PFI-TT: Production and Formulation of Janus Colloids for Personal and Healthcare Applications.

该PFI项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在生物相容性不对称胶体（称为Janus胶体）的生产和配方上，以创造具有改善的自我寿命和稳定性以及性能（包括活性成分的输送、吸油和减少皮肤刺激）的个人和保健消费品。 用于消费产品的Janus胶体尚未上市，部分原因是缺乏规模技术，该技术可以i）推动基础洞察和开发所需的转化研究，ii）进行规模化以满足潜在的行业需求。 该提案中提出的技术克服了Janus胶体商业化的这些主要瓶颈，这可能导致就业增长，因为该提案开发的专利将被授权给一家新开发的企业。此外，对Janus胶体纳米级聚合物-聚合物相行为和结构-性质关系的基本见解将是解决商业化瓶颈的自然结果。该提案将促进一个广泛的教育和推广计划，目的之一是扩大获得科学和技术，并鼓励创业作为一个职业道路。拟议的项目解决了基本的知识差距，需要了解之前，闪存NanoPrecipitation的生产和第一次进入市场的Janus胶体在消费产品的商业化。 这项研究提供了基本的见解，如何结合胶体形成使用快速微观混合和动力学逮捕沉淀与聚合物相分离在纳米级可以导致Janus胶体的生产。商业化需要将Flash NanoPrecipitation的工艺参数与Janus胶体组装所用聚合物的分子参数联系起来：工艺-结构关系研究。结构和性质关系的第二个层次是Janus胶体的几何形状和性质之间的联系，作为两亲物，个人和健康护理产品配方的所需性质。 特别是，该提案旨在通过了解聚合物-聚合物相互作用、界面性质和分子特征，例如，分子量和玻璃化转变，影响Janus胶体的结构。 将使用最先进的三维显微镜工具评价结构。 此外，这项工作旨在揭示Janus胶体如何在不同配方和工艺参数（包括离心场、温度和极性的稳定性）下稳定乳液和泡沫，从而增强配方性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI project focuses on the production and formulation of biocompatible asymmetric colloids, termed Janus colloids, to create personal- and health-care consumer products with improved self-life and stability as well as performance including delivery of active ingredients, oil uptake and reduced skin irritation. Janus colloids for consumer products are not commercially available, in part, due to the lack of a scale technology that can i) drive the required translational research needed for fundamental insight and development and ii) be scaled to meet potential industry demand. The technology presented in this proposal overcomes these major bottlenecks towards the commercialization of Janus colloids that could lead to job growth, as the patents developed from this proposal will be licensed to a newly developed enterprise. Furthermore, fundamental insights into polymer-polymer phase behavior at the nanoscale and structure-property relationships of Janus colloids will be a natural outcome of addressing the bottlenecks towards commercialization. The proposal will facilitate an extensive education and outreach program with one aim of expanding access to science and technology and encouraging entrepreneurship as a career path.The proposed project addresses fundamental knowledge gaps which require understanding prior to the scale up of Flash NanoPrecipitation for the production and first-to-market commercialization of Janus colloids in consumer products. The study provides fundamental insights into how combining colloid formation using rapid micro-mixing and kinetically arrested precipitation with polymer phase separation at the nanoscale can lead to the production of Janus colloids. Commercialization requires connecting processing parameters of Flash NanoPrecipitation with the molecular parameters of the polymers from which the Janus colloids are assembled: process-structure relationship studies. The second-level of structure and property relationship is the connection between the geometry and properties of Janus colloids, as amphiphiles to the desired properties for formulations in personal- and health-care products. In particular, this proposal aims to develop the rules of biocompatible Janus colloid production by understanding how polymer-polymer interactions, interfacial properties, and molecular characteristics, e.g., molecular weight and glass transition, influence the structure of Janus colloids. Structure will be evaluated using state-of-the art three-dimensional microscopy tools. Furthermore, the work aims to reveal how Janus colloids stabilize emulsions and foams with respect to different formulations and process parameters including stability against centrifugal fields, temperature and polarity which will lead to enhanced formulation properties.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.