CAREER: Ionic Transistor Devices for Sensing and Controlled Actuation - An Integrated Research, Teaching and Community Outreach Program

这一学院早期职业发展(CALEAR)计划奖的重点是开发一种新型活性材料，该材料将生物衍生膜和导电聚合物膜的离子特性结合在一起。该项目的科学目标是开发一种能够响应低功率电信号或低浓度化学触发并使用环境化学梯度执行机电作业的杂化膜。这种混合膜被称为生物衍生离子晶体管(BIT)，在传感和驱动系统中起着基本单元的作用。一种由导电聚合物和生物衍生膜(含蛋白质的BLM)组成的BIT器件将被制造出来，使用耦合模型进行表征，并优化为坚固的晶体管。这项研究计划的科学目标将通过解决以下问题来实现：(I)离子传输的限制条件(几何、化学、机械)是什么，(Ii)输出、选通信号和输入(静态、动态)之间的关系，(Iii)开环和闭环操作(传递函数、灵敏度、干扰抑制、稳定性和性能限制)以及(Iv)制造约束和可扩展性。如果成功，这一职业研究项目将导致开发使用BIT器件构建的健壮的实时传感阵列，该BIT器件可以使用商业上可获得的蛋白质来检测化学和生物电信号，并可应用于医疗保健，国防和国土安全。该项目还将利用钻头装置的化学机械特性开发一种人造肌肉。这一职业奖项将使PI能够建立聚合物机电材料的跨学科研究计划，促进女性参与工程，通过主动学习将这项研究工作整合到弗吉尼亚联邦大学的本科生和研究生课程中，并通过与弗吉尼亚州里士满的弗吉尼亚科学博物馆的持续接触，向英联邦的普通公众和在校学生传播该领域的知识。

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award focuses on the development of a novel active material formed from integrating the ionic properties of a bio-derived membrane and a conducting polymer membrane. The scientific goal of this project is the development of a hybrid membrane that can respond to low power electrical signal or low concentration chemical trigger and perform electromechanical work using ambient chemical gradients. This hybrid membrane, referred to as Bio-derived Ionic Transistor (BIT) functions as the fundamental unit in sensing and actuation systems. A BIT device comprising a conducting polymer and a bio-derived membrane (BLM with proteins) will be fabricated, characterized using a coupled model and optimized into a robust transistor. The scientific goal of this research proposal will be achieved by addressing the following questions: What is/are the (i) limiting conditions (geometrical, chemoelectrical, mechanical) for ion transport, (ii) relationship between the output, gating signal and input (static, dynamic), (iii) open-loop and closed-loop operation (transfer function, sensitivity, disturbance rejection, stability and performance limitation) and (iv) fabrication constraints and scalability.If successful, this CAREER research project will lead to the development of a robust real-time sensing array constructed using BIT devices that can detect chemical and bioelectrical signals using commercially available proteins and be applicable in healthcare, national defense and homeland security. This project will also lead to the development of an artificial muscle using the chemomechanical properties of the BIT device. This CAREER award will enable the PI to build an inter-disciplinary research program in Polymer Mechatronic Materials, promote participation of women in engineering, integrate this research work in to undergraduate and graduate curriculum at Virginia Commonwealth University through Active Learning and disseminate knowledge in this field to the general public and school students in the Commonwealth through continuous engagements with the Science Museum of Virginia at Richmond, Virginia.