Collaborative Research: Using molecular functionalization to tune nanoscale interfacial energy and momentum transport

纳米级的工程表面将在广泛的未来技术中发挥至关重要的作用，包括饮用水和农业用水的脱盐/净化，高效加热/冷却，废热回收，先进的能源生产和储存，以及生物医学应用，如先进的诊断和治疗。 研究人员试图展示纳米尺度和分子水平的材料特性调整，以创建纳米工程表面，或所谓的“超级表面”。 该项目还将通过跨学科的科学，技术，工程和数学教育培养不同的科学家和工程师。将为本科生，包括农村，第一代，非传统和西班牙裔学生创建一个试点本科纳米科学计划。这将为学生，包括代表性不足的群体，提供一个机会，研究和网络与教师和学生在一个主要的研究型大学。 该项目的目标是展示一种新的技术，用于使用模型金-烷基乙醇-水系统对界面热导率、表面电荷、毛细性质和固液界面的生物相互作用进行分子水平的调谐。通过采用高度协同的，综合的实验和理论方法（设计，合成，然后重新设计微尺度表面），该研究将推进混合单层结构，动力学和界面相互作用的基本理解。这些研究将扩展到一个系统的调查冷却速率和基板曲率上的功能化硫醇域形成的平面基板和纳米粒子。通过展示一种商业上可扩展的技术，用于以纳米精度调整固液界面传输特性和表面的生物分子敏感性，该项目解决了该领域的重大应用研究需求。这项工作预计将导致一个新的纳米级制造模式的合理工程的固体-流体界面，可应用于广泛的功能分子和基板的发展。此外，它将探索可能的方法来控制界面传输和生物相互作用与功能化和纳米结构材料。 因此，这些研究将提供相当大的跨领域科学和技术效益，从而改善人类生活和健康的总体质量。由于该项目还将建立一个试点合作纳米科学计划，包括来自两个主要本科院校（科罗拉多梅萨大学和中央华盛顿大学）的学生，这两个大学为大量西班牙裔，农村，第一代和非传统的学生群体提供服务，以及圣母大学的学生和研究人员，该项目将有助于科学劳动力的多样性。具体来说，研究的综合研究和教育设计将有助于学生的参与，保留和成功。由于新型冠状病毒疫情，所有三所院校的主要研究人员均积极参与制定疫情期间院校间及院校内合作研究的计划，计划加强实验室安全，并利用资讯科技解决方案进行沟通，以减轻疫情对项目活动的破坏性影响，同时确保研究人员的安全。最后，通过科罗拉多梅萨大学的尤里卡科学博物馆和Maverick创新中心开展的社区外展和教育活动，PI将通过创业为地区教育发展和经济发展做出贡献。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Engineering surfaces at the nanometer scale will play a crucial role in a wide range of future technologies, including water desalination/purification for drinking and agriculture, efficient heating/cooling, waste heat recovery, advanced energy generation and storage, as well as biomedical applications such as advanced diagnostics and therapeutics. The investigators seek demonstrate nanometer-scale and molecular-level tuning of material properties to create nano-engineered surfaces, or so-called “super-surfaces”. The project will also train diverse scientists and engineers through interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and math education. A pilot undergraduate nanoscience program will be created for undergraduates, including rural, first-generation, non-traditional, and Hispanic students. This will provide students, including underrepresented groups, an opportunity to research and network with faculty and students at a major research university. The goal of this project is to demonstrate a novel technique for molecular-level tuning of interfacial thermal conductance, surface charge, capillary properties, and biological interaction of solid-liquid interfaces using a model gold-alkanethiol-water system. By employing a highly synergistic, integrated experimental and theoretical approach (to design, synthesize, and then re-design microscale surfaces), the study will advance the fundamental understanding of mixed monolayer structure, dynamics, and interfacial interactions. These studies will extend to a systematic investigation of cooling rate and substrate curvature on functionalized thiol domain formation on both flat substrates and nanoparticles. By demonstrating a commercially scalable technique for tuning solid-liquid interfacial transport properties and biomolecular sensitivity of surfaces with nanometer precision, the project addresses significant applied research needs in the field. This work is anticipated to lead to the development of a new nanoscale manufacturing paradigm for the rational engineering of solid-fluid interfaces that can be applied to a broad range of functional molecules and substrates. Additionally, it will explore possible means to control interfacial transport and biological interactions with functionalized and nanostructured materials. Thus, these studies will provide considerable cross-cutting scientific and technological benefits, which will improve the overall quality of human life and health. Because the project will also establish a pilot collaborative nanoscience program including students from two primarily undergraduate institutions (Colorado Mesa University and Central Washington University), which serve large Hispanic, rural, first generation, and non-traditional student populations, with students and researchers at University of Notre Dame, this project will contribute to the diversity of the scientific workforce. Specifically, the integrated research and education design of the studies will aid in student engagement, retention, and success. Because of the COVID pandemic, the PIs at all three institutions are actively engaged in developing a plan for inter- and intra- institutional collaborative research during the pandemic, planning for increased laboratory safety and utilizing information technology solutions for communications to mitigate the disruptive effects of the pandemic on the project activities while assuring researcher safety. Lastly, through community outreach and education activities via Colorado Mesa University’s Eureka Science Museum and Maverick Innovation Center, the PIs will contribute to regional educational development and economic development through entrepreneurship.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.