NER: Engineering Smart Nanoparticle-Polymer Composites for Environmental Remediation

摘要提案题目：NER：用于环境修复的工程智能纳米颗粒-聚合物复合材料提案号：cts -0508309首席研究员：Maya TrotzInstitution: the University of South florida。该提案收到于纳米尺度科学与工程计划，NSF 04-043， NER类别。该项目旨在探索混合材料的产生，其中催化无机纳米颗粒被限制在热响应交联聚合物的亚微米胶体颗粒中。将研究这种新型杂化材料在水环境污染物修复中的应用。聚合物微球的透明度和凝胶内的水环境使其成为固定化和悬浮颗粒的理想相，用于污染物的化学和光化学转化。聚合物微球在低温下随水膨胀，在高温下排出水。这种热相分离反应与亚微米（100-1000纳米）尺寸的凝胶相结合，将使简单的分离方法能够回收聚合物颗粒纳米复合材料进行循环利用。纳米颗粒如铁和二氧化钛将被研究，因为它们代表了用于催化环境化合物的常见表面类型。策略将包括通过扩散和减少前体阳离子在微凝胶中合成金属纳米粒子，以及在聚合物基质中晶态二氧化钛的成核和生长；微凝胶聚合在金属或金属氧化物纳米粒子的水溶液中。将对形成的杂化微凝胶的物理和化学性质进行表征，并对其环境修复性能进行评估。拟议项目的更广泛影响将通过侧重于教育、传播和外联组成部分来实现。pi将利用科学（STARS）计划中的学生、教师和资源以及佛罗里达工程教育交付系统（FEEDS）来促进教育推广的现实目标。该项目可能导致废水的有效工业处理和水系统的去污。

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.