Collaborative Research: Rationale Design of Enhanced Catalytic Nanomotors

Posner，Jonathan D.王，约瑟夫 合成奈米马达代表著迈向实用奈米机器发展的重要一步。尽管取得了令人印象深刻的进展，但人造纳米机器缺乏生物同行的效率和多功能性。将合成纳米马达的范围扩展到多样化和现实的条件下，需要深入了解其基本的物理机制。这项拟议的合作研究旨在获得这种理解的催化纳米线马达的基本物理机制。拟议工作的智力价值是通过平行的实验和理论方法扩展对纳米电机推进的基本理解，以指导可以执行要求苛刻的任务的强大和多功能的人造纳米机器的合理设计。所提出的工作的三个主要目标是：（1）使用新的实验和理论模型来理解控制纳米马达的运动和性能的物理机制（2）识别和优化纳米线特性（催化剂成分和形态，线形状和表面涂层），从而产生数量级更快，更强大的纳米马达。(3)制造能够在广泛的环境（pH值，离子强度）和燃料（例如葡萄糖，乙醇）中运行的纳米电机，使范围操作在各种应用和要求苛刻的任务，如定向药物输送，定向纳米级自组装，趋化环境修复，或微芯片生物测定。这项研究是变革性的，因为对基本催化纳米物理学的更好理解将导致强大的发动机在各种环境和应用中长期稳定地执行复杂任务。为了确保跨学科研究计划的成功，该团队由两名具有互补经验的合作PI组成。拟议的努力需要催化和电化学（王），纳米线制造（王），低雷诺数流体力学（波斯纳），微尺度诊断（波斯纳），电动力学和静电学（波斯纳）的专业知识。项目执行人广泛的初步数据、广泛和互补的经验以及过去的合作为拟议活动的成功奠定了基础。拟议的努力将通过将研究与培训、教育、指导和社会成果相结合，产生更广泛的影响。特别强调将给予西班牙裔学生在本科和研究生的研究水平的参与。他们通过扩大西班牙裔学生的本科研究机会来利用他们所在地的独特性，这些学生在ASU和UCSD的入学率相对较高，但在全国范围内的工程学代表性较低。该补助金将为本科生和研究生提供独特的经验，以欣赏和参与他们对纳米技术的研究如何改变社会，并审查科学和技术政策。特别是，他们将在新的UCSD纳米工程系为新兴的纳米技术课程开发纳米机器课程。此外，在亚利桑那州立大学，他们的目标是增加工程研究生？提高对纳米科学和技术的社会和伦理影响的认识。在与NSF中心的纳米技术在社会教师合作，他们将（1）开发一个交叉上市，共同授课的研究生水平的课程，题为社会和伦理影响的科学研究，重点是纳米技术;和（2）亚利桑那州立大学和加州大学圣地亚哥分校的学生将参加为期两周的研讨会在华盛顿，DC题为“科学实验室外：一个政策迷失方向”，其中检查科学政策和文化。

0853379 and 0853375Posner, Jonathan D. and Wang, Joseph Synthetic nanoscale motors represent a major step towards the development of practical nanomachines. Despite impressive progress, manmade nanomachines lack the efficiency and versatility of their biological counterparts. Extending the scope of synthetic nanomotors to diverse and realistic conditions requires deep understanding of their fundamental physical mechanisms. This proposed collaborative research aims at gaining such understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms of catalytic nanowire motors. The intellectual merit of the proposed work is to extend the fundamental understanding of the nanomotors propulsion, through a parallel experimental and theoretical approach, to guide the rationale design of powerful and versatile manmade nanomachines that can perform demanding tasks. The three main aims of the proposed work are: (1) understand physical mechanisms that govern the motion and performance of nanomotors using novel experiments and theoretical models (2) Identify and optimize nanowire properties (catalysts composition and morphology, wire shape, and surface coatings) that yield order of magnitude faster and more powerful nanomotors. (3) Fabricate nanomotors capable of operating in a wide range of environments (pH, ionic strength) and fuels (e.g. glucose, ethanol), enabling ranging operation in a variety of applications and demanding tasks such as directed drug delivery, directed nanoscale self-assembly, chemotactic environmental remediation, or microchip bioassays. This research is transformative in that the improved understanding of the fundamental catalytic nanomotor physics will lead to powerful motors that are stable over long periods for performing complex tasks in a wide variety of environments and applications. To ensure success of the interdisciplinary research program, the team is comprised of two co-PIs with complementary experience. The proposed effort requires expertise in catalysis and electrochemistry (Wang), nanowire fabrication (Wang), low Reynolds number hydrodynamics (Posner), microscale diagnostics (Posner), electrokinetics and electrostatics (Posner). The PIs' extensive preliminary data, broad and complementary experience and past collaboration lay the groundwork for the success of the proposed activity. The proposed effort will have broader impacts by integrating research with training, education, mentoring, and social outcomes. Particular emphasis will be given to the involvement of Hispanic students at the undergraduate and graduate research levels. They leverage the uniqueness of their locations by expanding undergraduate research opportunities for Hispanic students which have relatively high enrollment at ASU and UCSD, but low representation in engineering nationwide. This grant will provide distinctive experiences for undergraduate and graduate students to appreciate and participate in how their research on nanotechnology may transform society and to examine science and technology policy. In particular, they will develop a nanomachines course for a emerging nanotechnology curriculum in a new UCSD department of Nanoengineering. In addition, at ASU they aim to increase engineering graduate students? awareness of the societal and ethical implications of nanoscience and technology. In collaboration with faculty in the NSF Center for Nanotechnology in Society they will (1) develop a cross-listed, co-taught graduate level course entitled Societal and Ethical Implications of Scientific Research focusing on nanotechnologies; and (2) ASU and UCSD students will participate in a two week workshop in Washington, DC entitled "Science Outside the Lab: A Policy Dis-Orientation" which examines scientific policy and culture.