As future technological progress necessitates the design and control of nanoscale membranes, new methods for the creation of tailored materials with tunable morphology, processability, transport properties, and mechanical properties must be perfected. Unfortunately, many designer systems require a tradeoff between incorporating the desired chemical constituents and obtaining the optimal chemical, transport, and mechanical properties. To overcome this dilemma, the Epps group is developing interfacially-modified triblock copolymer systems, with a specific focus on network-forming materials, through the chemical manipulation of the internal (block-to-block) junctions using compositional tapers. These interfacial manipulations (tapered junctions) will allow decoupling of the influence of chemical constituents and molecular weight from self-assembly and thermal transitions, providing greater versatility in designing these soft materials. Such triblock copolymers are capable of self-assembling into co-continuous network structures, making them ideal candidates for nanoscale devices. The combination of triblocks and tapered block copolymers can produce high-molecular-weight network systems with improved mechanical properties (e.g. entangled polymer chains), where tapering between the blocks allows for the controlled tuning of effective interaction parameters and nanoscale interfacial mixing. Further, by developing greater control over interfacial interactions, the Epps group will generate new nanostructured materials for applications such as conducting membranes, separation membranes, and nanoscale templates. This control will facilitate the development of universal protocols for the generation of stable, processable, and tunable networks for bulk membrane and thin-film nanoscale applications. Such nanoscale networks utilizing tapered block copolymers may also be helpful for alternative energy, data storage, and biological applications.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:
As future technological progress necessitates the design and control of nanoscale membranes, new methods for the creation of tailored materials with tunable morphology, processability, transport properties, and mechanical properties must be perfected. Unfortunately, many designer systems require a tradeoff between incorporating the desired chemical constituents and obtaining the optimal chemical, transport, and mechanical properties. To overcome this dilemma, the Epps group is developing chemical synthesis methods to control the nanometer scale (1/1000th the width of a human hair) interfaces in membrane materials to permit the independent tuning of those chemical, transport, and mechanical properties. By using specially modified complex polymers to enable the design, synthesis, and stabilization of nanoscale interfaces, novel materials for analytical separation membranes, ion-conduction membranes, and nanoscale templates may be developed for alternative energy, data storage, and biological applications. Additionally, this interdisciplinary project will train students to address key scientific and engineering challenges in nanotechnology. Students will explore aspects of chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science, placing them at the forefront of nanotechnology research. Outreach activities directly related to the project include providing multidisciplinary summer research and mentorship opportunities in Epps' labs for American Chemical Society (ACS) Minority Scholars Program undergraduates and ACS Project SEED (economically-disadvantaged) high school students. The PI has been active in activities involving underrepresented groups in science and will continue to do so throughout this project.
