CAREER: Solvent-Free Synthesis of Polymeric Nanostructures with Targeted Properties

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。这项学院早期职业发展(CAREAR)补助金将支持促进聚合物纳米粒子制造科学进步的研究。制造聚合物纳米粒子的动机是对美国经济的社会经济影响，这既包括医疗活动，也包括商业活动。目前，聚合物纳米粒子的合成是通过基于溶液的间歇过程进行的，这种方法可以限制其广泛的部署，并使用有限的化学成分将可用的纳米粒子限制在具有固体内部形态的球形形状。为了克服这些挑战，这项研究为开发一种新的可扩展制造范例提供了所需的知识，该范例可以生产具有可编程形状、大小、孔隙率和化学成分的聚合物纳米颗粒。可编程聚合物纳米颗粒可以作为可注射植入物或可编程药物输送的重要用途，改变纳米颗粒对经济和就业的影响。可编程纳米颗粒的合成方法可用于各种纳米材料的设计，加速了这个价值数十亿美元的产业在美国的发展。制造技术是可扩展和模块化的，为集中式和分散式制造提供了并行路径。教育和外联活动将通过一个共同主题纳入整个奖项的整个期间，这一主题侧重于积极学习和扩大妇女参与科技教育和技术转让。这项研究开发了一种通过使用化学气相沉积(CVD)的非平衡制造过程来连续生产可编程聚合物纳米颗粒的方法。化学气相沉积工艺不含溶剂，是一种可扩展的有机纳米颗粒制造工艺，具有潜在的可延展性，例如各种聚合物。该项目解决了基于非平衡现象形成纳米结构的挑战，非平衡现象包括滴状缩合、无溶剂聚合、动态去湿、蒸发和该工艺实现的流动导向结构形成。这项研究解决了实现这一方法学进步的关键基本问题：(1)非极性纳米液滴的缩合和聚合动力学，以控制颗粒尺寸和尺寸分布；(2)在工程/图案化界面上的非平衡脱湿，以定义颗粒几何形状；(3)分子络合物和界面流动，以使纳米颗粒的内部形态多孔化。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 award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will support research that enables advances in the manufacturing science of polymer nanoparticles. The manufacturing of polymer nanoparticles is motivated by the socioeconomic impact on the US economy which spans both medical and commercial activities. Polymer nanoparticles are currently synthesized via a solution-based batch processes, which can limit their broad deployment and constrain the available nanoparticles to a spherical shape with solid internal morphology using a limited selection of chemical compositions. To overcome these challenges, this research provides the needed knowledge for the development of a new scalable manufacturing paradigm that produces polymer nanoparticles with programmable shape, size, porosity, and chemistries. The programmable polymer nanoparticles could find important uses as injectable implants or in programmable drug delivery, transforming the impact of nanoparticles on the economy and employment. The methodology for synthesis of programmable nanoparticles can be adopted for the design of a broad range of nanomaterials, accelerating the growth of this multi-billion-dollar industry in the US. The manufacturing technique is scalable and modular, providing parallel paths for both centralized and decentralized manufacturing. Education and outreach activities will be integrated throughout the duration of this award through a common theme that is focused on active learning and broadening the participation of women in STEM and technology transfer. The research develops a methodology for the continuous production of programmable polymeric nanoparticles via a non-equilibrium manufacturing process utilizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The CVD process is solvent-free and can be a scalable manufacturing process for organic-based nanoparticles potentially extendable soft materials such as a variety of polymers. This project addresses that challenge for nanostructure formation based on non-equilibrium phenomena, including dropwise condensation, solvent-free polymerization, dynamic dewetting, evaporation, and flow-directed structure formation enabled by the process. The research addresses the fundamental questions that are key to achieving this methodological advance: (1) kinetics of condensation and polymerization of nonpolar nanodrops for controlled particle size and size distribution; (2) non-equilibrium dewetting on an engineered/patterned interface to define the particle geometry; and (3) molecular complexes and interfacial flow to enable porous internal morphologies for the nanoparticles.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.