CREST Phase II: Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications

在国家科学基金会的支持下，该项目进一步发展了波多黎各大学(UPRM)生物医学、环境和可持续发展应用纳米技术中心。该中心的使命是通过专注于生物医学、环境修复和可持续发展应用，将纳米材料领域的变革性研究和教育努力结合起来。参与该中心的教职员工将研究以应用为导向的材料加工，其性能和应用取决于纳米尺度上发生的现象：(1)医学和生物应用；(2)环境中顽固和新出现的污染物的补救；以及(3)可持续性。该项目将建立有效的手段，使研究和教育制度化，以期在UPRM建立一个得到国际认可的可持续平台。通过形成性和总结性评估，系统的项目评价将提供信息，以确保持续改进，重点是实现拟议目标。智力价值：三个跨学科研究小组将侧重于以下领域：(I)在磁场和专门光源的辅助下，开发用于癌症治疗的新型纳米材料。毒性和转运将使用模型人类癌细胞株和其他适当的模型进行评估。这个研究团队的目标是创造非侵入性疗法，用于治疗各种形式的癌症患者。(2)制造一系列新的复合材料，用于去除水源中新出现的污染物，包括药品和个人护理产品以及选定的病原体。此外，研究人员将致力于处理新的多孔吸附剂，以选择性和高效地从环境和封闭的栖息地捕获二氧化碳。(3)为可再生资源的转化寻找新的纳米催化剂。该研究小组还将开发新的纳米结构复合材料，以聚合物为主要成分，并与专门成分相结合，旨在用于下一代燃料电池应用。最后，将使用特定的纳米颗粒配制高性能和可持续(制造时的低能耗)混凝土混合料。广泛的影响：生物医学、环境和可持续应用中心将开发癌症治疗、水消毒和空气净化以及可持续发展的技术。尽管癌症化疗药物有了巨大的进步，但了解治疗失败的根本原因仍然是一个未得到满足的需求。通过拟议的活动获得的知识将对开发新的癌症治疗方法和材料以及在医学上的应用变得非常宝贵。中心的目标还将解决与水和空气相关的全球环境挑战。与可持续性相关的研究也将受到该中心的影响。在本科生层面，该中心将影响材料科学和工程本科证书课程，以及各工程系的本科生研究课程。生物医学、环境和可持续发展应用中心将培养一支有竞争力的拉美裔专业人员队伍，他们已做好充分准备，为国家的纳米技术劳动力做出贡献。

With National Science Foundation support, this project further develops the Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM). The Center's mission is to combine transformational research and education efforts in the area of nanoscaled materials by focusing on: biomedical, environmental remediation, and sustainability applications. Faculty members involved in the Center will investigate application-oriented processing of materials with properties and applications that depend on phenomena occurring at the nanometer scale: (1) Medical and Biological Applications; (2) Remediation of Recalcitrant and Emerging Contaminants from the Environment; and (3) Sustainability. This project will establish effective means to institutionalize research and education aimed at founding a sustainable platform at UPRM of international recognition. Through formative and summative assessments, a systematic project evaluation will provide information to ensure continuous improvement, focusing on achieving the proposed objectives. Intellectual Merit: Three interdisciplinary research groups will focus on the following areas: (i) Development of new nanoscaled materials for cancer therapy assisted by the application of magnetic fields and specialized light sources. Toxicity and transport will be assessed using model human cancer cell lines and other appropriate models. The goal of this research team is to create non-invasive therapeutics for treatment of patients suffering from diverse forms of cancer. (ii) Fabrication of a novel series of composites for the removal of emerging contaminants from water sources, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and selected pathogens. Additionally, researchers will work on processing new porous adsorbents for the selective and efficient capture of CO2 from the environment and enclosed habitats. (iii) Finding new nanocatalysts for the conversion of renewable resources. This research group will also develop new nanostructured composite materials using polymers as the main component and combined with specialized constituents, which are intended for the next generation of fuel cells applications. Finally, high performance and sustainable (low-energy consuming upon fabrication) concrete mixes will be formulated using specific nanoparticles.Broader Impacts:The Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications will develop technologies for cancer therapy, water disinfection and air cleaning, and sustainability. Despite dramatic improvements in cancer chemotherapeutics, there is still an unmet need to understand the underlying causes of treatment failures. The knowledge acquired through the proposed activities will become invaluable for the development of novel cancer therapies and materials with applications in medicine. Center goals will also address global environmental challenges associated with water and air. Sustainability-related research will also be impacted by the Center. At the undergraduate level, the Center will impact the Undergraduate Certificate in Materials Science and Engineering program, as well as undergraduate research courses in the various engineering departments. The Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications will develop a competitive cadre of Hispanic professionals well-prepared to contribute to the Nation's nanotechnology workforce.