Porous Polymeric Materials for Environmental Sustainability

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Nature of the Research Program: With extremely large specific surface area, porous polymeric materials (PPM) have the potential to solve some of the most urgent technological challenges in the modern world. Examples include energy harvesting and storage, thermal management, and environmental remediation. In order to tailor their multifunctional properties, the key technological challenge is to control their porosity, including pore size, distribution, and morphology. For porous polymeric composites and nanocomposites, the complex interrelation between filler movement and foaming mechanism during processing represents another challenge. In this context, the key research question in the research program is: "How to precisely tune the hierarchical porosity in PPM together with the micro-and-nanostructures of its matrix and filler, and thereby to achieve targeted multifunctional properties for various applications in order to promote environmental sustainability?" Significance of the Research Program: The research program will investigate the synergistic relationships among different polymer processing techniques (i.e., supercritical carbon dioxide foaming, leaching, electrospinning, and 3D printing) to tune the micro-and-nanostructures (i.e., pore morphologies, crystal structures, and/or filler networks) of PPM in different classes. The program will be subdivided into three themes: (i) amorphous porous polymeric materials (aPPM); (ii) semicrystalline porous polymeric materials (sPPM); and (iii) porous polymeric composites and nanocomposites (PPC and PPnC). Each theme will target on a specific interdisciplinary application. These include (i) thermal management via radiative cooling, (ii) energy harvesting and sensing, and (iii) biological wastewater treatment. Anticipated Outcomes: Successful completion of the proposed research program will advance both science and technology thus accelerating the development of the next generation environmentally sustainable multifunctional PPM including: (i) porous energy harvesting materials to extract energy from mechanical motion; (ii) porous polymeric structures with tunable radiative absorption/emission spectrums and reflectance for thermal management via radiative cooling; and (iii) hybrid membrane systems for biological wastewater treatment. Potential Benefits to Canada: Undertaking this research program will advance the training of highly qualified personnel (HQP) at undergraduate and graduate levels in Canada's key economic sectors, such as biomedical, clean technology, energy, and manufacturing. In particular, the program will provide HQP with practical experience and skills in material development, processing and characterization. My proven track-record, training philosophy, and continuous plan to promote and sustain an EDI research training environment will contribute to York University, the field of STEM, and Canada to foster EDI.