Precisely Functionalized Molecular Nanoparticles are Fundamental and Unique Elements for Macromolecular Science

该奖项由阿克伦大学材料研究部的聚合物项目授予，旨在研究在不同长度尺度上精确控制自组装超分子结构，这些超分子结构是“自下而上”纳米纤维技术的关键。被称为“巨分子”的新一类自组装材料是指由选定的和特定功能化的分子纳米颗粒组成的精确定义的大分子作为基本构建块（“纳米原子”），旨在实现这一目标。这些“纳米原子”具有持久的体积，对称性和表面功能，可用于化学组装中的进一步处理。典型的"纳米原子"的例子有富勒烯的衍生物、多面体低聚倍半硅氧烷、聚氧乙烯酸盐和折叠的球状蛋白质。高效的"点击型"反应被用于以模块化和精确的方式构建原型巨分子。新设计的大分子在体、薄膜和溶液状态下表现出新颖而丰富的自组装行为，揭示了一种有前途的方法来推进对自组装的理解，并获得非常规的分级结构和动力学。学生和博士后研究人员将在这一新的跨学科领域接受培训，他们将获得合成技能，表征技术和物理原理的组合，并为他们提供一个平台，在化学，物理和生命科学的界面上开发新的发现和这些领域的职业生涯。该提案的教育方面旨在通过尖端研究活动和科学演示使社区所有教育水平的学生受益。PI将继续积极参与招募和培训本科生和研究生，并为他们提供实验室实践经验。此外，PI正在计划开发一个新的课程，专门侧重于与拟议研究有关的进展。PI的研究小组，部门和阿克伦全球聚合物学院之间的传统合作为当地学校的K-12学生提供了STEM教学和培训机会，这些活动将继续获得该奖项。拟议的研究不仅在科学上具有创新性和趣味性，而且在技术上也具有相关性，PI积极参与其研究成果的技术转让。这尤其反映在最近与工业界一起开发亚22纳米纳米图案化技术的努力中。PI还积极通过对学生的高级培训，特别是来自各种少数民族和代表性不足的群体的学生，为软材料科学，工程和技术的下一代发展，发展更加多样化，跨学科的劳动力。

This award by the Polymer program in the Division of Materials Research to University of Akron is to study in precisely controlling self-assembled supramolecular structures across different length scales, and these supramolecular structures are the key to the 'bottom-up' nanofabrication technology. New class of self-assembling materials, termed as 'giant molecules', which refer to precisely-defined macromolecules composed of selected and specifically functionalized molecular nanoparticles as the elemental building blocks ('nano-atoms'), are designed to achieve this goal. These 'nano-atoms' possess persistent volume, symmetry, and surface functionalities for further processing in chemical assembly. Typical 'nano-atoms' are exemplified by the derivatives of fullerenes, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes, polyoxometalates, and folded globular proteins. Highly efficient 'click-type' reactions are used to construct prototype giant molecules in a modular and precise manner. Novel and rich self-assembly behaviors have been demonstrated by the newly-designed giant molecules in the bulk, thin-film, and solution states, revealing a promising way to advance the understanding of self-assembly and to obtain unconventional hierarchical structures and dynamics. Students and postdoctoral researchers will be trained in this new interdisciplinary field, and they will acquire a combination of synthetic skills, characterization techniques, and physical principles, and provide them a platform to develop new discoveries at the interface of chemistry, physics and life science and careers in these areas.This proposed research has the following broader impacts. The education aspects of this proposal are intended to benefit students at all educational levels in the community with the cutting-edge research activities and scientific demonstrations. The PI will continue to actively participate in recruiting and training undergraduate and graduate students, and will provide them with hands-on experiences in the laboratory. In addition, the PI is planning to develop a new course specifically focusing on the progress related to the proposed research. The traditional collaboration among the PI's research group, department and the Akron Global Polymer Academy has provided STEM teaching and training opportunities for K-12 students from local schools, and these activities will be continued with this award. The proposed research is not only scientifically innovative and interesting, but also technologically relevant, and the PI is actively involved in tech transfer of his research findings. This is especially reflected by the recent efforts to develop sub-22 nm nanopatterning technology with industry. The PI is also active in developing a more diverse, interdisciplinary workforce through the advanced training of students, specifically from various minority and underrepresented groups, for the next-generation evolution in soft materials-based sciences, engineering and technologies.