CAREER: Wettability Engendered Templated Self-assembly (WETS) for Large Scale Multi-phasic Nanoparticle Fabrication

该早期教师职业发展（CAREER）计划奖为大规模，简便和具有成本效益的制造一系列不同的单分散，多相，有机，微米和纳米粒子提供资金，这些纳米粒子几乎具有任何尺寸，形状和化学性质，使用称为WETS的新颖和简便的技术（Western Engendered Templated Self-assembly）。尽管在最近的过去已经探索了制造两相（Janus）或三相颗粒的不同途径，但是迄今为止还没有开发出允许制造具有任何期望的化学组成的单分散、多相颗粒的简单技术，并且精确控制其几何形状。该项目计划使用WETS技术来制造各种各样的复杂形状和尺寸小至20 nm的纳米颗粒。目标是生产低于50 nm的纳米颗粒，以受益于该规模的独特性能。其他目的包括（i）制造用于自动化、快速、大规模制造的原型系统，（ii）研究合成的多相颗粒在各种环境条件下的自组装，（iii）理解纳米颗粒添加对不同聚合物熔体的流变学和热性质的影响，和（iv）测试新的生物可降解多相纳米颗粒用于靶向和杀死卵巢癌和乳腺癌细胞的适用性。如果成功，这项工作将允许以非常大的规模制造一系列不同的多相有机纳米颗粒，这将影响广泛的领域，包括聚合物纳米复合材料、半导体技术、药物递送、生物技术，能源，化学和生物检测。该项目的推广和教育活动是由PI的承诺，以增加在STEM学科代表性不足的少数民族的数量的动机。这些活动包括为中学生进行为期五周的“星期六工程探索”计划，为高中生进行多次动手演示，招募本科生和研究生参加研究，并将这项工作纳入不同的本科生和研究生课程。

This Early Faculty Career Development (CAREER) Program award provides funding for the large scale, facile and cost-effective manufacturing of a range of different monodisperse, multi-phasic, organic, micro- and nanoparticles possessing virtually any size, shape, and chemistry using a novel and facile technique termed WETS (Wettability Engendered Templated Self-assembly). Although, different routes to fabricate bi-phasic (Janus) or tri-phasic particles have been explored in the recent past, a simple technique that allows for the manufacture of mono-disperse, multi-phasic particles of any desired chemical composition, with precise control over their geometries, has not been developed thus far. This project plans to use the WETS technique to fabricate a wide variety of such nanoparticles of complex shapes and sizes as small as 20 nm. A goal is to produce nanoparticles that are below 50 nm to benefit from the unique properties available at that scale. Other objectives include (i) fabrication of a prototype system for automated, rapid, large-scale manufacturing, (ii) studying the self-assembly of the synthesized multiphasic particles under a variety of environmental conditions, (iii) understanding the effects of nanoparticle addition on the rheological and thermal properties of different polymer melts, and (iv) testing the suitability of the novel biodegradable multiphasic nanoparticles for targeting and killing ovarian and breast cancer cells.If successful, this work will allow for the manufacturing of a range of different multi-phasic organic nanoparticles on a very large scale that will impact a wide range of fields including, polymer nanocomposites, semiconductor technology, drug delivery, biotechnology, energy, chemical and biological detection. The outreach and educational activities of the project are motivated by the PI's commitment to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines. The activities include conducting a five week "Saturday Engineering Exploration" program for middle school students, multiple hands-on demonstrations for high-school students, recruiting of undergraduates and a graduate student in the research, and incorporating this work in different undergraduate and graduate courses.