Interrogating the Impact of Biocompatible Ionic Liquids on the Nanoaggregation of Linear-dendritic Block Copolymers

密西西比大学的Eden E.L.Tanner博士将在化学系的大分子、超分子和纳米化学计划和既定的刺激竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)的支持下，研究一种新型的聚合物，这种聚合物由连接到高度支化的亲水嵌段的线性疏水部分组成。这种独特的结构构型赋予了聚合物有趣的性质，这些性质可能被开发用于药物输送或相关的分子运输应用。坦纳实验室旨在更好地了解这类聚合物的性质，特别是控制聚合物自组装成均匀纳米级聚集体的相互作用的性质和强度。从这项研究中获得的基本物理化学和聚合物化学知识可能会为生物医学或制药应用的聚合物的合理设计提供指导原则。坦纳博士努力招募和留住黑人和非裔美国学者，旨在提高密西西比州未被充分代表的少数族裔学生对STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)的参与度。除了为密西西比大学的学生提供跨学科的研究培训机会外，坦纳实验室还将在夏季接待来自地区HBCU的学生。坦纳实验室将研究线状-树枝状嵌段共聚物(LDBC)与生物相容离子液体(BILs)的非共价相互作用，并探索使用BILs来帮助控制LDBC自组装成单分散纳米结构。生物相容离子液体(BILs)由生物相容的大体积阳离子和阴离子组成，是室温下的液体。为了了解BILs在LDBCs纳米组装中的作用，Tanner博士和她的团队将研究LDBCs和BILs之间相互作用的性质和强度，无论是在纯BILs中还是在水存在的情况下，后聚集。他们将用一系列物理和化学技术分析BIL/LDBC纳米聚集体，以深入了解它们的纳米组成。此外，他们将测量集合体和LDBCs本身的降解热力学和动力学，并量化BILs的影响，目的是将降解曲线与LDBCs和BILs之间的相互作用的强度联系起来。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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 and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Dr. Eden E. L. Tanner of the University of Mississippi will study a novel class of polymers that consist of a linear hydrophobic section connected to a highly branched hydrophilic block. This distinct structural configuration bestows interesting properties on the polymer that can potentially be exploited for use as in drug delivery or related molecular transport applications. The Tanner Lab aims to gain a better understanding of the properties of this class of polymers, in particular the nature and strength of interactions that control the self-assembly of the polymers into uniform nano-size aggregates. The fundamental physical chemistry and polymer chemistry knowledge to be gained from this research may provide guiding principles for the rational design of polymers for biomedical or pharmaceutical applications. Dr. Tanner strives to recruit and retain Black and African-American scholars, aiming to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) participation among underrepresented minority students in Mississippi. In addition to providing interdisciplinary research training opportunities for students at the University of Mississippi, the Tanner Lab will host students from regional HBCUs over the summer. The Tanner Lab will interrogate the non-covalent interactions of linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) with biocompatible ionic liquids (BILs) and explore using BILs to help control LDBC self-assembly into monodisperse nanostructures. Biocompatible ionic liquids (BILs) are comprised of biocompatible bulky cations and anions and are liquids at room temperature. To understand the role that BILs play in the nano-assembly of LDBCs, Dr. Tanner and her team will investigate the nature and strength of interactions between the LDBCs and the BILs, both in pure BILs and in the presence of water, post-aggregation. They will analyze the BIL/LDBC nano-aggregates with a battery of physical and chemical techniques to gain insight on their nanoscopic composition. In addition, they will measure the thermodynamics and kinetics of degradation of the aggregates and the LDBCs themselves and quantify the impact of BILs, with the aim of relating degradation profiles to the strength of interactions between the LDBCs and BILs.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.