CAREER: Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Biobased/Biodegradable Polymers

该学院早期职业发展（CAREER）拨款提供资金，以（1）推进大规模生产，具有成本效益和高性能生物基塑料组件的基本理解和加工技术;和（2）设计，合成，表征和评估新型可生物降解的光聚合大分子聚合物，具有组织工程支架应用所需的材料特性。第一个研究重点将建立一个科学基础，以更好地了解生物基塑料的独特组成过程结构性能关系，可以作为制定和处理具有成本效益和高性能的生物基聚合物共混物，复合材料和纳米复合材料的指导方针。第二个研究重点将导致一个新的家庭的可生物降解的光聚合的大分子聚合物具有广泛的材料特性，不仅将填补组织工程所面临的迫切需要，为有针对性的组织再生合适的材料，但也提供了一种手段来阐明细胞功能和生物材料和支架的特性之间的复杂关系。这种新的生物材料家族也可用于药物输送和伤口愈合应用。拟议的研究活动将与各种教育工作相结合。特别是，在威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校的塑料计划将通过新的课程开发，涉及本科生和研究生的研究和与当地塑料行业的合作得到加强。还将通过外联活动改善妇女和少数族裔在工程方面的教育机会。更广泛的影响：第一个研究重点将扩大生物基塑料的应用，并有助于将当今的石油经济转变为21世纪更加可持续和环保的生物基经济，同时通过减少对外国石油的依赖来改善我们的国家安全。第二个研究重点将有助于改善世界各地数百万人的生活质量，并降低治疗衰弱性疾病的成本。教育工作将导致一个更强大的塑料计划在威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校，将提供当地塑料行业急需的劳动力，并将激励更多的妇女和少数民族学生在工程职业生涯。

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant provides funding to (1) advance the fundamental understanding and processing technology for mass-producing, cost-effective, and high-performance biobased plastics components; and (2) to design, synthesize, characterize, and evaluate new types of biodegradable photopolymerizable macromers with desired material properties for scaffold applications in tissue engineering. The first research focus will build a scientific foundation to better understand the unique composition process structure property relationships for biobased plastics that can serve as guidelines to formulate and process cost-effective and high-performance biobased polymer blends, composites, and nanocomposites. The second research focus will lead to a new family of biodegradable photopolymerizable macromers with a broad spectrum of material properties that not only will fill the urgent needs faced by tissue engineering for suitable materials for targeted tissue regeneration, but also provide a means to elucidate the complex relationships between the cell functions and the characteristics of biomaterials and scaffolds. This new family of biomaterials also can be used for drug delivery and wound-healing applications. The proposed research activities will be integrated with various educational efforts. Especially, the plastics program at UW-Milwaukee will be strengthened through new course development, involving both undergraduate and graduate students in research and collaborating with the local plastics industries. Educational opportunities in engineering for women and minorities also will be improved through outreach activities. Broader impact: The first research focus will broaden the applications of biobased plastics and help to transform today's oil-based economy to a more sustainable and eco-friendly biobased economy in the 21st century while improving our national security by reducing dependency on foreign oil. The second research focus will help to improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world and reduce the cost for treating debilitating diseases. The educational efforts will lead to a stronger plastics program at UW-Milwaukee that will provide a workforce much needed by the local plastics industries and will motivate more women and minority students for a career in engineering.