Interfacial Control through Adsorbate Design Offers Fundamental Insights and Practical Utility

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，休斯顿大学的T.Randall Lee教授将基于新颖的合成策略和材料表征进行基础材料发现研究，同时评估所产生的材料的实用性和性能，用于各种需要坚固表面的技术。其中包括用于生物医学植入物、输油管道和海洋结构的防污涂层的方法，用于图案化和保护电极和超导胶带的纳米涂层，以及用于控制润湿性和防止宏观腐蚀的先进涂层。研究活动将与教育和外联工作密切结合起来。研究生、本科生和高中生将在这些项目上合作，以获得与国家面临的新技术挑战相关领域的培训和专业知识。招聘旨在扩大女性和服务不足的少数族裔的参与，将包括通过休斯顿大学的Tessen HOUSTON计划，为当地高中的学生举办动手实验室活动，这些高中的少数族裔人口服务严重不足。来自全州对研究感兴趣的高中生将有机会通过韦尔奇基金会夏季学者计划参与夏季研究体验。该研究计划将集中在四个主要方面：(1)研究具有相不相容或结构不同的化学成分的多齿吸附体，以产生稳定的薄膜，其具有均匀混合的“冲突”成分作为潜在的纳米级防污涂层；(2)研究多齿硫醇基吸附体，其抵抗脱附作为环状二硫化物，用于将二维过渡金属二卤化物(如MoS2)的平面功能化，以促进剥离，并使光学和电子器件的独特的纳米混合结构能够逐层制造；(3)用于生成具有良好控制的组成和构象的纳米涂层的选择性氟化吸附剂的开发，这使得可以研究表面偶极及其历史上有争议的对界面性质的影响；以及(4)用于生成模拟聚合物界面但不能进行传统表面重建的薄膜界面的吸附剂的定制设计和研究。所有这些研究都可以被认为是在分子水平设计、开发和研究功能表面涂层方面受使用启发的基础研究。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。

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor T. Randall Lee from the University of Houston will undertake fundamental materials discovery studies based on novel synthetic strategies and materials characterization while evaluating the utility and performance of the resulting materials for use in a variety of technologies that require robust surfaces. These include approaches to anti-fouling coatings for biomedical implants, oil pipelines and marine-based structures, and nanoscale coatings for patterning and protecting electrodes and superconducting tapes, and advanced coatings for controlling wettability and preventing corrosion at the macroscale. Research activities will be closely integrated with educational and outreach efforts. Graduate students, undergraduate students, and high school students will work collaboratively on the projects to gain the training and expertise in areas relevant to emerging technological challenges facing the nation. Recruitment geared toward broadening the participation of women and underserved minorities will include hosting hands-on laboratory activities for students from local high schools having significant underserved minority populations through the University of Houston's teachHouston program. High school students with an interest in research from across the state will have the opportunity to engage in a summer research experience through the Welch Foundation Summer Scholars program.This research program will focus on four central thrusts: (1) the study of multi-dentate adsorbates possessing phase-incompatible or structurally dissimilar chemical compositions for generating stable films having homogeneously mixed "conflicted" compositions as potential nanoscale anti-fouling coatings; (2) the examination of multidentate thiol-based adsorbates that resist desorption as cyclic disulfides for functionalizing the planar faces of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2 to facilitate exfoliation and enable layer-by-layer fabrication of unique hybrid nanostructures for optical and electronic devices; (3) the development of selectively fluorinated adsorbates for generating nanoscale coatings having well-controlled compositions and conformations that permit studies of surfaces dipoles and their historically controversial impacts on interfacial properties; and (4) the custom design and study of adsorbates for generating thin-film interfaces that mimic polymer interfaces, but cannot undergo traditional surface reconstruction. All of this research may be regarded as use-inspired fundamental research on the molecular-level design, development and study of functional surface coatings.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.