Thermal Field-Flow Fractionation of Nanoscale Materials

有了这个奖项，化学系的化学测量和成像项目资助了科罗拉多矿业学院的Kim Williams教授，以开发热场流分选（ThFFF）作为分离和表征复杂纳米级材料的通用平台。液体中的热扩散是一种传输现象，它为开发新的测量能力提供了肥沃的土壤，因为它建立在与现有方法不同的原理之上。计划与合成和工程小组密切合作，是在不同领域最大限度地发挥研究影响的理想选择。鉴于聚合物和有机/无机/金属纳米颗粒杂化物在能源、生物医药和涂料等领域的合成和应用的显著增加，该平台具有广泛的科学、教育和环境影响的巨大潜力。此外，威廉姆斯教授开发的外展项目将纳米材料相关的活动介绍给丹佛弱势学区的K-12教师和洛矶山诵读困难儿童营地。该项目的重点是理解热扩散与聚合物-溶剂或纳米颗粒-溶剂参数之间的关系，以发展热场流分馏（ThFFF）作为分析和研究当前棘手系统的核心工具。液体中的热扩散仍然是发展分离和分析的肥沃土壤，这些分离和分析建立在与现有方法不同的基础上。提出的工作旨在加强对热扩散和聚合物-溶剂或纳米颗粒-溶剂参数的理解，这些参数驱动了这种传输过程。已经选择了具有特定复杂性水平的战略性材料库，例如，选择了具有不同控制主链长度、侧链长度和接枝密度的聚合物，以便使Williams研究团队能够确定在不同溶剂中导致热扩散的主要分析物性质，并评估现有的热扩散理论。总体目标包括确定特定的共聚物结构及其分布，评估有机和金属混合纳米颗粒的热扩散趋势，以及演示基于表面成分的分离和分析。提出的研究也有望阐明哪一种流行的模型最能描述聚合物动力学和聚合物系统的动力学。

With this award, the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Kim Williams of the Colorado School of Mines to develop thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) as a versatile platform for separating and characterizing complex nanoscale materials. Thermal diffusion in liquids is a transport phenomenon that presents fertile ground for developing new measurement capabilities because it is founded on different principles than existing methods. The planned close collaboration with synthesis and engineering groups is ideal for maximizing research impact across different fields. Given the significant rise in the synthesis and application of polymers and organic/inorganic/metallic nanoparticle hybrids in fields such as energy, biomedicine, and coatings, the platform being targeted has significant potential for broad scientific, educational and environmental impact. In addition, an outreach program developed by Professor Williams introduces activities related to nanoscale materials to K-12 teachers of disadvantaged Denver school districts and the Rocky Mountain Camp for Dyslexic children.This project focuses on understanding of the relationship between thermal diffusion and polymer-solvent or nanoparticle-solvent parameters for the purpose of developing thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) as a central tool for the analysis and study of currently intractable systems. Thermal diffusion in liquids continues to represent a fertile ground for developing separations and analyses that are founded on a different basis than existing methods. The proposed work is aimed at enhancing understanding of thermal diffusion and polymer-solvent or nanoparticle-solvent parameters that drive this transport process. Strategic libraries of materials with specifically chosen levels of complexities have been chosen, e.g., polymers with a varying set of controlled backbone lengths, side chain lengths, and grafting densities have been selected in order to enable the Williams research team to identify the main analyte properties that contribute to thermal diffusion in different solvents and to assess existing thermal diffusion theories. The overarching objectives include identifying specific co-polymer architectures and their distributions, assessing thermal diffusion trends of organic and metal hybrid nanoparticles, and demonstrating surface composition-based separations and analyses. The proposed studies are also expected to shed light on which of the prevailing models best describes polymer dynamics and dynamics of polymer systems that are confined.