CAREER: Polymer dynamics near surfaces

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公共法律117-2)。非技术性总结这个职业项目专注于发展对表面如何影响聚合物凝胶背后的基础科学的理解。聚合物凝胶是聚合物(长链分子)在溶剂中膨胀形成的网络。凝胶对其他材料的粘附性融合了干和湿、软和硬、人造和天然等属性。这些接口是许多应用的基础，包括身体组织修复、软电子学、药物输送，以及更广泛的生物与机器和散装材料的相互作用。尽管近年来取得了革命性的进展，但根本性和实用性的挑战仍然存在，这可能会给与组织、皮肤和眼睛接触的凝胶材料带来革命性的变化。利用最近开发的技术，PI建议直接确定凝胶与不同表面的相互作用。通过对软硬(凝胶)界面的多方面研究，这项工作将促进湿粘着、防污和凝胶-凝胶粘着的发展。除了潜在的变革性知识，这项研究还将对当地克利夫兰地区、本科生和研究生层面上服务不足的社区的STEM培训产生直接影响。特别是，PI将与凯霍加社区学院合作创建一系列教育演示，旨在帮助初等教育中的成年人学习科学概念，重点是聚合物科学和回收利用。展望未来，拟议的研究、教育和推广活动将影响重要领域，如软材料技术。技术总结这个职业项目的目标是发展一个综合的教育和研究计划，以促进界面聚合物凝胶物理领域的发展。主要的研究目标是调查表面和外力如何影响空间分辨的聚合物网络动力学。PI的小组将评估局部聚合物凝胶动力学，并解决水凝胶粘附性的基本要素(1)作为使用带电聚电解质凝胶的相互作用的函数，(2)通过将几何控制的图案模板化到界面来作为表面拓扑的函数，以及(3)作为两个水凝胶界面处的模数差的函数。通过测试硬表面和软表面(凝胶)，这项工作将促进湿附着力、污垢、凝胶-凝胶附着力的发展，以及凝胶界面上独特的相互作用。研究目标将与整体教育计划相结合，以建立对当地社区的信任，并吸引行业和年轻科学家的参与。这将分三个阶段实现：1)与凯霍加社区学院合作，创建一系列教育演示，旨在帮助中等教育中的成年人学习科学概念，重点是聚合物科学和回收利用。2)建立一个新的为期一周的年度研讨会，就本研究中使用的新分散技术对当地聚合物行业进行教育和参与。3)通过聚合物特使计划对克利夫兰高中生进行辅导和教育推广，在约翰海高中举办的逆科学博览会上进行年度展示，并为本科生提供实验室体验，从而培养聚合物科学的新领导者。总体而言，该教育计划将促进当地对聚合物科学的了解和欣赏，聚合物科学是克利夫兰地区的主导产业之一。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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis CAREER project focuses on developing an understanding of the fundamental science behind how surfaces affect polymer gels. Polymer gels are networks of polymers (long-chain molecules) swollen with a solvent. Gel adhesion to other materials merges attributes such as dry and wet, soft and hard, artificial and natural. These interfaces are fundamental to many applications, including body tissue repair, soft electronics, drug delivery, and more generally how biology interacts with machines and bulk materials. Despite the transformative advances in recent years, both fundamental and practical challenges remain that could revolutionize gel materials that interface with tissues, skin and eyes. Using recently-developed techniques, the PIs propose to directly determine gel interactions with different surfaces. By a multifaceted investigation of both hard and soft (gel) interfaces, this work will advance the development of wet-adhesion, anti-fouling, and gel-gel adhesion. In addition to the potential transformative knowledge, the research will have direct impact on STEM training of underserved communities at the local Cleveland-area, undergraduate, and graduate levels. In particular, the PI will partner with Cuyahoga Community College to create a series of educational demos designed to help adults in primary education learn scientific concepts, with an emphasis on polymer science and recycling. Looking to the future, the proposed research, education, and outreach activities will influence important areas, such as soft material technologies.TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe objective of this CAREER project is to develop an integrated educational and research program to advance the field of interfacial polymer gel physics. The primary research goal is to investigate how surfaces and external forces impact spatially-resolved polymer network dynamics. The PI's group will evaluate local polymer gel dynamics and resolve the fundamental elements of hydrogel adhesion (1) as a function of interactions using charged polyelectrolyte gels, (2) as a function of the surface topology by templating geometrically-controlled patterns to the interface, and (3) as a function of the modulus difference at the interface of two hydrogels. By testing both hard and soft (gel) surfaces, this work will advance the development of wet-adhesion, fouling, gel-gel adhesion, and the unique interactions at gel interfaces. The research goal will be integrated with the overall education program to build trust in the local communities and engage industry and young scientists. This will be achieved in three stages: 1) Partner with Cuyahoga Community College to create a series of educational demos designed to help adults in secondary education learn scientific concepts, with an emphasis on polymer science and recycling. 2) Establish a new week-long annual workshop to educate and engage local polymer industries on the new scattering techniques used in this study. 3) Educate new leaders in polymer science by mentoring and educational outreach to Cleveland high school students through the Polymer Envoy program, yearly showcases at inverse science fairs presented at John Hay High School, and laboratory experiences for undergraduates. Overall, the educational program will advance local knowledge and appreciation of polymer science, which is one of the leading industries in the Cleveland area..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.