CCI Phase 1: Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

该化学创新中心(CCI)的成员将合作，通过以化学为中心的分子水平方法，了解、预测和控制纳米材料表面和生命系统之间的特定化学和物理相互作用。化学稳定的纳米粒子具有精确控制的组成、大小、形状和表面功能化，将被用来研究它们如何与脂质双层和模型生物相互作用，以了解影响纳米粒子进入生物系统的途径的因素。实验将使用脂质双层作为生物膜的模型系统，单细胞模型为单细胞，大型水蚤作为整个生物体的模型。由此产生的基因表达和代谢的分子水平变化将被表征并用作生物标记物，以评估不同纳米粒子和表面功能化引起的生物反应。这些生物反应将被用来为设计和合成具有减少不利生物影响的纳米颗粒提供信息。最先进的分析方法，包括非线性光学光谱和基因组测序工具，将被开发并用于在分子水平上表征功能化纳米颗粒与细胞和简单生物体的相互作用。这些结果将由并行计算研究提供信息，以提供对纳米颗粒-生物相互作用的基本见解，并开发用于评估未来纳米材料的模型。该CCI的研究最终将有助于以可持续的方式利用纳米材料造福社会，从而促进纳米材料的开发，减少对环境的影响。这项研究还将加强对研究生在跨学科科学和纳米技术的社会影响方面的培训。研究生和本科生将接受科技创新方面的培训，这将有助于将科学成果转化为经济效益和其他形式的社会影响。CCI的研究人员将把他们对可持续纳米技术的研究与教育和推广活动结合起来，制定一项计划，利用社交媒体告知和加强公民对纳米技术和可持续发展科学的参与。CCI的参与者还将与教师一起开发关于安全和可持续纳米材料的化学的K-12和入门水平的大学科学模块。CCI的教职员工和学生将与地区少数群体服务机构的教职员工和学生接触，通过学年和暑期研究计划增加代表不足群体的参与。化学创新中心(CCI)计划支持能够应对重大的、长期的基础化学研究挑战的研究中心，这些挑战既有可能产生变革性的研究，也有很高的可能性导致创新。这些中心将通过分享他们解决这一挑战性问题的方法的结果，吸引广泛的科学和公众兴趣。

Members of this Center for Chemical Innovation (CCI) will collaborate to understand, predict, and control the specific chemical and physical interactions between nanomaterial surfaces and living systems via a molecular level, chemistry-centered approach. Chemically stable nanoparticles having precisely controlled compositions, sizes, shapes, and surface functionalizations will be employed to investigate how they interact with lipid bilayers and with model organisms, toward the goal of understanding the factors influencing the routes by which nanoparticles enter biological systems. Experiments will use lipid bilayers as model systems for biological membranes, Shewanella oneidensis as a single-cell model, and Daphnia magna as a model whole organism. The resulting molecular level changes in gene expression and metabolism will be characterized and used as biomarkers to evaluate biological responses induced by different nanoparticles and surface functionalizations. These biological responses will in turn be used to inform the design and synthesis of nanoparticles having reduced adverse biological impacts. State-of-the-art analytical approaches, including nonlinear optical spectroscopies and genome sequencing tools, will be developed and used to characterize the interaction of functionalized nanoparticles with cells and simple organisms at the molecular level. These results will be informed by concurrent computational studies to provide fundamental insights into nanoparticle-biological interactions and to develop models with which to evaluate future nanomaterials. The research of this CCI will ultimately contribute to the use of nanomaterials for societal benefit in a sustainable manner by leading to the development of nanomaterials with reduced environmental impact. The research will also provide enhanced training of graduate students in interdisciplinary science and the societal impact of nanotechnology. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive training in scientific and technological innovation that will help translate scientific results into economic benefit and other forms of societal impact. The CCI researchers will integrate their research on the sustainable nanotechnologies with educational and outreach activities to develop a program for informing and enhancing citizen engagement in nanotechnology and sustainability science using social media. CCI participants will also engage with teachers to develop K-12 and introductory level university science modules on the chemistry of safe and sustainable nanomaterials. Faculty and students of the CCI will engage with faculty and students at regional minority-serving institutions to increase participation from underrepresented groups via academic-year and summer research programs.The Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program supports research centers that can address major, long-term fundamental chemical research challenges that have a high probability of both producing transformative research and leading to innovation. These Centers will attract broad scientific and public interest by sharing the results of their approach to this challenging question.