Unifying Principles for the Design and Manufacture of Chemically-Patterned Polymeric Membranes

由于其控制分子传输的能力，膜是现代分离(例如水处理)和传感(例如葡萄糖监测)过程的基本组件。随着其应用的深入，出现了对更具选择性的膜的需求。在这方面，从生物膜中汲取灵感的工程系统提供了一条实现更具选择性的膜的途径。为了实现这一新的范例，需要以与公认的制造方法一致的方式对膜的表面化学进行图案化处理。该奖项利用纳米结构聚合物、薄膜制造和喷墨打印领域的最新进展，解决与生产电荷图案马赛克薄膜有关的基本科学问题。即将获得的基本知识对多功能膜的制造具有广泛的影响，这些膜可以应对确保美国人民福祉和繁荣所需的关键挑战。例如，通过改变活性油墨的配方，独特的功能可能导致治疗药物或化学和生物威胁探测器的发展。该项目涉及多学科，涉及聚合物化学、传输现象和纳米结构材料。它通过培养下一代跨学科的科学家和工程师，帮助美国的制造业格局发生革命性的变化。电荷图案马赛克薄膜由横跨薄膜厚度的离散的带正电荷和带负电荷的区域组成。它们被用来启动这一探索路线，因为它们选择性地运输盐的能力直接来自于它们的图案化化学。尽管它们在分离和传感应用中具有潜在的实用价值，但人们对这些膜的选择性传输机制知之甚少。这一关键的知识差距是与制造化学图案化薄膜相关的挑战的直接结果。特别是，在引入带电官能团所需的苛刻化学处理过程中引起的形态变化阻碍了先前生产这类膜的努力。在这里，这一工程机会是通过将纳米结构共聚基材与喷墨打印机介导的活性墨水沉积相结合来实现的，这些基材可以通过使用‘点击’反应实现功能化。这项研究使电荷图案膜的系统设计和制造成为可能。它研究自组装共聚物膜基板的制造，这种基板是通过分子工程设计的，能够使用喷墨打印进行化学图案化。它评估电荷图案膜在模型化学分离中的性能，以将膜性能与图案设计和组成相关联。该项目推动了添加剂制造在膜科学领域的应用，并提供了一种多功能膜技术，在传统和新兴应用中提供了更好的选择性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Due to their ability to control molecular transport, membranes are essential components of modern separations (e.g., water treatment) and sensing (e.g., glucose monitoring) processes. As their application has advanced, a need for more selective membranes has emerged. In this regard, engineered systems that take inspiration from biological membranes provide one route toward realizing more selective membranes. To bring this new paradigm to fruition, processes for patterning the surface chemistry of membranes in a manner that is consistent with proven manufacturing methods are needed. This award leverages recent advances in the fields of nanostructured polymers, membrane manufacturing, and ink-jet printing to address fundamental scientific issues related to the production of charge-patterned mosaic membranes. The fundamental knowledge to be gained has broad implications for manufacturing of multifunctional membranes that address critical challenges needed to ensure the well-being and prosperity of the American people. For example, by changing the formulation of the reactive inks, unique functions are possible leading to the development of therapeutic medicine or chemical and biological threat detectors. This project is multidisciplinary and involves polymer chemistry, transport phenomena, and nanostructured materials. It helps revolutionize the manufacturing landscape of the U.S. by training the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists and engineers.Charge-patterned mosaic membranes consist of discrete positively-charged and negatively-charged domains that traverse the membrane thickness. They are used to initiate this line of inquiry because their ability to transport salts selectively emerges directly from their patterned chemistry. Despite their potential utility in separations and sensing applications, the selective transport mechanisms of these membranes are poorly understood. This critical knowledge gap is a direct result of challenges related to manufacturing chemically-patterned membranes. In particular, morphological changes induced during the harsh chemical treatments required to introduce charged functionality have hampered prior efforts to generate this class of membranes. Here, this engineering opportunity is met by integrating nanostructured copolymer substrates that are amenable to functionalization using 'click' reactions with ink-jet printer-mediated deposition of reactive inks. This research enables the systematic design and manufacture of charge-patterned membranes. It studies the fabrication of self-assembled copolymer membrane substrates that are molecularly-engineered to enable chemical-patterning using ink-jet printing. It evaluates the performance of charge-patterned membranes in model chemical separations to correlate membrane performance with pattern design and composition. The project advances the use of additive manufacturing within the field of membrane science and delivers a versatile membrane technology that offers improved selectivity in traditional and emerging applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.