ERI: Reconfigurable Highly-Ordered Microlayers Between Liquid Interfaces

在水-油界面之间创建半固态结构在许多领域都是至关重要的，包括药物输送、组织生物模拟和能源应用。由亲水部分和憎水部分组成的两亲分子可用于在液-液界面之间构建有组织的微层。在这类体系中，界面微层在界面上瞬间形成，但仍在逐渐增长，这使得在界面上创造一个良好控制的厚度变得具有挑战性。目前的奖项旨在通过实验调查和了解控制界面增长和动态的潜在机制来应对这一挑战。该奖项的跨学科性质将提供机会来开发本科生和研究生课程，为普通公众设计教育推广活动，并向高中生展示STEM主题。稳定油-水界面以在流体界面之间创建分层功能结构一直是各种材料科学和工程领域的重要研究领域。然而，通过表面活性剂自组装来稳定和构建流体界面还没有得到广泛的探索。与其他相关系统相比，创建智能综合体具有优势和独特之处，可以给许多领域带来革命性的变化。首先，表面活性剂价格低廉，可以在市场上买到；因此，不需要特殊和耗时的合成。此外，除了表面活性剂自组装体系外，没有其他“全液体体系”可以产生介观结构的形态，如片状或六边形。该奖项旨在研究一种含油表面活性剂的水性表面活性剂体系，以1)确定自发乳化机理并控制其动力学速度；2)控制微层生长并调节其粘弹性；3)整合缔合成分以创建可重构的界面；以及4)提高针对当地贫困高中生的STEM教育的可及性。为了实现这些目标，将使用包括界面张力测量、剪切和扩张流变学以及显微镜在内的实验方法。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。

Creating semi-solid structures between water-oil interfaces is critical in many fields, including drug delivery, tissue bio-mimicking, and energy applications. Amphiphiles, comprising water-loving and water-hating parts, could be used to construct organized microlayers between liquid-liquid interfaces. The interfacial microlayer in such systems forms instantaneously at the interface yet continues to grow gradually, making it challenging to create a well-controlled thickness at the interface. The current award aims to address this challenge by investigating and understanding the underlying mechanisms that control interface growth and dynamics experimentally. The interdisciplinary nature of this award will provide opportunities to develop undergraduate and graduate curriculum, design educational outreach activities for the general public, and expose high school students with STEM subjects.Stabilizing oil-water interfaces to create hierarchical functional structures between fluidic interfaces has been a significant area of study in various material sciences and engineering fields. However, stabilizing and structuring fluidic interfaces by surfactant self-assembly has not been extensively explored. Creating a smart complex is advantageous and unique compared to the other relevant systems and can revolutionize many fields. First, surfactants are inexpensive and commercially available; thus, no special and time-consuming synthesis is needed. Furthermore, no other “all-liquid systems” can create meso-architectural morphologies, such as lamellar or hexagonal, except surfactant self-assembled systems. This award aims to investigate an aqueous surfactant system with oil cosurfactant to 1) identify spontaneous emulsification mechanism and control its kinetics rate; 2) control the microlayer growth and tune its viscoelasticity; 3) to integrate associative components to create reconfigurable interfaces, and 4) enhance the accessibility of STEM education for local underprivileged high school students. To accomplish these goals, experimental methods including interfacial tension measurement, shear and dilatational rheology, and microscopies will be utilized.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.