Nanoconfinement and its Influence on Polymerization

这项拨款的研究目的是阐明纳米限制下阶梯生长和自由基聚合变化的基本机制。纳米多孔基质将被用作模型约束几何形状，工作将在柱形和球形约束区域以及各种表面化学条件下进行。将进行量热和傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)研究，以确定反应速度和极限转化率，并将通过光学基尔效应(OKE)光谱研究纳米受限液体的动力学和结构。这项研究将量化限制引起的液体结构和液体动力学变化对受限聚合反应活性和热力学的重要性。所提出的研究结果对于在纳米复合材料、纳米光刻和纳米电子应用中在纳米尺度上控制聚合物的合成具有重要意义。拟议的努力还将为参与其中的本科生和研究生提供极好的最先进的研究培训，并将大力纳入代表性不足的少数群体。外展工作将包括让高中生参与暑期研究，以及参加由TTU高级学习者发展和丰富研究所(IDEAL)协调的两个成功的外展项目：面向四至六年级学生的科学丰富项目“超级星期六”，以及旨在提高初中和高中女生对科学和工程兴趣的“科学--这是一件女孩的事情”(SIGT)。

The research objective of this grant is to elucidate the fundamental mechanism that is responsible for changes in step-growth and free-radical polymerizations under nanoconfinement. Nanoporous matrices will be used as model confinement geometries and work will be carried out in both cylindrical and spherical confinement regimes and with various surface chemistries. Calorimetric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies will be performed to determine reaction rates and limiting conversions and will be augmented by studies of nanoconfined liquid dynamics and structure using optical Keer effect (OKE) spectroscopy. The investigation will quantify the importance of confinement-induced changes in liquid structure and liquid dynamics on reactivity and thermodynamics in confined polymerizations.The results of the proposed study are important for controlling polymer synthesis at the nanoscale in nanocomposite, nanolithographic, and nanoelectronic applications. The proposed effort will also provide excellent state-of-the-art research training for the undergraduate and graduate students involved, and strong efforts will be made to include under-represented minorities. Outreach efforts will include involvement of high-school students in summer research, as well as participation in two successful outreach programs coordinated by the TTU Institute for the Development and Enrichment of Advanced Learners (IDEAL), "Super Saturdays," a science-enrichment program for fourth- to six-graders and "Science - It's a Girl Thing" (SIGT) aimed at promoting interest in science and engineering for junior high and high school girls.