CREST-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Investigating Non-Biofouling (NB) Membrane Materials as Forward Osmosis (FO) Membranes to Remediate from Saltwater Intrusion Las Cucharillas

CREST项目中的科学和技术卓越研究中心-博士后研究奖学金(CREST-PRF)轨道为CREST中心具有巨大潜力的初学者提供支持，并为他们提供培训和研究经验，这些培训和研究经验将拓宽视野，促进跨学科互动，并使他们在科学界处于领导地位。该CREST-PRF项目与波多黎各大学里约热内卢校区CREST环境纳米技术创新研究和教育中心的研究重点相一致。这项研究的目标是博士后通过一种基于新型聚合物的海水淡化方法来研究针对盐分入侵的水修复处理。拟议的工作有可能增加对拉斯古查里亚斯社区水域的了解。这项拟议的工作旨在通过使用新型聚合物的海水淡化方法，详细检查盐度入侵的水修复处理，研究盐度入侵对含水层的影响。这项研究的一个具体目标是合成可用于海水环境的具有非生物污染特性的材料。研究和表征了一种环境友好型两性离子聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PCBMA)聚合物。这种亲水性聚合物的利用具有潜在的水净化应用，可以防止有机物附着。这种拟议的方法有可能保护岛上的地下水水源和相关的自然生态系统。该项目的成功实施有可能产生重要的信息，以促进对通过新兴的聚合物接枝技术使用亲水性聚合物的了解。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。

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (CREST-PRF) track within the CREST program supports beginning CREST Center investigators with significant potential and provides them with training and research experiences that will broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions and establish them in positions of leadership within the scientific community. This CREST-PRF project is aligned with the research focus of the CREST Center for Innovation Research and Education in Environmental Nanotechnology at the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras Campus. The goal of this research is for the post doctoral fellow to investigate water remediation treatment from salinity intrusion via a desalination method based on novel polymers. The proposed work has the potential to increase understanding about the waters in the Las Cucharillas community. The proposed work intends to study salinity intrusion into water aquifers through a detailed examination of water remediation treatment from salinity intrusion via a desalination method using novel polymers. A specific aim of the research is to synthesize materials with non-biofouling features that may be used in seawater environments. An environmentally friendly zwitterionic poly(carboxybetainmethacrylate) (PCBMA) based polymer will be studied and characterized. This utilization of this hydrophilic polymer has the potential to have water purification applications which may prevent organic matter attachment. This proposed method has the potential to preserve the island groundwater sources and associated natural ecosystems. The successful implementation of this project has the potential to yield significant information to advance understanding regarding the use of hydrophilic polymers via emerging polymeric grafting techniques.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.