SusChEM: Collaborative Research: Identification of the critical length scales and chemistries responsible for the anti-fouling properties of heterogeneous surfaces

在这个由国家科学基金会化学部环境化学科学计划资助的项目中，卡内基梅隆大学的Meagan S.Mauter教授和塔夫茨大学的Ayse Asatekin教授描述了污垢附着到自然发生的表面的基本机制。防止表面污染的能力(防止污垢)在生物医学和海洋应用中有许多实际应用。这项研究正在引领一种新的防污表面，使其能够节省能源。使用防污染膜(即不会堵塞的过滤器)从海水中去除盐分(淡化)的能力也是这项研究的一个潜在好处。参与这项研究的两名研究生和几名本科生获得跨学科的知识和技能，并通过出版物和演示文稿传播他们的工作。这项工作包括聚合物合成、胶体力和沉积实验，以及评估区域大小、区域疏水性/亲水性对比和区域化学在确定污物吸附方面的相对重要性的建模。合成并表征了长度为1~10 nm、表面不均匀的共聚物膜库。材料特性被用来模拟胶体在这些非均质表面上的附着效率，使用了三个日益复杂的模型。这些模型用胶体力显微镜和基于质量的沉积测量进行了验证，这些测量使用了带有耗散监测的石英晶体微天平。最后，本项目探讨了纳米颗粒在胶体释放中作为剪切速度函数的作用。莫特教授和阿萨特金教授都是扩大女性在科学和工程领域的参与的积极倡导者，并将这项研究纳入他们的课程，其中包括环境政策、聚合物科学和分离等主题。

In this project funded by the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation, Professors Meagan S. Mauter of Carnegie Mellon University and Ayse Asatekin of Tufts University characterize the fundamental mechanisms of foulant adhesion to naturally occurring surfaces. The ability to prevent soiling of a surface (prevent fouling) has many practical applications in both biomedical and marine applications. This research is leading to a new class of fouling resistant surfaces that enable energy savings. The ability to use anti-fouling membranes (i.e., filters that do not become clogged) to remove salt from sea water (desalinization) is also a potential benefit of this research. Two graduate and several undergraduate students involved in this research gain interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, and disseminate their work through publications and presentations. This work involves polymer synthesis, colloidal force and deposition experiments, and modeling to evaluate the relative importance of domain size, domain hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity contrast, and domain chemistry in determining foulant adsorption. A library of copolymer films with surface heterogeneity on the length scale of 1 to 10 nm are synthesized and characterized. The material properties are used to model the attachment efficiency of colloids to these heterogeneous surfaces using three models of increasing complexity. These models are validated using colloidal force microscopy and mass-based deposition measurements using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. Finally, this project explores the role of nanopatterning on colloidal release as a function of shear velocity. Both Professors Mauter and Asatekin are active advocates of broadening the participation of women in science and engineering fields, and incorporate this research into their classes which includes topics in environmental policy, polymer science, and separations.