Responsive Membranes from Polymer-Surfactant Films

我们最近发现了一种形成纳米结构聚合物表面活性剂薄膜的新方法。它们自发地生长在含有这两种物质的溶液的表面，并且足够厚和固体，可以将它们从表面去除。它们在这个过程中保持了有序的纳米结构，我们已经证明了在薄膜形成过程中将小的疏水分子结合到有序的纳米结构中是可能的。在这项计划中，我们希望在ISIS、ESRF和Diamond使用X射线和中子散射技术进一步研究这些迷人的膜，这为博士生提供了一个理想的培训机会，以了解这些用于分析纳米级结构的技术，以及这些新型聚合物表面活性剂膜。学生将接受小角散射和反射率方面的培训，这两种方法可以让我们分析胶片的结构和解决方案。作为他们项目的一部分，他们将研究改变表面活性剂分子结构对薄膜中形成的纳米结构的影响，然后将继续制备薄膜，这些薄膜通过使薄膜中的聚合物成分交联来增强。我们将使用对温度或pH变化有反应的聚合物来制备薄膜，使薄膜在合成过程中膨胀或收缩，选择性地释放困在薄膜中的分子。我们还将在成膜过程中将单体加入到表面活性剂纳米结构中，然后将这些单体聚合，以创建薄膜中软表面活性剂结构的复制品。这将使我们能够制备用普通溶液难以制备的聚合物纳米结构，并将进一步增强聚合物-表面活性剂膜，使其更坚固。这将增强从表面回收它并将其应用于应用的能力。最后，我们将研究将胶束为基础的荧光传感器分子掺入膜中，以制造用于金属离子测定的固体传感器，以表明这些基于溶液的传感器以固体薄膜的形式保持其传感特性是可能的，这可能比溶液更容易使用，例如在浸渍棒型传感器中。

We have recently discovered a novel method of forming nanostructured polymer-surfactant films. They grow spontaneously at the surface of a solution containing the two species, and are sufficiently thick and solid to remove them from the surface. They retain their ordered nanostructure during this procedure and we have shown it is possible to incorporate small hydrophobic molecules into the ordered nanostructure during film formation. In this proposal we want to investigate these fascinating membranes further using X-ray and neutron scattering techniques at ISIS, the ESRF and Diamond, and this presents an ideal training opportunity for a PhD student to learn about these techniques for analysing nanoscale structures, as well as about these novel polymer-surfactant films. The student will receive training in small angle scattering and reflectivity, two methods which allow us to analyse structure in films and solutions. As part of their project they will investigate the effect of changing the surfactant molecular structure on the nanostructures formed in the film, and then will go on to prepare films which are re-inforced by crosslinking the polymer component in the film. We will prepare films using polymers which are responsive to changes in temperature or pH to make membranes which swell or shrink to selectively release molecules trapped in the film during synthesis. We will also incorporate monomers into the surfactant nanostructure during film formation, followed by polymerisation of these monomers to create a replica of the soft surfactant structures in the film. This will allow us to prepare polymer nanostructures which are hard to prepare from normal solutions, and which will further reinforce the polymer-surfactant membrane to make it more robust. This will enhance the ability to recover it from the surface and use it in applications. Finally we will study the incorporation of micelle based fluorescent sensor molecules into the membranes to make solid sensors for determination of metal ions to show that it it possible to retain the sensing properties of these solution based sensors in a solid film form which could be more easily used than the solutions eg in dip stick type sensors.