REU Site: Polymer Innovation for a Sustainable Future

该网站由数学和物理科学(MPS)主管中的化学和材料研究部门联合资助。非-技术描述：这个REU网站汇集了来自全国各地的本科生，在最先进的聚合物科学和工程研究中心与教职员工和学生一起进行针对关键社会需求的研究。REU的学生主要来自本科院校、历史上的黑人学院和社区学院，在为期十周的暑期计划中，他们在跨学科研究团队中工作，接受聚合物科学与工程、科学传播、可持续发展和生命周期分析方面的培训。学生参加对当地工业的实地考察，参与小学生的外联活动，并准备摘要，以便在全国会议上展示他们的研究成果。该网站帮助培养具有应对21世纪重大挑战的技能的科学和工程研究人员渠道，同时推进基础研究，以支持应用，如用于航空航天和汽车行业的可回收复合材料、用于包装的按需可降解聚合物、用于药物输送的可再生原料聚合物、聚合物太阳能电池和柔性印刷电子产品。大多数学员在完成暑期课程后攻读科学和工程研究生学位，最终受雇于工业、国家实验室或学术界的研发工作。技术细节：REU网站的研究目标是开发可持续的材料开发方法，以满足关键的社会需求，同时提高能源和原材料的利用率。本科生研究人员从事基础材料研究，涉及材料可持续性复杂的跨学科方面，包括可回收和可降解材料的设计，可再生原料的聚合物合成，提高工艺效率，以及为可再生能源应用设计聚合物，同时获得评估新材料开发对环境影响的工具。这项研究分为三个主题：(1)可回收和可降解性设计；(2)可持续聚合物：(生物)可再生原料和资源高效加工；(3)可持续能源材料。学生在最先进的研究设施中接受培训，包括最近获得的X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、小角X射线散射(SAXS)-广角X射线散射(WAXS)和先进的成像仪器，并通过与聚合物计算、合成、分析和处理专家的合作努力获得跨学科研究技能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Site is jointly funded by the Divisions of Chemistry and Materials Research in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate.NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This REU Site brings together undergraduate students from across the country to perform research aimed at critical societal needs with faculty and students in the state-of-the-art Polymer Science and Engineering Research Center. REU students, recruited from primarily undergraduate institutions, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and community colleges, work in interdisciplinary research teams and receive training in polymer science and engineering, science communication, sustainability, and life-cycle analysis during the ten-week summer program. Students participate in field trips to local industry, engage in outreach for elementary students, and prepare abstracts for presentation of their research at national conferences. This site helps develop the pipeline of science and engineering researchers with the skills to address the grand challenges of the 21st century while advancing fundamental research to support applications such as recyclable composites for aerospace and automotive sectors, on-demand degradable polymers for packaging, polymers from renewable feedstocks for drug delivery, polymeric solar cells, and flexible printed electronics. Most participants pursue graduate degrees in science and engineering after completing the summer program and are ultimately employed in research and development in industry, national laboratories, or academia. TECHNICAL DETAILS: The research objective of the REU site is to develop sustainable approaches to materials development to meet critical societal needs while improving utilization of energy and raw materials. Undergraduate student researchers are engaged in fundamental materials research efforts that span the complex, interdisciplinary facets of materials sustainability, including design of materials for recyclability and degradability, synthesis of polymers from renewable feedstocks, enhancing process efficiency, and designing polymers for renewable energy applications, while gaining the tools to assess the environmental impact of new material development. The research is organized in three themes: (1) Design for Recyclability and Degradability (2) Sustainable Polymers: (Bio) Renewable Feedstocks and Resource-Efficient Processing and (3) Materials for Sustainable Energy. Students are trained in state-of-the-art research facilities, including recently acquired X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) - wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and advanced imaging instrumentation, and gain interdisciplinary research skills through collaborative efforts with polymer computational, synthesis, analysis, and processing experts.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.