Collaborative Proposal: Nanoparticle Separations in Nanochannels Using Fluidic Field Effect Transistors

这项由美国国家科学基金会化学和生物分离项目颁发的奖项支持了新墨西哥大学（UNM）和华盛顿州立大学（WSU）的Han教授和Cornelius F. Ivory教授的工作，他们分别建立了对纳米通道中纳米颗粒传输的基本理解，目的是设计新的分离技术，利用纳米通道阵列的小而规则的尺寸。今天，纳米粒子被广泛应用于各种工程应用，如太阳能电池中的发电元件，发光二极管的下转换荧光粉，以及医学成像中的生物标记量子点。对于许多这样的应用，根据颗粒的大小、形状和各向异性水平进行减法将允许对其独特的物理性质进行系统、定量的研究。在这个广泛的工程目标的背景下，我们将重点关注(1)纳米颗粒输运的分析和(2)应用分离策略，使用场效应晶体管（fet）的流体模拟。流体场效应管具有独特的优势，可以局部控制纳米通道中的纵向电场，并根据粒子的物理化学性质来控制粒子的横向分布。我们设想所提出的研究不仅将加深我们对纳米通道中粒子的平衡分布和动态传输过程的理解，而且还将开发各种用于纳米通道阵列的分离策略。拟议的研究项目还提供了一个跨学科的教育环境，以指导每个机构的研究生。这两个pi将继续积极地让未被充分代表的研究生和本科生参与研究。除了研究性教育外，该计划还将有助于提高pi ？新开发的技术选修课，如新墨西哥大学的微/纳米流体学基础和华盛顿州立大学的现代分离学。这些选修课将广泛影响从化学工程到生物学到数学等各个学科的学生。外展项目将与新墨西哥大学的多元化项目和工程学生项目以及WSU的暑期教师工程体验项目（SWEET）相协调，积极利用研究型教育机会教育未来的高中生和教师。所有这些拓展项目都有很大的潜力提高高中学生接受高等教育的比例，增加少数民族学生（尤其是西班牙裔和印第安人）和女性的入学率。该教育计划直接满足了新墨西哥大学和华盛顿州立大学学生和教师的需求。该项目还将加强国家科学基金？在新墨西哥州的纳米材料的EPSCoR倡议。

CBET-0756776HanThis NSF award by the Chemical and Biological Separations program supports work by Professors San M. Han and Cornelius F. Ivory at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Washington State University (WSU), respectively, to establish a basic understanding of nanoparticle transport in nanochannels for the purpose of devising new separation techniques which take advantage of the small, regular dimensions of nanochannel arrays. Today, nanoparticles are widely exploited for a variety of engineering applications, such as power-generating elements in solar cells, down-conversion phosphors for light emitting diodes, and quantum dots as bio-labels in medical imaging. For many of these applications, subfractionating the particles based on size, shape, and level of anisotropy would allow a systematic, quantitative study of their unique physical properties. Within the context of this broad engineering goal, we will focus on (1) analysis of nanoparticle transport and (2) applied separation strategies, using a fluid analog of field effect transistors (FETs). Fluidic FETs offer unique advantages to locally control the longitudinal electric field in nanochannels and to manipulate the transverse distribution of particles based on their physicochemical properties. We envision that the proposed research will not only deepen our understanding of both the equilibrium distribution and the dynamic transport processes of particles in nanochannels, but will also develop a variety of separation strategies for use in nanochannel arrays. The proposed research program also offers an interdisciplinary educational environment to mentor 1 graduate student at each institution. Both PIs will continue to actively involve underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students in research. In addition to research education, the program will help improve the PIs? newly developed technical electives, such as Fundamentals in Micro/Nanofluidics at UNM and Modern Separations at WSU. These elective courses will broadly impact students from various disciplines that range from chemical engineering, to biology, to mathematics. The outreach program will be coordinated with Diversity Programs and Engineering Student Programs at UNM as well as Summer at WSU Engineering Experiences for Teachers (SWEET) program to actively educate prospective high school students and teachers using research-oriented educational opportunities. All these outreach programs have significant potential to improve the percentage of high school students pursuing post-secondary education and increase the enrollment of minority students (especially Hispanics and Native Americans) and women. The educational plan directly addresses the expressed needs of both students and faculty at UNM and WSU. This project will also enhance the NSF?s EPSCoR initiative in nanomaterials in New Mexico.