CAREER: Programmable Negative Water Adsorption of Bioinspired Hygroscopic Materials

职业：仿生吸湿材料的可编程负吸水

• 批准号: 2238129
• 负责人: Xi Chen
• 金额: $ 53.86万
• 依托单位: Research Foundation CUNY - Advanced Science Research Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2028-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2238129&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Programmable; Negative; Water; Adsorption

Hygroscopic materials typically absorb water and swell when the local relative humidity (RH) increases and then release water and shrink when the RH decreases. A counterintuitive phenomenon has been observed in trees, where they store water when the local environment is dry and deplete water when it is humid. Inspired by this natural phenomenon, the investigator will develop a new class of materials with negative water adsorption capabilities, such that water is released when the RH increases. This project will explore the opportunities for designing hygroscopic materials with programmable negative water adsorption properties. The research is expected to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the counterintuitive phenomenon of negative water/gas adsorption. This knowledge will lead to breakthroughs related to dynamically regulating material properties and responsive soft condensed matter and reveal how nature designs different micro/nanofluidic systems to harness water evaporation as an energy source. The research will also enable the development of new low-cost water harvesting devices that autonomously collect water in a dry environment without using electrical energy. Educational activities are integrated with the research to promote K-12 students’ interest in STEM and increase the public’s understanding of scientific concepts. The educational activities include developing visible and touchable learning kits and competitions, allowing local students and New Yorkers to interact with state-of-the-art science engagingly. The negative water adsorption phenomenon is achieved when domains of materials with distinctive water-responsive actuation and cavitation characteristics are carefully integrated. A range of hygroscopic materials will be fabricated such that the confined water cavitation behaviors and material water responsiveness are systematically varied through changes to the confining geometry and surface chemistry. Using these materials/structures, the confining geometry and surface chemistry will be correlated with the confined water cavitation behavior. Additionally, the research will program hygroscopic material water-responsive actuation by tuning the properties of confined water. Negative water adsorption materials will be developed by integrating the domains of materials with distinct water-responsive and water cavitation properties. The overarching educational goal is to communicate the concepts and importance of natural water evaporation to students and the public. The City University of New York (CUNY) students will be taught through hands-on learning activities. The investigator will host an annual “Evaporation Energy Challenge” for local high school students and teachers and communicate evaporation science in public venues. The investigator will also redesign an interdisciplinary graduate-level course. The desired educational outcome is to ignite the students’ and the public’s excitement about the potential of natural evaporation as an energy source and attract talented and motivated students to pursue STEM careers.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.

当局部相对湿度（RH）增加，然后在RH降低时释放水并收缩时，吸湿材料通常会吸收水并膨胀。已经在树木中观察到了一种违反直觉现象，当潮湿时，当地环境干燥并复制水时，它们会储存水。受这种自然现象的启发，研究人员将开发一类新的具有负水吸附能力的材料，从而在RH增加时释放水。该项目将探索使用具有可编程的负水吸附特性设计吸湿材料的机会。该研究有望阐明负水/气体吸附的违反直觉现象的基本机制。这些知识将导致与动态调节的材料特性和响应式软凝结物有关的突破，并揭示自然如何设计不同的微/纳米流体系统以利用水经济为能源。这项研究还将能够开发新的低成本收集设备，这些设备在不使用电能的情况下自主在干燥环境中自主收集水。教育活动与研究融为一体，以促进K-12学生对STEM的兴趣，并提高公众对科学概念的理解。教育活动包括开发可见且可触摸的学习工具和竞赛，使当地学生和纽约人能够与最先进的科学互动。当仔细整合具有独特水反应活性和空化特性的材料域和具有独特的水的材料域时，就会实现负水。将制造一系列的吸湿材料，以便通过变化对限制的几何形状和表面化学的变化来系统地变化。使用这些材料/结构，限制的几何形状和表面化学将与狭窄的水源行为相关。此外，该研究将通过调整受限水的特性来对吸湿物质的水反应激活进行编程。负水添加吸附材料将通过将材料域与具有不同水反应性和水源特性的材料域进行开发。总体教育目标是向学生和公众传达天然水蒸发的概念和重要性。纽约城市大学（CUNY）的学生将通过动手学习活动来教授。调查人员将为当地高中生和老师举办年度“蒸发能源挑战”，并在公共场所进行蒸发科学。调查人员还将重新设计跨学科的研究生级课程。所需的教育成果是激发学生的自然经济作为能源的潜力，并吸引了才华横溢和成熟的学生从事STEM职业的兴奋。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛的影响审查标准来通过评估来通过评估来支持的。