CAS: REGENERABLE POLYMERS FOR PHOSPHATE REMOVAL AND RECOVERY FROM WASTEWATER

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的支持下，明尼苏达大学的瓦莱丽·皮埃尔教授将开发聚合物支持的受体，这种受体可以捕获并释放磷酸盐，用于废水的修复和净化，以及磷酸盐的循环利用——磷酸盐是确保我们食物供应所需的关键资源。皮埃尔教授和她的研究团队的目标是合成和研究具有海绵功能的聚合物和受体，它们可以选择性地从受污染的水中捕获磷酸盐，然后在增加光或压力等刺激时释放磷酸盐。这种可控的可逆性旨在实现磷酸盐的分离和回收，以及智能受体的无试剂回收。这个跨学科的研究项目将为本科生和研究生提供一系列有用技能的培训机会，包括化学合成、聚合物表征和受体-磷酸盐结合的分析研究。该项目的更广泛影响还包括为中学开发和评估新的动手活动，其目标是提高学生在早期教育中对科学和研究事业的兴趣。皮埃尔研究小组试图开发一种基于变构静电相互作用的一般策略，以使离子受体对外部刺激做出反应。这些感受器的一个独特之处在于，它们能够在外加物理或化学刺激的情况下，根据需要释放它们的客体。这种设计的受体的捕获和释放特性依赖于光、氧化还原电位、温度和压力控制的可逆化学反应。这种可控的可逆性有望实现分离，随后是磷酸盐的可控回收和智能聚合物上支持的受体的无试剂回收。这种方法扩大了超分子离子受体的能力，使它们能够沿着浓度梯度释放客体。明尼苏达大学的研究小组进一步寻求将超分子化学的力量与聚合物科学的力量结合起来，以实现对受支持受体行为的固体支持控制。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。

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Valerie Pierre of the University of Minnesota will be developing polymer-supported receptors that capture and release phosphate reversibly as needed for remediation and purification of waste water and for recycling phosphate—a critical resource needed to secure our food supply. Professor Pierre and her research team aim to synthesize and study polymers and receptors that function as sponges, capturing the phosphate from polluted water selectively and then releasing it upon addition of stimuli such as light or pressure. This controlled reversibility is designed to enable separation and recovery of phosphate and reagent-less recovery of smart receptors. This interdisciplinary research project will provide training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students across a range of useful skills, including chemical synthesis, polymer characterization, and analytical studies of the receptor-phosphate binding. Broader impacts of the project also include the development and evaluation of new hands-on activities for middle schools, with the goal of increasing interest in science and the research enterprise in students early in their education.The Pierre research team seeks to develop a general strategy based on allosteric electrostatic interactions to render receptors for ions responsive to external stimuli. A unique aspect of these receptors is their ability to release their guests on demand upon addition of an external physical or chemical stimulus. The catch-and-release properties of such designed receptors rely on reversible chemical reactions, such as those governed by light, redox potential, temperature, and pressure. This controlled reversibility is expected to enable separation followed by controlled recovery of phosphate and reagent-less recovery of receptors supported on smart polymers. This approach broadens the capabilities of supramolecular ion receptors by enabling them to release the guests up a concentration gradient. The Minnesota research team further seeks to combine the strength of supramolecular chemistry with that of polymer science to enable solid support control of the behavior of the supported receptors.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.