Block copolymer-enabled mesopore sensing

具有5 - 50 nm长度尺度的孔的材料架构为化学和生物传感应用提供了独特的机会。毛细冷凝，即用来自气相的冷凝液体填充孔隙，高度依赖于孔隙尺寸和相对湿度。目标分析物的有效捕获涉及充分的表面相互作用和对空间限制的控制的组合。这项研究提案的目的是通过使用嵌段共聚物（BCP）共组装提供的结构控制，构建在湿度和生物医学传感方面具有前所未有功能的多孔材料。BCP是由化学上不同的结构单元组成的大分子，这些结构单元通过共价键连接。溶剂蒸发导致相分离成纳米级形态，这可以通过BCP的分子设计来控制。在共组装方法中，BCP用作牺牲主体以结构化直接无机客体材料。在结构形成之后，除去有机材料以显示多孔无机网络。从概念上讲，这种方法允许系统地改变和控制多孔薄膜的关键参数，如孔隙率，孔径和分散性以及孔结构，通过修改的分子构建块和加工条件。在拟议的研究过程中，将阐明控制孔径和分散性的参数，并在两个不同的传感平台（即湿度和生物医学传感）上评估BCP衍生多孔材料的一般有效性。在湿度传感方面，将追求透明材料架构的制造，通过电容手段在整个湿度范围内进行准确测定，为汽车和建筑应用提供响应性玻璃组件的集成路线。调查结果将在挡风玻璃原型与响应防雾控制。鉴于内燃机逐渐消失，转向电气化移动，其中热量不再充足，因此对能源消耗构成重大负担，这种技术将产生广泛的影响。对于生物医学传感，将研究多孔网络中目标分析物的捕获，以用于其定量在治疗中很重要的许多候选物，例如病毒，治疗性抗体，外来体或microRNA。有效捕集的适用性和所设想的上级孔径控制将在新型生物传感器中实现，所述新型生物传感器允许通过与孔堵塞相关的电化学电流的变化进行检测。成功的原理验证将刺激低成本手持式诊断设备在床旁应用中的发展，以最小的副作用改善治疗效果。

Material architectures with pores on the 5 - 50 nm length scale offer distinct opportunities for chemo- and biosensing applications. Capillary condensation, i.e. the filling of pores with condensed liquid from the vapour phase, is highly dependent on the pore size and relative humidity. Efficient trapping of target analytes relates to a combination of adequate surface interaction and control over spatial confinement. The aim of this research proposal is to build porous materials with unprecedented functioning in humidity and biomedical sensing through the structural control offered by the use of block copolymer (BCP) co-assembly. BCPs are macromolecules that are composed of chemically dissimilar building blocks, which are linked by covalent bonds. Solvent evaporation leads to phase separation into nanoscale morphologies, which can be controlled by the molecular design of the BCPs. In a co-assembly approach, BCPs are used as sacrificial host to structure direct inorganic guest material. After structure formation, the organic material is removed to reveal a porous inorganic network. Conceptually, this approach allows to systematically vary and control key parameters of porous thin films, such as porosity, pore size and dispersity as well as the pore architecture, by modifications to the molecular building blocks and processing conditions. In the course of the proposed study, parameters that govern the pore size and dispersity will be elucidated and general effectiveness of BCP-derived porous materials evaluated on two different sensing platforms, namely humidity and biomedical sensing. In humidity sensing, the fabrication of transparent material architectures will be pursued that allow accurate determination over the full humidity range via capacitative means, offering an integrated route to responsive glazing components for automotive and building applications. Findings will be implemented in a windscreen prototype with responsive anti-fogging control. In the light of the gradual extinction of the internal combustion engine towards electrified mobility where heat is no longer abundant and thus a significant burden to the energy consumption, such technology will offer widespread impact. For biomedical sensing, the trapping of target analytes in porous networks will be studied for a number of candidates whose quantification is important in therapy, e.g. viruses, therapeutic antibodies, exosomes or microRNA. Applicability of effective trapping and the envisioned superior pore size control will be implemented in novel types of biosensors that allow detection by changes in electrochemical currents associated to a blockage of the pores. Successful proof-of-principle will stimulate the development of low-cost handheld diagnostic devices in point-of-care applications to improve therapeutic outcomes at minimal side-effects.