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

摘要-9875467V。K·古普塔/伊利诺伊州大学Urbana-Champaign研究综述：这项研究的总体主旨是赋予表面与其环境智能互动的能力。拟议的职业生涯项目侧重于实现智能曲面的先决条件--增强曲面的敏感性。通过使用自组装表面，将解决两个主要问题：第一，如何形成表面，以响应于选择的光波长进行重新结构，并显示界面属性(如润湿性)的显著变化？将探索一种分层策略，其基础是放大影响润湿(例如，几何形状和极性)的光致异构化小分子的特性，并将分子组织到固体基质上，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组装的能量障碍，以及哪些分子参数影响光刺激效率？第二，如何控制表面对环境中选择性化学物种的敏感性，使其仅允许某些分子与表面结合？通过关注主要由拟合优度促进的分子关联，我们将研究宿主分子被拴在表面的情况，以便它既不完全移动也不完全不移动。一个中心目标将是了解在联合过程中表面的结构组织和重组的作用。除了确定工程表面的原理外，对界面性质的光学控制，如润湿性，将允许微米尺度的流体传输(例如，在芯片上的微型实验室中)，表面的自动清洁或除雾，以及调节蛋白质的表面吸附。化学选择表面将实现生物/化学的新分离和检测。教育计划：拟议的教育计划旨在通过加强PI的专业知识来提高本科生和研究生的核心能力。具体来说，将开发两门新课程，重点是(A)化学工程中的光学方法(面向研究生)和(B)化学表面物理(面向本科生)。前者将为研究生的研究生涯提供装备，并对他们进行涉及光的散射或偏振和瞬逝光场的方法的理论和实践方面的培训。化学工程专业的本科生将学习硬质表面(如金属和电介质)和软质表面(如聚合物和分子膜)、它们的性质以及对它们进行改性的方法。这门课程将是本科课程的一个重要补充，因为界面工程是涉及化学工程师的产品和工艺的一个日益重要的方面(例如，光刻、保护涂层和薄膜、润滑、生物兼容表面)。此外，将通过对参与拟议研究计划的研究生和本科生的指导和指导来培养科学学习和探究能力。最后，将通过修改现有的两门高级课程来完善本科核心课程。关于传质操作的课程将整合正在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。顶石工艺设计课程将强调非技术性因素的重要性，如口头交流技能和财务分析，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.