Collaborative research: Rates and Mechanisms of Biofouling and Mineral Scaling on Zwitterionic Amphiphilic Copolymer Surfaces

合作研究：两性离子两亲性共聚物表面生物污垢和矿物结垢的速率和机制

• 批准号: 1904465
• 负责人: Ayse Asatekin
• 金额: $ 15.6万
• 依托单位: Tufts University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-08-01 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1904465&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; research; Rates; Mechanisms; Biofouling

This award from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Division of Chemistry supports Professors Ayse Asatekin from Tufts University, and Yandi Hu and Debora Rodrigues from University of Houston to investigate mechanisms of mineral scaling and biofouling on a new family of materials previously demonstrated to exhibit promising resistance to organic fouling. Fouling, or the deposition of unwanted materials on surfaces, is a severe problem in many applications where surfaces are in contact with seawater, affecting ship hulls, heat exchangers, and membranes. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing materials that resist fouling when exposed to various environmental streams. Fouling can arise from the deposition of various components in water, including organic compounds, microorganisms, or inorganic minerals. This project focuses on a new family of materials having exceptional resistance to organic fouling. The main objective of this research is to determine if these materials also resist biofouling (i.e. adhesion of microorganisms) and mineral scaling (i.e. deposition of inorganic salts or minerals), understand how their chemical structure affects these different types of fouling processes, and eventually develop design rules for surfaces that resist multiple types of fouling. The research is conducted by a diverse team of graduate and undergraduate students in labs with a track record of recruiting and training members of underrepresented groups, and is incorporated into several university courses and K-12 outreach activities targeted at girls and underrepresented minorities. This project investigates processes of biofouling and mineral scaling on amphiphilic copolymers of zwitterionic and hydrophobic monomers, termed zwitterionic amphiphilic copolymers (ZACs), which can exhibit unprecedented resistance to organic fouling. The team is synthesizing ZACs with a range of monomer chemistries, hydrophobicities, and surface charges. Upon coating onto substrates, these materials are screened for organic fouling resistance. Promising ZACs are investigated in terms of the mechanisms and rates of gypsum scaling and biofouling. Scaling studies employ state-of-the-art techniques for in situ quantification of the heterogeneous nucleation of gypsum minerals onto surfaces as well as their aggregation and deposition. This project also develops a quantitative PCR array approach to identify the microbial genetic pathways of biofouling on ZAC coated surfaces. At the same time, advanced microscopic techniques are used to identify the unique properties of ZACs and connect them with initial microbial cell attachment rates and biofilm growth rates. Synergistic effects of biofouling and scaling are also considered. These results are compiled and correlated with ZAC chemistry (zwitterionic and hydrophobic groups), surface energy, surface charge, and other criteria. This work is expected to lead to a fundamental understanding of mechanisms and ZAC surface chemistry properties associated to organic fouling, biofouling, and scaling. The team's multidisciplinary and complementary expertise enables rational design of novel advanced materials to allow new scientific and transformative findings across disciplines of environmental chemistry, chemical and environmental engineering, environmental microbiology, and materials science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项由化学系环境化学科学项目授予，支持塔夫茨大学的 Ayse Asatekin 教授以及休斯敦大学的 Yandi Hu 和 Debora Rodrigues 教授研究先前被证明具有前景的新材料家族的矿物结垢和生物污垢机制耐有机污垢。在表面与海水接触的许多应用中，污垢或不需要的材料沉积在表面上是一个严重的问题，影响船体、热交换器和膜。因此，迫切需要开发在暴露于各种环境流时能够抵抗污垢的材料。污垢可能是由于水中各种成分的沉积而产生的，包括有机化合物、微生物或无机矿物质。该项目重点研究具有卓越抗有机污垢能力的新材料系列。这项研究的主要目的是确定这些材料是否也能抵抗生物污垢（即微生物的粘附）和矿物结垢（即无机盐或矿物质的沉积），了解它们的化学结构如何影响这些不同类型的污垢过程，并最终开发抵抗多种污垢的表面的设计规则。该研究由实验室的研究生和本科生组成的多元化团队进行，该团队在招募和培训代表性不足的群体成员方面有着良好的记录，并被纳入针对女孩和代表性不足的少数群体的多门大学课程和 K-12 外展活动中。该项目研究了两性离子和疏水单体的两亲性共聚物（称为两性离子两性共聚物（ZAC））的生物污垢和矿物结垢过程，该共聚物可以表现出前所未有的抗有机污垢能力。该团队正在合成具有一系列单体化学、疏水性和表面电荷的 ZAC。在涂覆到基材上后，对这些材料进行有机污垢抗性筛选。从石膏结垢和生物污垢的机制和速率方面研究了有前景的 ZAC。缩放研究采用最先进的技术对石膏矿物在表面上的异质成核及其聚集和沉积进行原位定量。该项目还开发了一种定量 PCR 阵列方法来识别 ZAC 涂层表面上生物污垢的微生物遗传途径。同时，利用先进的显微技术来识别 ZAC 的独特性质，并将其与初始微生物细胞附着率和生物膜生长率联系起来。还考虑了生物污垢和结垢的协同效应。这些结果被编译并与 ZAC 化学（两性离子和疏水基团）、表面能、表面电荷和其他标准相关。这项工作预计将使人们对与有机污垢、生物污垢和结垢相关的机制和 ZAC 表面化学特性有一个基本的了解。该团队的多学科和互补的专业知识使新型先进材料的合理设计成为可能，从而在环境化学、化学和环境工程、环境微生物学和材料科学等学科领域取得新的科学和变革性发现。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。

项目成果

Calcium Sulfate Formation on Different Zwitterionic Amphiphilic Copolymer Substrates for Salt Water Treatment

用于盐水处理的不同两性离子两亲性共聚物基材上硫酸钙的形成

• DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.2c01014
• 发表时间: 2022-09-29
• 期刊: ACS Applied Polymer Materials
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: M. Wang;H. Nguyen;Samuel J. Lounder;A. Asatekin;D. Rodrigues
• 通讯作者: D. Rodrigues

Supramolecular hybrid hydrogels as rapidly on-demand dissoluble, self-healing, and biocompatible burn dressings

超分子杂化水凝胶可按需快速溶解、自愈和生物相容性烧伤敷料

• DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2022.09.003
• 发表时间: 2022-09
• 期刊: Bioactive Materials
• 影响因子: 18.9
• 作者: Gokaltun, A. Aslihan;Fan, Letao;Mazzaferro, Luca;Byrne, Delaney;Yarmush, Martin L.;Dai, Tianhong;Asatekin, Ayse;Usta, O. Berk
• 通讯作者: Usta, O. Berk

Ultra‐Fast Click Modification of Self‐Assembled Zwitterionic Copolymer Membranes for Enhanced Ion Selectivity

自组装两性离子共聚物膜的超快速点击修饰，以增强离子选择性

• DOI: 10.1002/admi.202102496
• 发表时间: 2022-06
• 期刊: Advanced Materials Interfaces
• 影响因子: 5.4
• 作者: Mondal, Abhishek N.;Lounder, Samuel J.;Mazzaferro, Luca;Asatekin, Ayse
• 通讯作者: Asatekin, Ayse