DMREF: Analysis and Optimization of Polymer Networks for Emerging Applications

在这个由化学部门“设计材料以革新和工程我们的未来”项目资助的项目中，来自麻省理工学院的Jeremiah Johnson和Bradley Olsen将开发动态聚合物网络的合成和表征方法。该研究项目涉及实验工作和计算研究之间的密切合作，以开发一种定量分析聚合物网络缺陷的技术。将合成具有动态交联和同位素标记的新型聚合物网络材料，并将其缺陷含量表征为合成条件的函数。将发展新的理论和计算方法来分析网络结构，并与实验结果相关联。该项目的更广泛影响包括更好地理解聚合物网络材料结构的潜在技术效益，培养研究生和本科生跨学科科学，通过建立实验和理论小组之间的强大合作来增强研究基础设施，以及开发针对中学生的聚合物凝胶实践教学模块。水凝胶是由长链分子组成的网络，可以吸收高达其重量99%的水，是许多消费品和生物医学技术的重要材料。网络中的结构缺陷是限制水凝胶材料性能的关键因素。本研究项目旨在发展识别和计算网络缺陷数量的实验和理论策略。这些信息将允许制备具有更少缺陷和优越性能的水凝胶，并可能导致生物医学技术和水净化膜的新材料，以及许多应用。

In this project funded by the Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future program of the Chemistry Division, Jeremiah Johnson and Bradley Olsen from Massachusetts Institute of Technology will develop methods for the synthesis and characterization of dynamic polymer networks. The research project involves a closely integrated collaboration between experimental work and computational studies to develop a technique for the quantitative analysis of defects in polymer networks. Novel polymer network materials with dynamic crosslinks and isotopic labeling will be synthesized and their defect contents will be characterized as a function of the synthetic conditions. New theoretical and computational methods will be developed for the analysis of network structure and correlated with the experimental results. The broader impacts of the project involve the potential technological benefits of better understanding the structure of polymer network materials, training graduate and undergraduate students in interdisciplinary science, enhancing research infrastructure through the establishment of strong collaborations between experiment and theory groups, and developing hands-on teaching modules on polymer gels aimed at middle school students.Hydrogels are networks of long chain molecules that can absorb up to 99% of their weight in water, and they are important materials for a number of consumer products and biomedical technologies. Structural defects in the network are key contributors to limitations on the performance of hydrogel materials. This research project seeks to develop experimental and theoretical strategies for identifying and counting the number of defects in the networks. Such information will permit the preparation of hydrogels with fewer defects and superior properties and could lead to novel materials for biomedical technologies and water purification membranes, amongst many applications.