Nanoparticle interactions with swollen polymer networks

水凝胶是一种柔软的聚合物网络，可以吸收大量的水，使其具有与液态水相似的高度多孔性，但具有类似固体的机械性能。它们被广泛应用于家庭和工业领域，包括食品、化妆品、医药、农业和提高石油采收率。虽然水凝胶的性质通常是通过聚合物化学来适应特定的应用，但另一种方法是使用纳米颗粒来改变微观结构，从而形成“水凝胶-纳米复合材料”。其动机可能是为了降低成本，特别是对于大规模的工业应用，或者为小众应用实现非常具体的特性。然而，纳米颗粒掺杂带来了大量新的实践和基础科学挑战。这些都是由于纳米颗粒与交联聚合物网络相互作用的复杂和鲜为人知的方式引起的。拟议的研究旨在利用理论、计算和实验方法解决几个基本的科学挑战，这些挑战也解决了纳米颗粒在水凝胶技术中使用所产生的重要工业和社会问题。该研究将通过整合(i)实验模型系统，（ii）电声，介电和流变光谱的新应用，（iii）粒子尺度模拟和（iv）连续尺度理论，在合成，表征和性能主题上进行结构。该计划将支持加拿大的先进材料、生物技术和农业部门，提供纳米颗粒释放和安全方面的科学投入，并培养年轻的工业和学术领导工程师。

Hydrogels are soft polymer networks that take on striking amounts of water, making them highly porous to moleculessimilarly to liquid waterbut with solid-like mechanical properties. They are used in a vast and ever increasing range of domestic and industrial applications, including food, cosmetics, medicine, agriculture, and enhanced oil recovery. While hydrogel properties are often tailored to specific applications via polymer chemistry, another approach is to modify the microstructure using nanoparticles, thus forming “hydrogel-nanocomposites”. The motivation may be to reduce costs, particularly for large-scale industrial applications, or to achieve very specific properties for niche applications. However, nanoparticle doping brings with it a plethora of new practical and fundamental scientific challenges. These arise from the complicated and poorly understood manner in which nanoparticles interact with crosslinked polymer networks. The proposed research seeks to address several fundamental scientific challengesusing theoretical, computational, and experimental methodologiesthat also address important industrial and societal questions arising from nanoparticle use in hydrogel technologies. The research will be structured in synthesis, characterization and performance themes by integrating (i) experimental model systems, (ii) novel applications of elactroacoustic, dielectric and rheological spectroscopy, (iii) particle-scale simulations, and (iv) continuum-scale theory. The program will support Canada's advanced materials, bio-technology, and agriculture sectors, provide scientific input on nanoparticle release and safety, and train young engineers for industrial and academic leadership.