CAREER: Unlocking the potential of natural polymers for efficient removal of emerging contaminants from drinking water.

在这个项目中，Maria Soledad Peresin博士旨在通过推进对自然发生系统的基本理解来释放植物或动物生物质某些成分的潜力，以设计生物材料，以解决社会关注的关键问题，例如从饮用水中去除新出现的污染物。聚合物是一种天然或人造的化学物质，由较小的重复分子组成，就像一个大结构中的单个乐高积木一样。天然聚合物，如纤维素（来自木材、大豆壳、棉花等）、壳聚糖（来自贝类外壳）和海藻酸盐（来自藻类）是可持续的可再生资源，是循环经济的重要组成部分，旨在最大限度地减少浪费。结合不同天然聚合物的特性是开发新一代产品的一种方式，这种产品可能会取代传统的、不可再生的化石燃料材料。该项目将专注于了解、开发和使用可再生的天然聚合物来设计高效和可持续的吸附剂，这些吸附剂是用于去除污染物的高多孔结构。Peresin博士建议对各种聚合物系统进行广泛的研究，以最大限度地提高它们在不同环境条件下从水体中去除污染物的潜在吸附能力。将使用三种新型水生污染物——四环素（一种抗生素）、布洛芬（一种镇痛药）和磺胺甲恶唑（一种抗生素）——来评估聚合物组装体的吸附能力及其性能。Peresin博士将利用该研究项目作为教育平台，为提高阿拉巴马州的科学素养做出有影响力的贡献，同时为地方、国家和全球努力提供可持续的清洁饮用水方法。年轻一代越来越关注环境问题，并意识到需要减少我们对地球的影响。通过她的研究和指导，Peresin博士希望通过开发有助于资源可持续利用和社会经济效益的新工艺和新产品，为有环保意识的学生在森林工业中提供就业机会。该项目由材料研究部的生物材料计划和促进竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。本职业规划的总体目标是：1)揭示天然存在的多糖（PS）相互作用、表面性质及其组装之间的结构-性质关系的基本原理，用于宏观吸附剂的设计；2)利用这个平台教育学生使用自然资源清洁水所涉及的界面现象；3)为全球为社会提供清洁饮用水做出贡献。天然聚合物是可再生资源，对循环经济至关重要。结合它们的特性对于开发替代传统化石基材料的新一代功能材料至关重要。然而，为了部署这些材料，仍然存在一些挑战，如成本、性能和规模。这项职业的长期研究目标是推进知识，使基于天然聚合物的PS结构的合理设计能够有效地去除饮用水中的新污染物。本CAREER提案将为阐明天然聚合物（特别是PS，如纤维素和几丁质）的组成、表面功能和超分子结构之间的精细相互作用以及它们对与新出现的污染物的界面相互作用的影响提供一个基本框架。聚合物的自组装及其界面行为已经得到了广泛的研究，然而，了解天然PS组装的表面性质及其对界面吸附现象的影响之间的关系还需要做更多的工作。在这个为期五年的职业生涯奖项中，将解决以下假设：1) PS的相互作用可以通过改变环境条件和大分子的固有性质来控制；2)PS组件结合能的熵和焓贡献将影响其膨胀和吸附能力；3)大分子组装产生的界面相互作用将决定PS结构的表面能和化学性质，直接影响总吸附能力。大部分工作将在纤维素和几丁质（及其衍生物）上进行，因为它们的丰度、坚固的化学结构、表面积和多功能表面功能是本项目的理想选择。为了验证这一假设，PI将使用一种组合方法，包括PS组装和二维模型表面的吸附研究。这些发现将转化为3D水凝胶系统，通过自下而上的自组装方法生产。将使用三种新出现的污染物模型，即四环素（一种抗生素）、布洛芬（一种止痛药）和2,4-二氯苯氧乙酸（一种除草剂），来评估吸附能力和性能。这些假设将通过以下具体目标进行检验：1)阐明PS自组装过程中相互作用的性质；2)了解组成和表面功能对聚苯乙烯组件膨胀和超分子结构的作用；3)研究三维结构中聚苯乙烯自组装的不同途径；4)揭示超分子结构、组成和表面对聚苯乙烯组件整体吸附能力的影响。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。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYIn this project, Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin aims to unlock the potential of certain components of plant or animal biomass to design biomaterials by advancing the fundamental understanding of naturally occurring systems to address critical issues of societal concern, such as the removal of emerging contaminants from drinking water.Polymers are natural or man-made chemicals that are composed of building blocks of smaller repeating molecules, as one would picture individual Legos® within a larger structure. Natural polymers, such as cellulose (from wood, soybean hulls, cotton, etc.), chitosan (from the outer shell of shellfish) and alginates (from algae) are sustainable and renewable resources that are an essential component of a circular economy, aimed at minimizing waste. Combining properties of different natural polymers is a way to develop a new generation of products that may replace traditional, non-renewable fossil fuel-based materials.This project will focus on understanding, developing and using renewable, natural polymers to design efficient and sustainable adsorbents, which are highly porous structures for the removal of contaminants. Dr. Peresin proposes an extensive study of a variety of polymer systems to maximize their potential adsorption capacity for removing contaminants from water bodies in different environmental conditions. Adsorption capacity of the polymers’ assemblies and their performance will be assessed using three model emerging aquatic contaminants, tetracycline (an antibiotic), ibuprofen (an analgesic) and sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic). Dr. Peresin will use this research program as a platform for education with an impactful contribution to improving science literacy in the State of Alabama while contributing to local, national and global efforts to provide a sustainable method for cleaning drinking water. Younger generations have an increased environmental concern and awareness of the need