

(3) Spin – coater. Single wafer spin coater specifically designed for R&D and low volume production in the MEMS, Semiconductor, PV, Microfluidics field, etc. Suitable for all typical spin processes: cleaning, rinse/dry, coating, developing and etching.

(4) Dip – coater. Dip coating is one of the most widely-used coating processes in industry and academia for producing thin films. By controlling the speed of substrate withdrawal from solution, you can vary the thickness of the deposited film. By using a high-precision motor, the rate of withdrawal – and therefore the film thickness – can be controlled with a high degree of accuracy and reproducibility.

(5) RTP – Rapid Thermal Processing setup – our home-built system is composed of a 70W-power IR laser (~980 nm) and a MAURER-IR pyrometer that is capable of reaching high thermal gradients as high as 750 °C in a oxidative/reductive atmosphere.

(6) Filmetrics F-20 is a device that enables instant thickness and refractive index measurements of thin films. Physical phenomena is based on analysis of selected wavelength range that is reflected from the examined (multi)layer. Computer programme fits a mathematical model to obtained measurement results producing a thickness value. Our reflectometer works in a spectral range 380 nm – 1050 nm and can measure layer as thin as 15 nm. With this device real-time thickness measurements are possible to perform in various experiments including sequential infiltration synthesis and solvent vapor annealing.

(7) Four-probe station (Instec) with a temperature-controlled plate system (mK2000, GW Instek) facilitates gas sensor measurements in a dedicated chamber, where the vapors of a sensed gas are delivered. System is composed of a series of pipes and mass flow controllers, so that we can provide accurate gas concentrations.

(8) Blade-coater. Blade coating is a process used to apply a thin, uniform layer of material onto a substrate by using a blade or knife to control the coating’s thickness.

(9) System for combinatorial experiments for directed self-assembly of block copolymer thin films. This versatile setup enables control over atmosphere, pressure, and base temperature, as well as localized heating using a laser beam.

The “Innovative Nanostructured Functional Materials by Combinatorial Methods of Directed Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers” project is carried out within the First Team programme of the Foundation for Polish Science co-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund.