Inspired by natures ability of constructing materials, the PI, Wei Chen, and her undergraduate students at Mount Holyoke College propose to impregnate metal nanoparticles in a poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel matrix with hierarchical structural control from nanoscopic to macroscopic levels. By using a diffusion-controlled approach and manipulating experimental variants, composites with hierarchical structural features from the nanoscale (particle size, uniformity, and density) to the macroscale (macroscopic color patterns as the result of variations of particle size and density in the gel matrix) will be designed and engineered. These composite materials combine the unique optical, electronic, and high surface to volume ratio characteristics of nanoparticles and flexibility and biocompatibility of hydrogels.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:
The proposed work of incorporating metal nanoparticles in a biocompatible hydrogel system has enormous applications in medicine, biomedical diagnostics, sensing, and imaging. Mount Holyoke College undergraduate students will be involved in all aspects of the work proposed, from material synthesis to characterization using both routine and sophisticated instrumentation. The exposure of undergraduate students to nanotechnology and materials chemistry is a response to the emergence of nanomaterials as a major theme of chemical science. The underlying concepts of the project are interdisciplinary, ranging from the disciplines of chemistry to engineering. Undergraduate researchers will have the opportunity to reinforce and apply the knowledge that they learn in the classroom. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work aims to attract more women to the field as well as to provide a vehicle for them to use Engineering knowledge to design processes to solve real world problems.
