CAREER: Wetting and dynamics on soft and swollen polymeric surfaces

从生物和合成组织到柔性设备和不粘涂层，柔软和膨胀的聚合物在许多科学和技术领域都至关重要。这些材料包括固体部分和流体部分，这使得预测它们的行为具有挑战性。然而，了解这些材料如何与液体或固体相互作用是为国家健康和繁荣设计先进应用的必要条件。这个CAREER项目支持基础研究，以调查在各种静态和动态情况下，柔软和肿胀的表面如何与液滴相互作用。从这项工作中获得的见解有望有助于开发用于医疗保健应用的新生物材料，以及设计用于改善减阻和防污的不粘涂层。此外，该项目将支持一个暑期项目，为大学预科和代表性不足的学生提供探索和考虑stem职业的机会。此外，该项目将为英国研究生提供国际教育经验，以加强全球研究企业。该项目将培养学生在聚合物，表面和力学的跨学科领域，为未来的劳动力。软聚合物和膨胀聚合物对于广泛的应用至关重要，因此了解它们如何与其他介质相互作用非常重要。CAREER项目的目标是提供关于材料特性与柔软、膨胀和交联聚合物润湿行为之间关系的基础知识。在过去的十年中，研究人员在光滑的、注入润滑剂的多孔表面（如slip）和柔软的交联固体上进行了润湿研究；在这两种情况下，润湿脊要么由润滑剂形成，要么由软固体形成。然而，软膨胀网络的润湿作用还不是很清楚，软膨胀网络是交联聚合物注入液体后形成的。更具体地说，目前还不清楚膨胀流体和聚合物网络之间的协同作用如何控制润湿脊的形成和润湿动力学。为了研究液滴如何湿润柔软和肿胀的网络，将使用共聚焦显微镜、荧光染料和横向力测量。一系列硅基网络与一系列膨胀流体相结合，这将允许系统控制机械性能、膨胀比和流体网络相互作用。实验结果将在理论上考虑合并从表面科学，力学和聚合物科学的基本概念。此外，软材料将继续在科学和工程领域发挥关键作用。研究生的广泛指导和软材料研究小组之间的重点研讨会系列将为未来的劳动力提供加强培训。此外，该项目将为研究生在英国提供丰富的国际经验，以更好地了解全球研究文化。扩展水滴表面的相互作用，学生将出国旅行，探索昆虫在柔软和肿胀表面上的粘附。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。

Soft and swollen polymers are critical for many areas of science and technology, from biological and synthetic tissues to flexible devices and non-stick coatings. These materials comprise both a solid portion and a fluid portion, making it challenging to predict their behavior. However, understanding how these materials interact with liquids or solids is necessary for the design of advanced applications for national health and prosperity. This CAREER project supports fundamental research to investigate how soft and swollen surfaces interact with liquid drops in a variety of static and dynamic situations. Insights gained from this work are expected to aid in the development of new biomaterials for healthcare applications and in the design of non-stick coatings for improved drag reduction and anti-fouling. In addition, this project will support a summer program to provide pre-college and underrepresented students an opportunity to explore and consider STEM-based careers. Moreover, the project will offer an international educational experience for graduate students in the UK to enhance the global research enterprise. The project will train students in the cross-disciplinary area of polymers, surfaces, and mechanics for the future workforce.Soft and swollen polymers are critical for a wide range of applications, and hence it is important to understand how they interact with other media. The objective of this CAREER project is to provide fundamental knowledge on the relationships between materials-specific properties and the wetting behavior of soft, swollen, and crosslinked polymers. Over the last decade, wetting has been investigated on slippery, lubricant-infused porous surfaces (e.g. SLIPS) and on soft, crosslinked solids; in both cases, a wetting ridge forms from either the lubricant or the soft solid. However, wetting is not well understood on soft swollen networks, which are crosslinked polymers infused with a fluid. More specifically, it is unclear how the synergy between the swelling fluid and the polymer network governs wetting ridge formation and wetting dynamics. To investigate how liquid drops wet soft and swollen networks, confocal microscopy, fluorescent dyes, and lateral force measurements will be employed. A range of silicone-based networks combined with a range of swelling fluids will be implemented, which will allow for systematic control over the mechanical properties, the swelling ratios, and the fluid-network interactions. Experimental results will be theoretically considered by merging fundamental concepts from surface science, mechanics, and polymer science. In addition, soft materials will continue to play a pivotal role in the science and engineering landscape. Broad mentorship of graduate students and a focused seminar series among groups working on soft materials will offer enhanced training for the future workforce. Moreover, this project will provide graduate students with an enriching international experience in the UK to better understand the global research culture. Expanding on drop-surface interactions, students will travel abroad and explore insect adhesion on soft and swollen surfaces.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.