CAREER: Thermo-responsive absorbent with selective absorption for miscible liquids separation

液体混合物的分离是广泛的实际过程的关键步骤，如废水修复、生物燃料生产、水净化和地下水污染物去除。传统的分离方法，如蒸馏法或液-液萃取法，往往由于其高能耗或无法分离沸点相似的混合物而受到限制。本项目旨在建立一个新的技术平台，合理设计吸收剂，既能有效分离非混相（如油和水等非均相混合物），也能有效分离混相液体（如酒精和水等均相混合物）。这种吸收剂将超越目前在各种环境、生物医学和制药应用中使用的技术；因此，这项研究的成果也有可能促进国家的健康和繁荣。该项目还将支持外联和教育活动。研究生和本科生的材料和表面科学知识将通过与本研究成果相结合的课程来培养。此外，将与堪萨斯大学特殊教育系合作，为有特殊需要的学生开发STEM课程模块。该项目的长期目标是建立对混相液体分离过程中固体和液体之间界面相互作用的基本理解。本研究将描述选择性吸收驱动分离过程中涉及的界面参数之间的关系，包括吸收剂-液体分子间相互作用、界面润湿性和选择性吸收性。具体的研究目标是：(1)合成并表征一种热响应吸收剂，该吸收剂可以选择性地吸收极性液体，同时排斥非极性液体；(2)基于Flory-Huggins理论表征吸收剂与液体的分子间相互作用；(3)量化分子间相互作用与吸光度的关系；(4)建立分子间相互作用、界面润湿性和吸收性之间的数学框架；(5)通过对极性-极性混溶液体的选择性吸收实验和吸收液体从吸收剂中自发释放来验证所提出的框架；(6)检验对实际应用产生更广泛影响的可能性。本项目将通过研究吸收驱动分离过程中涉及的三个关键界面参数：分子间相互作用、界面润湿性和吸水性之间的关系，为吸收剂和液体之间的界面相互作用提供基本的理解。选择性吸收驱动的液体分离将是革命性的，新颖的，并且可以作为目前使用的复杂的，能源密集型的热蒸馏或液-液萃取方法的可行替代方法。该项目由界面工程项目和促进竞争研究的既定项目（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Separation of liquid mixtures is a critical step for a wide range of practical processes such as wastewater remediation, biofuel production, water purification, and contaminant removal from groundwater. Conventional separation methods, such as distillation or liquid-liquid extraction, are often limited either by their high energy consumption or their inability to separate mixtures with similar boiling points. This project aims to establish a new technological platform enabling the rational design of absorbents that can efficiently separate not only immiscible (heterogeneous mixtures such as oil and water) but also miscible liquid mixtures (homogenous mixtures such as alcohol and water). Such absorbents will surpass the technologies currently used in a variety of environmental, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications; thus, the outcomes of this research also have the potential to advance national health and prosperity. The project will also support outreach and educational activities. Both graduate and undergraduate students’ knowledge of materials and surface science will be fostered through a curriculum that is integrated with the results of this research. Furthermore, a STEM course module for students with special needs will be developed by collaborating with the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas.The long-term goal of this project is to establish a fundamental understanding of interfacial interactions between solids and liquids in miscible liquid separation processes. This research will describe relationships between interfacial parameters involved in the selective absorption-driven separation processes, including absorbent–liquid intermolecular interaction, interfacial wettability, and selective absorbency. The specific research objectives are to (1) synthesize and characterize a thermo-responsive absorbent that can selectively absorb a polar liquid while repelling a non-polar liquid; (2) characterize the intermolecular interaction between absorbent and liquid based on the Flory–Huggins theory; (3) quantify the relationship between the intermolecular interaction and the absorbency; (4) establish a mathematical framework between the intermolecular interactions, interfacial wettability, and absorbency; (5) validate the proposed framework by conducting selective absorption experiments on the miscible polar–polar liquids and the spontaneous release of the absorbed liquid from the absorbent; and (6) test the possibility of a broader impact for practical applications. This project will provide fundamental understanding of the interfacial interactions taking place at the boundary between the absorbent and liquid by studying the relationships among the three critical interfacial parameters involved in the absorption-driven separation process: the intermolecular interaction, interfacial wettability, and the absorbency. The selective absorbency-driven separation of liquids will be transformative, novel, and may serve as a viable alternative to the complex, energy-intensive thermal distillation or liquid-liquid extraction methods currently in use. This project is jointly funded by the Interfacial Engineering program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.