NER: Engineering Smart Nanoparticle-Polymer Composites for Environmental Remediation

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AbstractProposal Title: NER: Engineering Smart Nanoparticle-polymer Composites for Environmental RemediationProposal Number: CTS-0508309Principal Investigator: Maya TrotzInstitution: University of South FloridaThis proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 04-043, category NER. This project aims to explore the generation of hybrid materials where the catalytic, inorganic nanoparticles are confined within sub-micron colloidal particles of a thermally-responsive, cross-linked polymer. Application of this novel, hybrid material to remediation of aqueous environmental contaminants will be studied. The transparency of the polymeric microspheres and the aqueous environment within the gel make it an ideal phase to immobilize and suspend particles for chemical and photochemical transformations of contaminants. The polymer microspheres swell with water at low temperatures and expel water at high temperatures. This thermal phase separation response in combination with the sub-micron (100-1000 nm) size of the gel will enable simple separation approaches to recover the polymer-particle nanocomposites for recycling. Nanoparticles such as iron and titanium dioxide will be investigated since they represent common types of surfaces used in the catalysis of compounds of environmental concern. Strategies will include the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles within the microgels by diffusion and reduction of precursor cations and the nucleation and growth of the crystalline titanium dioxide within the polymeric matrix; microgel polymerization in aqueous solutions of the metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles. Physical and chemical properties of the hybrid microgels formed will be characterized and their performance for environmental remediation will be assessed. A broader impact of the proposed project will be achieved by focusing on educational, dissemination, and outreach components. The PIs will utilize the Student, Teachers and Resources in the Sciences (STARS) Program and the Florida Engineering Education Delivery System (FEEDS) to foster a realistic goal to educational outreach. This project may lead to an effective industrial treatment of waste water and decontamination of water systems.