Excellence in Research: Synthesis and Evaluation of Amino Acid-Appended Macromolecules Designed Towards Enhanced Water Purification via Lead Chelation

卓越的研究：通过铅螯合增强水净化的氨基酸附加大分子的合成和评估

• 批准号: 2100909
• 负责人: Marco Giles
• 金额: $ 47.32万
• 依托单位: Prairie View A & M University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2100909&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Excellence; Research; Synthesis; Evaluation; Amino

The use of lead in construction and industrial processes has contributed to widespread heavy metal contamination of water sources and increased occurrences of biological lead intoxication, which is detrimental to human health and development. Conventional remediation approaches include the use of adsorbents such as activated charcoal; however, the long-term effectiveness remains unknown. To address this public health risk, this project will synthesize innovative, efficient, and biocompatible macromolecules that effectively encapsulate the heavy metal and purify lead-contaminated water upon extraction from aqueous environments. The investigator's long-term goal is to build a viable and competitive polymer research program at Prairie View A&M University. Through this program, graduate and undergraduate students will learn how to conduct application- and hypothesis-driven investigations in the polymer chemistry field. The following objectives will be pursued to satisfy the overall goals of the project: (1) understand how polymer architecture and branching impact metal chelating affinity; (2) explore how solubility parameters affect the chelation efficiency of the nanomaterials; and 3) engage undergraduate and graduate students in high-impact and intensive polymer chemistry research environments. Collaborators at Texas A&M University, Tulane University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook will aid in specialized characterization of the nanomaterials, extending the potential for transformative impact.The overarching goal of this project is to investigate the effectiveness of amino acid-functionalized macromolecules towards sequestering lead ions to promote water purification. Biocompatible, polymeric materials with both linear and branched architectures will be generated with adequate functionality to comprehensively probe the structure-property relationship underlying metal-chelating activity. To enable sufficient complexation of lead ions, hyperbranched and dendrimeric polyesters and linear polycarbonates will be outfitted with n-acetylcysteine via thiol-yne click addition to generate numerous vicinal thioether binding pockets covering the polymer surface or backbone. Novel insights into binding capability will be obtained, and vicinal thioethers and water-soluble polymers will be produced. The efficacy of the materials will provide data that can inform future efforts to prevent and treat lead contamination.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.

建筑和工业过程中铅的使用造成了水源广泛的重金属污染，并增加了生物铅中毒的发生率，这不利于人类健康和发展。传统的修复方法包括使用活性炭等吸附剂；然而，长期有效性仍未知。为了解决这一公共卫生风险，该项目将合成创新、高效和生物相容性的大分子，这些大分子可以有效地封装重金属，并在从水环境中提取后净化铅污染的水。研究人员的长期目标是在 Prairie View A&M 大学建立一个可行且有竞争力的聚合物研究项目。通过这个项目，研究生和本科生将学习如何在高分子化学领域进行应用和假设驱动的研究。为了实现该项目的总体目标，将追求以下目标：（1）了解聚合物结构和支化如何影响金属螯合亲和力； (2)探讨溶解度参数如何影响纳米材料的螯合效率； 3) 让本科生和研究生参与高影响力和密集的聚合物化学研究环境。德克萨斯农工大学、杜兰大学和纽约州立大学石溪分校的合作者将帮助对纳米材料进行专门表征，扩大变革性影响的潜力。该项目的首要目标是研究氨基酸的有效性功能化大分子可螯合铅离子以促进水净化。将产生具有线性和支化结构的生物相容性聚合物材料，其具有足够的功能来全面探讨金属螯合活性背后的结构-性能关系。为了实现铅离子的充分络合，超支化和树枝状聚酯和线性聚碳酸酯将通过硫醇-炔点击加成配备有n-乙酰半胱氨酸，以产生覆盖聚合物表面或主链的大量邻位硫醚结合袋。将获得对结合能力的新见解，并生产邻位硫醚和水溶性聚合物。这些材料的功效将提供数据，为未来预防和治疗铅污染的努力提供信息。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。