This CAREER award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to University of Akron is to study conjugated polymers that have attracted significant interests for different applications to improve the performance of bio-electronic devices. However, conventional conjugated polymers are not able to provide all required functions. The goal of this project is to address key challenges of conjugated polymers for different applications by developing a new zwitterionic conjugated polyelectrolyte platform. This new biomaterial platform could have potential to be translated into clinical applications to benefit public health. The proposed project includes multidisciplinary knowledge from chemistry, physics, materials science and biology to device fabrication and testing. Thus, proposed activities will provide excellent educational and outreach opportunities for K-12 students and teachers, undergraduates and graduate students. The PI plans to expose K-12 students and their teachers to cutting edge and multidisciplinary biotech and biomedical techniques. The core of the proposed education plan is project/problem-based learning, since it is a more effective learning approach. Students, with an emphasis on underrepresented minorities and women, will be actively recruited to conduct research in this project. The proposed work will help promote the development of a high-tech environment in northeast Ohio through this science and engineering education.
The objective of this research is to develop a versatile zwitterionic conjugated polyelectrolyte (CP) platform to address key challenges of conjugated polymers for biomedical applications. Zwitterionic CPs, consisting of conjugated backbones and multifunctional zwitterionic side chains, will integrate all essential functions and tunable properties into one material. Zwitterionic materials will gain tunable conducting, optical and antimicrobial properties through conjugated backbones. Low-biocompatible conjugated polymers will obtain outstanding biocompatibility, controllable antifouling properties and sensitivity to environmental stimuli via side chains. The proposed work will provide valuable insights into polymer chemistry and physics of both conjugated and zwitterionic polymers. It will foster a new multidisciplinary research area in the field of biomaterials. With this project, the PI plans to build a set of design rules to guide in creating advanced biomaterials for the future. The proposed research activities will provide great educational and outreach opportunities to stimulate K-12 students' interest in science and technology, and motivate students to face the challenges of interdisciplinary research activities. The concepts, activities and results from this research will be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses.
