Topologically Frustrated Polymer Dynamics and Phase Behavior of Polyzwitterions

非技术总结能够携带电荷的大分子自地球上生命开始以来就无处不在。这些大分子在配制环保材料以保护全球可持续性方面也至关重要。然而，过去世纪的实验表明，这些分子以难以理解和预测的神秘方式行事。在任何系统中，这些带电的大分子都不会单独发挥作用，而是以协作的方式共同发挥作用。对许多分子之间如此大尺度的协同效应的基本理解是物理和生物科学中的重大挑战之一。为了减轻这一挑战，PI将制定一个基本的理解如何带电的大分子在拥挤的电解质溶液中移动，以及如何促进它们形成理想的结构，以实现社会效益的新型水基材料。此外，拟议的活动还包括大力支持多样性和培训新一代学者，使他们未来能够参与水基材料行业和维护全球可持续发展。技术总结PI提出实验和理论发展来研究带电大分子的等级结构和动力学、拓扑受抑的非扩散动力学状态、凝聚层凝胶复合材料、以及聚合物两性离子的组装和相图，通过结合光散射、中子散射、荧光光谱、荧光显微镜、阻抗光谱、流变学、单分子电泳、统计力学、场论和几种多尺度模拟技术。具体而言，该提案地址（a）的性质和起源的新发现的拓扑挫折的动态状态的聚合物，和它的过渡到其他传统的动力学模式，如Rouse-Zimm和爬行，（B）非平衡力控制凝聚凝胶复合材料的形成，和（c）偶极相互作用，以了解组装和相行为的聚两性离子。该项目旨在了解带电大分子系统的复杂行为，并发现含水带电聚合物系统的结构，动力学和传输的新概念模型。对这类重要材料行为的基本了解将有助于设计新型水基聚合物材料，以确保全球可持续发展，并提高社会效益。在这一具有挑战性的研究领域培训研究生和博士后也是拟议活动的一个重要组成部分。该奖项反映了NSF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。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYLarge molecules capable of carrying electrical charges are ubiquitous ever since life began on Earth. Such macromolecules are also vital in formulating environmentally friendly materials to guard global sustainability. However, experiments during the past century have shown that these molecules behave in mysterious ways that are difficult to understand and predict. These charged macromolecules in any system do not function alone, but all of them work together in collaborative manners. A fundamental understanding of such large scale cooperativity among many molecules is one of the grand challenges in physical and biological sciences. Towards mitigating this challenge, the PI will formulate a fundamental understanding of how electrically charged macromolecules move around in crowded electrolyte solutions, and how to facilitate them to form desirable structures toward novel water-based materials for societal benefits. In addition, the proposed activities include strong support of diversity and training a new generation of scholars and enable their future participation in industries on water-based materials and maintenance of global sustainability.TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe PI proposes experiments and theoretical developments to investigate hierarchical structure and dynamics of charged macromolecules, topologically frustrated non-diffusive dynamical state, coacervate gel composites, and assembly and phase diagrams for polyzwitterions, by combining light scattering, neutron scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, impedance spectroscopy, rheology, single molecule electrophoresis, statistical mechanics, field theory, and several multi-scale simulation techniques. Specifically, the proposal addresses (a) the nature and origin of the newly discovered topologically frustrated dynamical state of polymers, and its transition into the other conventional dynamical modes, such as the Rouse-Zimm and reptation, (b) non-equilibrium forces to control formation of coacervate gel composites, and (c) dipolar interactions to understand assembly and phase behaviors of polyzwitterions. This project is aimed at understanding the intricate behaviors of charged macromolecular systems, and discovering new conceptual models for structure, dynamics, and transport in aqueous charged polymer systems. A fundamental understanding of the behavior of this important class of materials will help to design novel water-based polymeric materials to secure global sustainability with enhanced benefits to society. Training of graduate students and postdocs in this challenging research area is also an important component of the proposed activity. .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.