Development Polysaccharide Materials with Tunable Physicochemical Properties

前言：吸附过程在自然界中是重要的和普遍存在的，代表着许多广泛的化学应用的基本步骤。吸附去除是吸收和分离复杂基质(如水环境)中的化学物种的最便宜和技术有效的方法。诸如多糖生物聚合物之类的吸附材料具有相当大的科学和技术价值，因为它们的独特性质可用于解决一系列技术应用(例如，环境修复、药物控制释放、化学分离、食品加工)。天然多糖的合成修饰为其分子结构和功能性质的增量调整提供了广泛的机会。 目的：本研究的长期目标是开发性能可调的多糖基吸附剂，并更好地了解其分子结构与吸附性能之间的关系。为了实现这一目标，拟议的研究集中在三个短期目标：1)使用一系列多糖平台和交联剂的吸附材料的设计和结构表征，2)使用已知方法表征吸附剂-客体系统的织构和等温性质，以及3)使用多种方法(例如，光谱、热力学和动力学研究)确定选定系统的吸附过程的分子水平细节，以建立多糖的分子结构和功能吸附特性之间的关系。 影响：本研究计划建立在威尔逊研究和HQP培训的先前贡献的基础上。学员将通过新型多糖材料的开发和对其特性的最新研究，通过高级培训和技能探索新的方向。除了在阐明结构-功能关系方面对基础科学做出巨大贡献外，这项研究还为水修复、健康、先进药物输送和生物燃料加工等广泛的技术应用贡献了新的知识和技术解决方案。对用于催化和其他以吸附剂为基础的应用的改进型吸附材料的需求预计将持续到未来。这项研究计划将通过解决与材料科学、环境科学和吸附科学和技术有关的各种实际问题，使加拿大的经济和环境部门受益。吸附材料的研发与学术界、工业界和社会相关，同时该研究计划为HQP提供加拿大政府2007年科学和技术战略中描述的相关领域的高级培训和技能。

INTRODUCTION: Adsorption processes are vital and ubiquitous in nature, and represent a fundamental step to many wide-ranging chemical applications. Adsorptive removal represents the least expensive and technically efficient method for the uptake and separation of chemical species in complex matrices such as aquatic environments. Adsorbent materials such as polysaccharide biopolymers are of considerable scientific and technological interest because their unique properties can be exploited to address a range of technological applications (e.g., environmental remediation, controlled release of pharmaceuticals, chemical separations, food processing). Synthetic modification of naturally occurring polysaccharides offers wide-ranging opportunities for incremental tuning of their molecular structure and functional properties. OBJECTIVES: The long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop polysaccharide-based sorbents with tunable properties and to gain a better understanding of the relationship between their molecular structure and sorption properties. To achieve this goal, the proposed research focuses on three short-term objectives: 1) the design and structural characterization of sorbent materials using a range of polysaccharide platforms and cross-linking agents, 2) characterization of the textural and isotherm properties of sorbent-guest systems using known methods, and 3) to determine the molecular level details of sorption processes for selected systems using multiple approaches (e.g., spectroscopic, thermodynamic, and kinetic studies) to establish a relationship between molecular structure and functional sorption properties of polysaccharides. IMPACT: This research program builds upon previous contributions in Wilson's research and the training of HQP. Trainees will explore new directions through advanced training and skills from the development of new types of polysaccharide materials and state-of-the-art studies of their properties. Along with strong contributions to fundamental science in the elucidation of structure-function relationships, this research contributes new knowledge and technological solutions to a wide range of technology applications; water remediation, health, advanced drug delivery, and biofuels processing. The demand for improved sorbent materials for catalysis and other sorbent-based applications is expected to continue well into the future. This research program will benefit Canada's economy and environmental sectors by solving diverse practical problems related to materials science, environmental science, and adsorption science and technology. The R&D of sorbent materials is relevant to academia, industry, and society whilst this research program provides advanced training and skills for HQP in relevant areas described in the Government of Canada's 2007 Science & Technology strategy.