to decrease our impact on the planet. Through her research and mentorship, Dr. Peresin hopes to advance career opportunities within the forest industry for environmentally conscience students with the development of novel processes and new products that contribute to the sustainable use of resources and economic benefit of society. This project is jointly funded by the Biomaterials Program in the Division of Materials Research, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe overarching goals of this CAREER plan are 1) to uncover the principles that underlie the structure-property relationship between naturally occurring polysaccharides (PS) interactions, surface properties and their assembly for the design of macroscale adsorbents, 2) to use this platform to educate students on interfacial phenomena involved in cleaning water using natural resources, and 3) to contribute to global efforts to provide clean drinking water to society. Natural polymers are renewable resources, essential for the circular economy. Combining their properties is critical for developing the new generation of functional materials on lieu of traditional fossil-based materials. However, several challenges remain in order to deploy these materials, such as cost, performance and scale. The long-term research goal of this CAREER is to advance the knowledge that will enable the rational design of PS structures based on natural polymers for effective removal of emerging contaminants from drinking water. This CAREER proposal will provide a fundamental framework for elucidating the fine interplay between the composition, surface functionality, and the supramolecular structure of natural polymers, specifically PS such as cellulose and chitin, and their effect on interfacial interactions with emerging contaminants. Polymers self-assembly and their interfacial behavior have been extensively studied, however, more work is needed for understanding the correlation between the surface properties of natural PS assembly and their impact on the interfacial adsorption phenomena. During this five year CAREER award, the following hypotheses will be addressed: 1) PS interactions can be controlled by changing environmental conditions and macromolecules intrinsic properties, 2) entropic and enthalpic contributions to binding energy of PS assemblies will affect their swelling and adsorption capacity, 3) interfacial interactions resulting from the macromolecule assembly will determine the surface energy and chemistry of the PS structures, with a direct impact on the total sorption capacity. The majority of the work will be performed on cellulose and chitin (and their derivatives) as they are ideal for this project due to their abundancy, robust chemical structural, surface area and versatile surface functionality. To test the hypothesis the PI will use a combinatory approach that involves PS assemblies and adsorption studies on 2D model surfaces. These findings then will be translated to a 3D hydrogel system, produced through a bottom-up self-assembly approach. Adsorption capacity and performance will be assessed using three model of emerging contaminants namely, tetracycline (an antibiotic), ibuprofen (an analgesic) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (an herbicide). These hypotheses will be tested with the following specific objectives 1) elucidate the nature of the PS interactions during their self-assembly; 2) understand the role of composition and surface functionality on PS assemblies swelling and supramolecular structure, 3) examine different routes for self-assembly of PS in 3D structures and 4) unveil the effects of supramolecular structure, composition and surface on the overall adsorption capacity of the PS assemblies.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.