Interfacially Driven Self-Assembly in Multiphase Soft Matter Systems : Microstructural Transitions Triggered by Stimuli-Responsive Interfaces

了解和使用多相软物质系统(聚合物、乳液、泡沫、胶体等)的自组装和刺激响应特性。实际上是一个非常活跃的研究领域。触发刺激，如温度、pH和光，可以用来激发显著的材料响应：改变材料的机械和流变性，恢复或释放特定的化合物，用于传感设备和过程工程中的应用，如多相催化。 非均质材料和器件的性质往往与它们的界面有关。这项研究计划旨在开发由刺激响应界面组成的多相软物质材料。我们将：(1)开发基于光学张力计的方法来测量被动和/或刺激响应型界面改性剂改性的模型体系中的界面张力、吸附过程中和吸附后的平衡和动态界面性质以及界面粘弹性性质；(2)建立热力学模型来预测由三个以上相组成的体系或由界面改性剂组成的非均相体系中的平衡微观结构，并进行实验以验证预测结果；(3)将所获得的知识和专门技能应用于开发具有触发微结构和界面转变的刺激响应型多相乳液和泡沫，应用于化学品回收/输送(如石油回收和药物释放)和食品科学领域。 该项目将培养表面和界面软物质科学与工程领域的高素质人才。这将有利于化学工程和材料科学中几个活跃的研究领域：高性能复合材料的开发，生物医学和组织工程材料，多相催化应用的多相浓缩体系，食品科学等。我们期待我们的工作将导致与同事和行业合作伙伴的合作。

Understanding and using the self-assembling and stimuli-responsive properties of multiphase soft matter systems (polymers, emulsions, foams, colloids, etc.) is actually a very active field of research. Triggering stimuli such as temperature, pH, and light can be used to provoke a significant material response: alter the mechanical and rheological properties of materials, recover or liberate a particular chemical compound, for sensing devices and for applications in process engineering such as heterogeneous catalysis. The properties of heterogeneous materials and devices are often related to their interfaces. This research program aims at developing multiphase soft matter materials comprised of stimuli-responsive interfaces. We will: (1) develop methods based on optical tensiometry to measure interfacial tensions in model systems modified with passive and/or stimuli-responsive interfacial modifiers, the equilibrium and dynamic interfacial properties during and after adsorption, and the interfacial viscoelastic properties; (2) develop thermodynamic models predicting the equilibrium microstructures in systems comprised of more than three phases, or heterogeneous systems comprised of interfacial modifiers, and conduct the experiments to verify the predictions; (3) apply the acquired knowledge and know-how to the development of stimuli-responsive multiphase emulsions and foams with triggered microstructural and interfacial transitions for applications in the fields of recovery/delivery of chemicals (such as oil recovery and drug release), and food science. This program will allow the training of highly qualified personnel in the fields of surface and interfacial soft matter science and engineering. It will benefit several active research areas in chemical engineering and materials science: the development of high-performance composite materials, materials for biomedical and tissue engineering, multiphase concentrated systems for heterogeneous catalysis applications, food science, etc. We expect that our work will lead to collaborations with fellow colleagues and industrial partners.