CAREER: Fundamental materials studies on fast ion diffusion in model side-chain ionomers.

第一部分： 非技术总结本职业项目的目标是设计，制备和表征模型聚合物，以阐明对离子在专用塑料材料中运动参数的基本理解。 与此同时，它将整合教育和外展计划，以激发和鼓励未来的STEM（即，该计划旨在鼓励女性科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）研究人员，招募女本科生从事STEM职业，并支持和留住研究生和博士后级别的STEM女性研究人员。 PI旨在合成新型聚合物，这些聚合物将允许通过深入的材料表征来探测关于离子传输的特定假设。 该项目整合了化学，材料科学和化学工程的技能和知识，以询问基本的结构-性能关系。 这项工作产生的基础科学知识可以促进新材料的应用，包括更安全的高能量密度可充电电池。 此外，将通过在高中开发和传播聚合物模块、高中学生和教师的实验室研究经验、有针对性地招募女本科生参加研究机会以及指导研究生和博士后妇女团体，来解决化学科学和工程下一代研究人员的数量、多样性和培训问题。 第二部分： 技术总结在这个项目中，一个可调的模型系统将被利用，使离子扩散的基本原理的理解离聚物离子聚集体，促进快速的单离子传输在无溶剂聚合物的潜在机制。 这项研究旨在通过跨越新型聚合物合成和深入材料表征的有针对性的实验研究来推动对这种离子扩散机制的理解。 具体而言，将合成具有自组装成限定相的可调末端离子基团的模型离聚物，并进一步利用其来询问影响离子域中反离子传输速率的参数。 分子水平的介观结构表征以及反离子和基质动力学的表征将使基本的结构-性质的相关性。 这项研究与一项教育计划相结合，由本科生研究人员，包括圣玛丽学院的女本科生参与研究活动，并向高中传播“我们世界中的聚合物”单元。

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe objectives of this CAREER project are to design, prepare, and characterize model polymers to elucidate fundamental understanding of the parameters governing motion of ions in specialized plastics materials. At the same time, it will integrate educational and outreach programs to excite and encourage future STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) researchers, recruit female undergraduate students to STEM careers, and support and retain female STEM researchers at the graduate and postdoctoral levels. The PI aims to synthesize novel polymers that will allow for specific hypotheses regarding ion transport to be probed by in-depth material characterization. The project integrates skills and knowledge of chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering to interrogate fundamental structure-property relationships. The fundamental scientific knowledge generated by this work could enable advances in new materials for applications including safer high energy-density rechargeable batteries. Additionally, the number, diversity, and training of the next generation of researchers in the chemical sciences and engineering will be addressed by the development and dissemination of a polymers module at high schools, laboratory research experiences for high school students and teachers, targeted recruitment of female undergraduate students to research opportunities, and mentoring of a graduate and postdoctoral women's group. PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYIn this project, a tunable model system will be leveraged to enable understanding of the fundamentals of ion diffusion in ionomer ionic aggregates, a potential mechanism for facilitating fast single-ion transport in solvent-free polymers. This research aims to propel understanding of this ion diffusion mechanism through targeted experimental studies that span novel polymer synthesis and in-depth material characterization. Specifically, model ionomers with tunable terminal ionic groups that self-assemble into defined phases will be synthesized and further leveraged to interrogate the parameters affecting the rate of counter-ion transport in ionic domains. Molecular-level through mesoscale structural characterization as well as characterization of counter-ion and matrix dynamics will enable fundamental structure-property correlations to be made. The research is integrated with an educational plan by involvement of undergraduate researchers, including female undergraduates from St. Mary's College, in the research activities and dissemination of a "Polymers in Our World" module to high schools.