Unifying Principles for the Design and Manufacture of Chemically-Patterned Polymeric Membranes

由于其控制分子传输的能力，膜是现代分离的基本组成部分（例如，水处理）和传感（例如，葡萄糖监测）过程。随着其应用的发展，出现了对更具选择性的膜的需求。在这方面，从生物膜中获得灵感的工程系统提供了一条实现更具选择性的膜的途径。为了实现这种新的范例，需要以与经验证的制造方法一致的方式图案化膜的表面化学的工艺。该奖项利用了纳米结构聚合物，膜制造和喷墨打印领域的最新进展，以解决与电荷图案化马赛克膜生产相关的基本科学问题。获得的基本知识对制造多功能膜具有广泛的影响，这些膜可以解决确保美国人民福祉和繁荣所需的关键挑战。例如，通过改变反应性油墨的配方，独特的功能是可能的，从而导致治疗药物或化学和生物威胁探测器的发展。该项目是多学科的，涉及聚合物化学，传输现象和纳米结构材料。它通过培养下一代跨学科的科学家和工程师，帮助彻底改变美国的制造业格局。电荷图案镶嵌膜由横跨膜厚度的离散带正电荷和带负电荷的域组成。它们被用来启动这一调查路线，因为它们选择性运输盐的能力直接来自它们的模式化化学。尽管它们在分离和传感应用中具有潜在的实用性，但这些膜的选择性传输机制知之甚少。这种关键的知识差距是与制造化学图案化膜相关的挑战的直接结果。特别地，在引入带电官能团所需的苛刻化学处理期间诱导的形态变化阻碍了产生这类膜的先前努力。在这里，通过将纳米结构的共聚物基底与喷墨打印机介导的反应性油墨的沉积相结合来满足这种工程机会，所述纳米结构的共聚物基底适于使用“点击”反应进行官能化。这项研究使系统的设计和制造的电荷图案化膜。它研究了自组装共聚物膜基底的制造，这些基底经过分子工程设计，能够使用喷墨印刷进行化学图案化。它评估了电荷图案化膜在模型化学分离中的性能，以将膜性能与图案设计和组成相关联。该项目推动了增材制造在膜科学领域的应用，并提供了一种多功能的膜技术，在传统和新兴应用中提供更好的选择性。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。

Due to their ability to control molecular transport, membranes are essential components of modern separations (e.g., water treatment) and sensing (e.g., glucose monitoring) processes. As their application has advanced, a need for more selective membranes has emerged. In this regard, engineered systems that take inspiration from biological membranes provide one route toward realizing more selective membranes. To bring this new paradigm to fruition, processes for patterning the surface chemistry of membranes in a manner that is consistent with proven manufacturing methods are needed. This award leverages recent advances in the fields of nanostructured polymers, membrane manufacturing, and ink-jet printing to address fundamental scientific issues related to the production of charge-patterned mosaic membranes. The fundamental knowledge to be gained has broad implications for manufacturing of multifunctional membranes that address critical challenges needed to ensure the well-being and prosperity of the American people. For example, by changing the formulation of the reactive inks, unique functions are possible leading to the development of therapeutic medicine or chemical and biological threat detectors. This project is multidisciplinary and involves polymer chemistry, transport phenomena, and nanostructured materials. It helps revolutionize the manufacturing landscape of the U.S. by training the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists and engineers.Charge-patterned mosaic membranes consist of discrete positively-charged and negatively-charged domains that traverse the membrane thickness. They are used to initiate this line of inquiry because their ability to transport salts selectively emerges directly from their patterned chemistry. Despite their potential utility in separations and sensing applications, the selective transport mechanisms of these membranes are poorly understood. This critical knowledge gap is a direct result of challenges related to manufacturing chemically-patterned membranes. In particular, morphological changes induced during the harsh chemical treatments required to introduce charged functionality have hampered prior efforts to generate this class of membranes. Here, this engineering opportunity is met by integrating nanostructured copolymer substrates that are amenable to functionalization using 'click' reactions with ink-jet printer-mediated deposition of reactive inks. This research enables the systematic design and manufacture of charge-patterned membranes. It studies the fabrication of self-assembled copolymer membrane substrates that are molecularly-engineered to enable chemical-patterning using ink-jet printing. It evaluates the performance of charge-patterned membranes in model chemical separations to correlate membrane performance with pattern design and composition. The project advances the use of additive manufacturing within the field of membrane science and delivers a versatile membrane technology that offers improved selectivity in traditional and emerging applications.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.