Interrogating the Impact of Biocompatible Ionic Liquids on the Nanoaggregation of Linear-dendritic Block Copolymers

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With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Dr. Eden E. L. Tanner of the University of Mississippi will study a novel class of polymers that consist of a linear hydrophobic section connected to a highly branched hydrophilic block. This distinct structural configuration bestows interesting properties on the polymer that can potentially be exploited for use as in drug delivery or related molecular transport applications. The Tanner Lab aims to gain a better understanding of the properties of this class of polymers, in particular the nature and strength of interactions that control the self-assembly of the polymers into uniform nano-size aggregates. The fundamental physical chemistry and polymer chemistry knowledge to be gained from this research may provide guiding principles for the rational design of polymers for biomedical or pharmaceutical applications. Dr. Tanner strives to recruit and retain Black and African-American scholars, aiming to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) participation among underrepresented minority students in Mississippi. In addition to providing interdisciplinary research training opportunities for students at the University of Mississippi, the Tanner Lab will host students from regional HBCUs over the summer. The Tanner Lab will interrogate the non-covalent interactions of linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) with biocompatible ionic liquids (BILs) and explore using BILs to help control LDBC self-assembly into monodisperse nanostructures. Biocompatible ionic liquids (BILs) are comprised of biocompatible bulky cations and anions and are liquids at room temperature. To understand the role that BILs play in the nano-assembly of LDBCs, Dr. Tanner and her team will investigate the nature and strength of interactions between the LDBCs and the BILs, both in pure BILs and in the presence of water, post-aggregation. They will analyze the BIL/LDBC nano-aggregates with a battery of physical and chemical techniques to gain insight on their nanoscopic composition. In addition, they will measure the thermodynamics and kinetics of degradation of the aggregates and the LDBCs themselves and quantify the impact of BILs, with the aim of relating degradation profiles to the strength of interactions between the LDBCs and BILs.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.