CAREER: Hydrophilic Macroionic Solutions

在这个由化学系实验物理化学项目资助的职业奖中，利哈伊大学的刘天波教授和他的研究生以及博士后同事将研究有趣的，纳米级的，纳米尺寸的宏离子的形成和性质。 这些大离子类似于黑莓，因为它们是单层囊泡，由许多大的亲水性多金属氧酸盐簇组成。 这将使用激光散射，小角度X射线散射和原子力和透射电子显微镜技术来完成。 刘教授和他的团队将研究这些有趣的化学系统的动力学和热力学。 除了课程发展外，刘教授还将继续指导高中生参加全国竞赛的研究项目。这些有趣的“黑莓”材料最终可能被用作仿生系统，或者它们可能被用作纳米容器。 这些研究的结果可能会揭示自然界中发生的其他自组装过程。

In this CAREER award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Tianbo Liu of Lehigh University and his graduate student and postodoctoral associate colleagues will study the formation and properties of interesting, hydrophillic, nanometer-sized, macroions. These macroions resemble blackberries, in that they are single-layer vesicles, composed of many large, hydrophillic polyoxometalate clusters. This will be done using laser light-scattering, small-angle x-ray scattering and atomic force and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Prof. Liu and his team will study the kinetics and thermodynamics of these interesting chemical systems. In addition to his course-development, Prof. Liu will continue to mentor high-school students from under represented groups in research projects for national competitions.The interesting "blackberry" materials may eventually find use as biomimetic systems, or they may be useful as nanocontainers. The results of these studies are likely to shed light on other self-assembly processes that occur in nature.