Career: Development Program in Research and Education: Molecular Engineering of Responsive, Self-Assembled Surfaces of Materials

abstractcts - 9875467 v。k·古普塔/ U。的病了。厄巴纳-香槟研究总结：研究的总体主旨是赋予表面与环境智能交互的能力。提出的CAREER项目侧重于实现智能表面的先决条件-提高表面的灵敏度。通过使用自组装表面，将解决两个主要问题：首先，如何形成表面，以响应选择性波长的光重新结构，并显示出界面特性（如润湿性）的巨大变化？将探索一种分层策略，该策略基于放大影响润湿的光异构小分子的特性（例如，几何和极性），并将分子组织到固体衬底上，以进一步放大界面响应。需要回答的重要问题是-能否克服极性分子在表面上组装的能量障碍，以及哪些分子参数影响光刺激效率？其次，如何控制表面对环境中选择性化学物质的敏感性，使其只允许某些分子与表面联系？通过关注主要由拟合优度促进的分子结合，我们将研究寄主分子被拴在表面上的情况，使其既不完全移动也不完全不移动。一个中心目标将是理解结构组织和表面重组在联想过程中的作用。宿主的表面密度、进入宿主腔的位阻以及宿主对固体表面的束缚的分子柔韧性的影响将被澄清。除了确定工程表面的原理外，对界面特性（如润湿性）的光学控制将允许在微米尺度上传输流体（例如，在芯片上的小型实验室中），表面的自动清洁或除雾，以及调节蛋白质的表面吸附。化学选择性表面将使新的分离和检测生物/化学品。教育计划：建议的教育计划旨在以PI的专业知识为基础，提高本科生和研究生阶段学生的核心竞争力。具体而言，将开发两门新课程，重点是(a)化学工程中的光学方法（研究生）和(b)化学表面物理学（本科生）。前者将为研究生的研究生涯提供装备，并在涉及光的散射或偏振和倏逝光场的方法的理论和实践方面对他们进行培训。化学工程专业的本科生将学习硬表面（例如，金属和电介质）和软表面（例如，聚合物和分子膜）、它们的性质和修饰它们的方法。本课程将是对本科课程的重要补充，因为界面工程在涉及化学工程师的产品和工艺（例如光刻、保护涂层和薄膜、润滑、生物相容性表面）中构成了越来越重要的方面。此外，科学学习和探究将通过直接指导和指导研究生和本科生参与拟议的研究计划。最后，通过修改现有的两门高级课程，完善本科核心课程。传质操作课程将整合重塑化学分离的技术（例如膜技术和反渗透），并依赖于分子水平的现象。顶点工艺设计课程将强调非技术部分的重要性，如口头沟通技巧和财务分析，以及安全和环境保护原则的教育，以传授强大而全面的工程教育。

ABSTRACTCTS-9875467V. K. Gupta/U. of Ill. Urbana-Champaign Research Summary: The overall thrust of the research is to endow surfaces a capability for interacting intelligently with their environment. The proposed CAREER project focuses on fulfilling a pre-requisite to intelligent surfaces - enhancing the sensitivity of surfaces. By using self-assembling surfaces, two main questions will be addressed:First, how can surfaces be formed that re-structure in response to selective wavelengths of light and show dramatic changes in interfacial properties such as wettability? A hierarchical strategy will be explored based on magnifying properties of photo-isomerizable, small molecules that impact wetting (e.g., geometry and polarity) and organizing the molecules onto a solid substrate to further amplify the interfacial response. Important questions to be answered are - can energetic barriers to assembly of polar molecules on a surface be overcome, and what molecular parameters impact the photo-stimulation efficiency?Second, how can a surface's sensitivity to selective chemical species in its environment be controlled to permit only certain molecules to associate with the surface? By focusing on molecular associations promoted primarily by the goodness-of-fit we will study the case where the host molecule is tethered at a surface so that it is neither completely mobile nor completely immobile. A central objective will be to understand the role of structural organization and reorganization of the surface during association. The influence of surface density of the hosts, steric barriers in accessing the host cavity, and molecular flexibility of the tethers of hosts to solid surfaces will be clarified.Besides identifying principles for engineering surfaces, optical control of interfacial properties such as wettability will permit transport of fluids at micrometer scales (e.g., in miniaturized laboratories on chips), auto-cleaning or defogging of surfaces, and modulating surface-adsorption of proteins. Chemically selective surfaces will enable novel separations and detection of bio/chemicals.Educational Plan: The proposed educational plan aims to enhance the core competency of students at both undergraduate and graduate levels by building on the expertise of the PI. Specifically, two new courses will be developed that focus on (a) Optical Methods in Chemical Engineering (for graduate students) and (b) Chemical Surface Physics (undergraduate students). The former will equip graduate students for their research careers and train them in the theory and practice of methods involving scattering or polarization of light and evanescent optical fields. Undergraduate students in chemical engineering will be introduced to hard (e.g., metals and dielectrics) and soft surfaces (e.g., polymers and molecular films), their properties and the methods to modify them. This course will be a significant addition to the undergraduate curriculum because interfacial engineering constitutes an increasingly important aspect of products and processes that involve chemical engineers (for example, photolithography, protective coatings and thin films, lubrication, biocompatible surfaces).In addition, scientific learning and inquiry will be fostered through directed instruction and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students participating in the proposed research program. Finally, the undergraduate core curriculum will be improved by revision of two existing upper-level courses. A course on mass transfer operations will integrate technologies that are reshaping chemical separations (e.g., membrane technology and reverse osmosis) and rely on molecular-level phenomena. A capstone Process Design course will stress importance of non-technical components such as oral communication skills and financial analyses along with schooling in principles of safety and protection of environment to impart a strong yet comprehensive engineering education.