Using instabilities of fluid interfaces to assemble amphiphilic block copolymers

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).0931616HaywardIntellectual MeritThe goal of this proposal is to develop an understanding of the basic interfacial and transport phenomena underlying a newly developed processing route for assembling amphiphilic block copolymers through hydrodynamic instabilities of immiscible fluid interfaces. Though the instabilities that give rise to polymer assembly are closely related to well established processes in small molecule surfactant systems and reactive polymer blends, many fundamental questions remain about the basic conditions that give rise to the instabilities, as well as how subsequent deformation of the interface takes place. In the current proposal, we also seek to understand how this process can be effectively harnessed to generate polymeric micelles and microparticles with new structures and unique properties. The proposed research will make the following specific contributions, which will be of value to the fields of interfacial phenomena, polymer physics, and biomedicine:Tests of the validity of the proposed mechanism that the hydrodynamic instability arises from a vanishing tension of the organic/water interface, using a systematically varying series of polymer compositions and solvent conditions.- A detailed understanding of: (i) how the post instability evolution of the organic/water interface depends on the properties of the amphiphilic polymer, (ii) how to tune this behavior using co-surfactants, and (iii) the importance of mass transport of polymer in this process.- Well defined routes to prepare new types of polymer assemblies with unique properties: (i) spherical and wormlike micelles that encapsulate a variety of functional nanoparticulate species, and (ii) polymer microparticles with nano and micro textured surfaces that allow tailoring of particle surface properties.Broader ImpactsThis program will have broad impacts, both scientifically and educationally. Scientifically, the insights into interfacial instabilities will provide fundamental insights on related processes underlying the technologically important questions of how soaps achieve optimal detergency, and how immiscible polymers can best be blended. The simple routes that will be developed to produce multi functional micelles and textured microparticles, as well as the understanding that will be gained of the properties of these assemblies, will be of considerable utility in biomedical contexts for applications in drug delivery and nano medicine. Educationally, this research program will contribute to the training of graduate and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, both in a classroom setting and in a multi-disciplinary research environment. The results will also be communicated to the broader public through a series of outreach activities, including a partnership with the Boston Museum of Science initiated by the PI.