CAREER: Wetting and dynamics on soft and swollen polymeric surfaces

职业：柔软和溶胀聚合物表面的润湿和动力学

• 批准号: 2326933
• 负责人: Jonathan Pham
• 金额: $ 57.05万
• 依托单位: University of Cincinnati Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-01-01 至 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2326933&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Wetting; dynamics; soft; swollen

Soft and swollen polymers are critical for many areas of science and technology, from biological and synthetic tissues to flexible devices and non-stick coatings. These materials comprise both a solid portion and a fluid portion, making it challenging to predict their behavior. However, understanding how these materials interact with liquids or solids is necessary for the design of advanced applications for national health and prosperity. This CAREER project supports fundamental research to investigate how soft and swollen surfaces interact with liquid drops in a variety of static and dynamic situations. Insights gained from this work are expected to aid in the development of new biomaterials for healthcare applications and in the design of non-stick coatings for improved drag reduction and anti-fouling. In addition, this project will support a summer program to provide pre-college and underrepresented students an opportunity to explore and consider STEM-based careers. Moreover, the project will offer an international educational experience for graduate students in the UK to enhance the global research enterprise. The project will train students in the cross-disciplinary area of polymers, surfaces, and mechanics for the future workforce.Soft and swollen polymers are critical for a wide range of applications, and hence it is important to understand how they interact with other media. The objective of this CAREER project is to provide fundamental knowledge on the relationships between materials-specific properties and the wetting behavior of soft, swollen, and crosslinked polymers. Over the last decade, wetting has been investigated on slippery, lubricant-infused porous surfaces (e.g. SLIPS) and on soft, crosslinked solids; in both cases, a wetting ridge forms from either the lubricant or the soft solid. However, wetting is not well understood on soft swollen networks, which are crosslinked polymers infused with a fluid. More specifically, it is unclear how the synergy between the swelling fluid and the polymer network governs wetting ridge formation and wetting dynamics. To investigate how liquid drops wet soft and swollen networks, confocal microscopy, fluorescent dyes, and lateral force measurements will be employed. A range of silicone-based networks combined with a range of swelling fluids will be implemented, which will allow for systematic control over the mechanical properties, the swelling ratios, and the fluid-network interactions. Experimental results will be theoretically considered by merging fundamental concepts from surface science, mechanics, and polymer science. In addition, soft materials will continue to play a pivotal role in the science and engineering landscape. Broad mentorship of graduate students and a focused seminar series among groups working on soft materials will offer enhanced training for the future workforce. Moreover, this project will provide graduate students with an enriching international experience in the UK to better understand the global research culture. Expanding on drop-surface interactions, students will travel abroad and explore insect adhesion on soft and swollen surfaces.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.

柔软和膨胀的聚合物对许多科学和技术领域至关重要，从生物和合成组织到柔性设备和不粘涂层。这些材料既包括固体部分，也包括流体部分，这使得预测它们的行为具有挑战性。然而，了解这些材料是如何与液体或固体相互作用的，对于设计有利于国家健康和繁荣的先进应用是必要的。这个职业项目支持基础研究，以研究在各种静态和动态情况下，柔软和膨胀的表面如何与液滴相互作用。从这项工作中获得的见解有望有助于开发用于医疗保健应用的新生物材料，并有助于设计用于改善减阻和防污的不粘涂层。此外，该项目将支持一个暑期项目，为大学预科和代表性不足的学生提供探索和考虑基于STEM的职业的机会。此外，该项目将为英国的研究生提供国际教育体验，以加强全球研究企业。该项目将为未来的工作人员提供聚合物、表面和力学等跨学科领域的培训。软化和溶胀的聚合物对于广泛的应用至关重要，因此了解它们如何与其他介质相互作用是重要的。该职业项目的目标是提供有关材料特定属性与柔软、膨胀和交联聚合物的润湿行为之间关系的基础知识。在过去的十年里，人们研究了在光滑的、充满润滑剂的多孔表面(如滑块)和软的、交联的固体上的润湿；在这两种情况下，润滑剂或软固体都形成了润湿脊。然而，在柔软的膨胀网络上，润湿并没有被很好地理解，这是一种注入了液体的交联聚合物。更具体地说，目前尚不清楚膨胀液和聚合物网络之间的协同作用如何控制润湿脊的形成和润湿动力学。为了研究液滴如何润湿柔软和膨胀的网络，将使用共聚焦显微镜、荧光染料和侧向力测量。将实施一系列基于有机硅的网络和一系列膨胀液，这将允许系统地控制机械性能、膨胀率和流体-网络相互作用。实验结果将通过融合表面科学、力学和聚合物科学的基本概念在理论上加以考虑。此外，软材料将继续在科学和工程领域发挥关键作用。对研究生的广泛指导和软材料团队之间的一系列重点研讨会将为未来的劳动力提供更好的培训。此外，该项目将为研究生提供丰富的英国国际经验，以更好地了解全球研究文化。在水滴表面互动的基础上，学生们将出国旅行，探索昆虫在柔软和肿胀的表面上的粘连。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。

项目成果

Phase Separation in Wetting Ridges of Sliding Drops on Soft and Swollen Surfaces

柔软和膨胀表面上滑动液滴润湿脊的相分离

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.058205
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Physical Review Letters
• 影响因子: 8.6
• 作者: Hauer, Lukas;Cai, Zhuoyun;Skabeev, Artem;Vollmer, Doris;Pham, Jonathan T.
• 通讯作者: Pham, Jonathan T.