CAREER: Adhesion of Patterned Polymer Interfaces

聚合物的粘附性支撑着从MEMS到组织工程的众多应用。表面化学、粘弹性和空间非均质之间的复杂关系为开发积极指导表面驱动现象（如定向细胞生长）的基本原理带来了独特的挑战。本职业计划旨在发展新颖而实用的表面化学，分子结构和地形模式，不仅可以控制，而且可以理解聚合物粘附的基本原理。这项研究将影响未来的技术，同时也推进了聚合物粘附的基础知识。具体来说，系统的模式控制将用于确定异质性的空间频率与近表面材料中分子耗散的激活机制之间的物理关系。表面图案的长度尺度将提供对软聚合物结构的粘附控制机制的主要长度尺度的见解。使用表面化学和组成模式将探索邻近聚合物域对筛选或限制局部聚合物分子粘附的影响。整个项目将致力于在聚合物粘附和摩擦学的背景下，发展地形、表面化学和聚合物流变特性之间的统一关系。该职业计划旨在对高中学生，本科生和研究生的教育和未来职业生涯以及未来重要技术的成功产生广泛影响。实践目的与基础科学的平衡为本科生和研究生的研究提供了一个刺激的环境。这种环境将通过与工业和国家实验室（如国家标准与技术研究所）的正式合作得到加强。具体来说，该教育项目将通过围绕聚合物科学研究的专门项目，教授学生项目管理、领导和指导技能。该计划旨在加强工业界和学术界的实力，同时为所有人，尤其是妇女和少数民族，提供平等的成功机会。这种平等是通过培训“软”技能来实现的，而这些技能往往决定了工业界和学术界的职业发展。此外，作为这些“软”技能培训手段的外展计划的结合，将鼓励当地代表性不足的高中生通过扩展研究经验追求与科学相关的职业，从而影响他们。该技术研究项目将通过开发环保“智能”粘合剂和防污涂料造福社会。此外，组合方法的力量将通过研究生和本科生基于组合的研究经验传达给工业界，学术界，最重要的是未来的科学家。

The adhesion of polymers underpins numerous applications ranging from MEMS to tissue engineering. The complex relationships between surface chemistry, viscoeleastic properties, and spatial heterogeneities create unique challenges in developing fundamental principles to actively guide surface-driven phenomena, such as directed cell growth. This career program aims to develop novel, yet practical, patterns of surface chemistry, molecular architecture, and topography to not only control, but also understand, the fundamental principles of polymer adhesion.This research will impact future technologies while also advancing the fundamental knowledge of polymer adhesion. Specifically, the systematic control of patterns will be used to determine the physical relationship between the spatial frequency of heterogeneities and the activated mechanism of molecular dissipation in the near-surface material. The length scale of the surface patterns will provide insight into the primary length scales for the controlling mechanism of adhesion for soft-polymer architectures. The use of surface chemical and compositional patterns will probe the influence of neighboring polymer domains on the screening, or confinement, of the adhesion of local polymer molecules. The overall program will work toward the development of a unifying relationship between topography, surface chemistry, and polymer rheological properties in the context of polymer adhesion and tribology.%%%This Career Program is designed to have a broad impact on the education and future careers of high school students, undergraduates and graduate students, as well as on the success of future important technologies. The balance of practical purpose with fundamental science provides a stimulating environment for undergraduate and graduate research. This environment will be augmented with formal collaborations with industry and national laboratories, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Specifically, the educational program will teach students the skills of project management, leadership, and mentoring through a dedicated program build around polymer science research. This program serves to strengthen industry and academia, while equalizing the opportunity for success for all populations, most importantly women and minorities. This equalization is targeted through the training of "soft" skills which often define career-advancement in both industry and academia. Furthermore, the incorporation of an outreach program as a training device for these "soft" skills will impact local underrepresented high school students by encouraging them to pursue science-related careers through an extended research experience. The technical research program will benefit society through the development of environmentally-friendly "smart" adhesives and anti-fouling coatings. Additionally, the power of combinatorial methodologies will be communicated to industry, academia, and most importantly future scientists through combinatorial-based research experiences for graduate and undergraduate students.