Research Initiation Award: Surface modification of thiol-terminated silicon to build reusable antifouling layer

历史黑人学院和大学-本科项目(HBCU-UP)研究启动奖(RIA)为HBCU的STEM初级教员提供支持，他们开始建立研究项目，以及职业生涯中期的教师，他们可能在担任行政职位后重返教职队伍，或者需要重新定向和重建研究项目。教职员工可以在他们的家乡机构、NSF资助的中心、研究密集型机构或国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目有望帮助教师进一步提高研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究体验。在国家科学基金会的支持下，潘恩学院将进行研究，以开发抗生物污垢的表面。该项目将加强派恩学院的研究能力以及教与学。该项目将为本科生提供研究机会和高级化学技能。这一经历将有助于培养本科生的能力，并支持国家建设一支强大的STEM劳动力队伍的努力。这项研究将探索一种方法，通过二硫键将带有防污官能团的分子连接到表面，从而允许硫醇端基的表面被使用和重复使用。具体目标是：1)设计用于防污功能化的硅基薄膜；2)确认化学修饰衬底的防污功能。该项目的发现将为硅表面改性提供新的知识。这种方法也可用于其他材料的表面改性，如碳基材料。表面修饰技术的发展也可用于在硅或碳表面构建具有纳米特征的蛋白质阵列。该项目的成果可能会转移到航运和生物医药行业，并成为降低与污垢相关的成本的解决方案。该项目将与马歇尔大学和北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校合作开展。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM junior faculty at HBCUs who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who may have returned to the faculty ranks after holding an administrative post or who needs to redirect and rebuild a research program. Faculty members may pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Paine College will conduct research to develop bio-fouling resistant surfaces. The project will enhance the research capabilities of the PI as well as teaching and learning at Paine College. The project will provide undergraduate students with research opportunities and advance skills in chemistry. This experience will help to build the competency of the undergraduate students and support the nation's efforts in building a robust STEM workforce. This study will investigate an approach that will allow thiol-terminated surfaces to be used and re-used by attaching molecules with antifouling functional groups via a disulfide bond. The specific objectives are to: 1) engineer silicon-based thin films for antifouling functionalization; and 2) confirm antifouling function of chemically modified substrates. Findings from this project will provide new knowledge on silicon surface modification. This approach may be used for the modification of surfaces of other materials, such as carbon-based materials. The development of techniques for surface modification also can be used for building protein arrays with nano-sized features on silicon or carbon surfaces. The results of this project may be transferable to the shipping and biomedical industries, and become a solution to reduce the costs associated with fouling. This project will be conducted in collaboration with Marshall University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.