Design of Stimuli-Sensitive Organic Nanoparticles through Self-Assembly

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In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Sankaran Thayumanavan of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will develop methods for assembling organic nanoparticles through polymer self-assembly. The research will involve three components. In the first part, the project will focus on the development of organic nanoparticles with well-defined surface characteristics. In the second part, polymer-nanoparticle complexes will be generated using the well-defined surface functional groups of the nanoparticle and the complementary functional groups present in the polymer. The final part will involve development of strategies for eliciting fluorescence changes in the polymer-nanoparticle complexes due to the presence of large analyte molecules. The broader impacts of this project will involve interdisciplinary training of undergraduate and graduate students by cross-training the students not only across the sub-disciplines of chemistry, but also across other scientific disciplines that will see the impacts of this project. The project will also assist in broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM research via participation in the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and Professoriate program. Nanotechnology's impact in diverse areas of present day technology starts with the ability to synthesize well-defined nanometer-sized objects (nanoparticles) with well-defined surfaces. This research project seeks to develop fundamentally new ways of synthesizing functional nanoparticles that can bind with proteins to form complex materials or to generate observable signals. Such nanoparticles could lead to versatile sensing technologies that could impact biotechnology.