CAREER: Solvent-Free Synthesis of Polymeric Nanostructures with Targeted Properties

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。这项教师早期职业发展（Career）资助将支持推动聚合物纳米颗粒制造科学进步的研究。聚合物纳米颗粒的制造是由对美国经济的社会经济影响所驱动的，这种影响涵盖了医疗和商业活动。聚合物纳米颗粒目前是通过基于溶液的批处理工艺合成的，这限制了它们的广泛部署，并且使用有限的化学成分将可用的纳米颗粒限制为具有固体内部形态的球形。为了克服这些挑战，本研究为开发一种新的可扩展制造范式提供了所需的知识，该范式可以生产具有可编程形状、尺寸、孔隙度和化学性质的聚合物纳米颗粒。可编程聚合物纳米颗粒可以在注射植入物或可编程药物输送中找到重要用途，改变纳米颗粒对经济和就业的影响。合成可编程纳米颗粒的方法可以用于设计广泛的纳米材料，加速这个数十亿美元产业在美国的增长。该制造技术具有可扩展性和模块化，为集中式和分散式制造提供了并行路径。教育和外联活动将通过一个共同的主题在整个奖项期间进行整合，该主题侧重于积极学习和扩大妇女对STEM和技术转让的参与。该研究开发了一种利用化学气相沉积（CVD）的非平衡制造工艺连续生产可编程聚合物纳米颗粒的方法。CVD工艺是无溶剂的，可以用于有机纳米颗粒的可扩展软材料，如各种聚合物的可扩展制造工艺。该项目解决了基于非平衡现象形成纳米结构的挑战，包括滴状冷凝、无溶剂聚合、动态脱湿、蒸发和由该工艺实现的定向结构形成。该研究解决了实现这一方法进步的关键基本问题：(1)控制粒径和粒径分布的非极性纳米滴的缩聚和聚合动力学；(2)在工程/图案界面上进行非平衡脱湿，以确定颗粒的几何形状；(3)分子配合物和界面流动使纳米颗粒具有多孔的内部形态。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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will support research that enables advances in the manufacturing science of polymer nanoparticles. The manufacturing of polymer nanoparticles is motivated by the socioeconomic impact on the US economy which spans both medical and commercial activities. Polymer nanoparticles are currently synthesized via a solution-based batch processes, which can limit their broad deployment and constrain the available nanoparticles to a spherical shape with solid internal morphology using a limited selection of chemical compositions. To overcome these challenges, this research provides the needed knowledge for the development of a new scalable manufacturing paradigm that produces polymer nanoparticles with programmable shape, size, porosity, and chemistries. The programmable polymer nanoparticles could find important uses as injectable implants or in programmable drug delivery, transforming the impact of nanoparticles on the economy and employment. The methodology for synthesis of programmable nanoparticles can be adopted for the design of a broad range of nanomaterials, accelerating the growth of this multi-billion-dollar industry in the US. The manufacturing technique is scalable and modular, providing parallel paths for both centralized and decentralized manufacturing. Education and outreach activities will be integrated throughout the duration of this award through a common theme that is focused on active learning and broadening the participation of women in STEM and technology transfer. The research develops a methodology for the continuous production of programmable polymeric nanoparticles via a non-equilibrium manufacturing process utilizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The CVD process is solvent-free and can be a scalable manufacturing process for organic-based nanoparticles potentially extendable soft materials such as a variety of polymers. This project addresses that challenge for nanostructure formation based on non-equilibrium phenomena, including dropwise condensation, solvent-free polymerization, dynamic dewetting, evaporation, and flow-directed structure formation enabled by the process. The research addresses the fundamental questions that are key to achieving this methodological advance: (1) kinetics of condensation and polymerization of nonpolar nanodrops for controlled particle size and size distribution; (2) non-equilibrium dewetting on an engineered/patterned interface to define the particle geometry; and (3) molecular complexes and interfacial flow to enable porous internal morphologies for the nanoparticles.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.