This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant provides funding to (1) advance the fundamental understanding and processing technology for mass-producing, cost-effective, and high-performance biobased plastics components; and (2) to design, synthesize, characterize, and evaluate new types of biodegradable photopolymerizable macromers with desired material properties for scaffold applications in tissue engineering. The first research focus will build a scientific foundation to better understand the unique composition process structure property relationships for biobased plastics that can serve as guidelines to formulate and process cost-effective and high-performance biobased polymer blends, composites, and nanocomposites. The second research focus will lead to a new family of biodegradable photopolymerizable macromers with a broad spectrum of material properties that not only will fill the urgent needs faced by tissue engineering for suitable materials for targeted tissue regeneration, but also provide a means to elucidate the complex relationships between the cell functions and the characteristics of biomaterials and scaffolds. This new family of biomaterials also can be used for drug delivery and wound-healing applications. The proposed research activities will be integrated with various educational efforts. Especially, the plastics program at UW-Milwaukee will be strengthened through new course development, involving both undergraduate and graduate students in research and collaborating with the local plastics industries. Educational opportunities in engineering for women and minorities also will be improved through outreach activities.
Broader impact: The first research focus will broaden the applications of biobased plastics and help to transform today's oil-based economy to a more sustainable and eco-friendly biobased economy in the 21st century while improving our national security by reducing dependency on foreign oil. The second research focus will help to improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world and reduce the cost for treating debilitating diseases. The educational efforts will lead to a stronger plastics program at UW-Milwaukee that will provide a workforce much needed by the local plastics industries and will motivate more women and minority students for a career in engineering.
