Tunable Nanocomposites for Smart Materials and Technology Platform

用于智能材料和技术平台的可调谐纳米复合材料

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-06667
• 负责人: Mkandawire, Martin
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Cape Breton University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=764704
• 关键词: Tunable; Nanocomposites; Smart; Materials; Technology

I am requesting funding in tune of $189,525.00 from NSERC Discovery grant for a span of five years to support my research program of developing a Smart Material and Technology Platform using novel and tuneable nanomaterials with highly sensitivity to milieu changes. Smart materials and technologies are objects that sense environmental events, process the sensory information, and then act on the environment. They should have intrinsic or embedded quick response and self-actuation capabilities and exhibit characteristics, including responding in real-time, to more than one stimulating state, discretely, predictably and locally to the activating' event. Novel candidates for such materials are ceramic nanoparticles, because their properties can be easily tuned and tailored to desired use. For instance, metal oxide nanoceramic can be easily formed into hollowed nanoparticles, as well as have unique magnetic and spintronic behaviors. As such, the nanoceramics can be simultaneously used in sensory and micro-carriers of catalytic nanoparticles or act as nano-reactors.Specifically, the requested funding will support fundamental research to develop methods of fabricating and functionalizing hollowed ceramic nanomaterial with tailored and tuneable properties to support the development of smart technology platforms. During formation of ceramic material, there is a directional flow of material across an interface, which can lead to the formation of holes in the atomic lattice - a process known as the Kirkendall effect forming hollowed nanoparticles or nanoshells, which can be used as entrapment system for loading, storage, and controlled release of reactive components. When hollowed structure are combined with magnetic properties, such ceramic nanomaterial can be used to develop in situ sensing devices, capable of communicating wirelessly to a monitoring receiver. Currently, my research programme has two on-going research projects to benefit from the support, namely: (a) developing Smart Packaging Materials (SPMs) for prolonging storage and shelf-life of perishable food products. SPM will require the hollowed ceramic nanoparticles to encapsulate gas-scavenging material (e.g. ethylene responsible for fruit ripening or oxygen responsible for meat and dairy products degradation). Good examples include aluminum-silicate hollow cylinders (i.e., halloysite clay nanotubes), capable to load and sustained release of chemical agent; and, (b) developing Smart Wound-dressing Material (SWMs) for real-time monitoring of the wound-healing process while still the wound is still dressed. The SWMs require magnetic nanoceramic embedded into the gauze fibre, which would response to wound healing biomarker (e.g. temperature gradient and gas release, like H2O2) by changing their magnetism and spintronic behaviour.

我正在向 NSERC Discovery 申请为期五年的 189,525.00 美元资金，以支持我的研究项目，即使用对环境变化高度敏感的新型可调节纳米材料开发智能材料和技术平台。智能材料和技术是感知环境事件、处理感知信息，然后对环境起作用的物体。它们应该具有内在的或嵌入的快速响应和自驱动能力，并表现出特征，包括实时响应不止一种刺激状态，离散地、可预测地和局部地响应激活事件。此类材料的新候选者是陶瓷纳米颗粒，因为它们的性能可以轻松调整并根据所需用途进行定制。例如，金属氧化物纳米陶瓷可以很容易地形成中空纳米粒子，并且具有独特的磁性和自旋电子行为。因此，纳米陶瓷可以同时用于催化纳米颗粒的传感和微载体，或充当纳米反应器。具体来说，所申请的资金将支持基础研究，以开发制造和功能化具有定制和可调特性的空心陶瓷纳米材料的方法，以实现支持智能科技平台发展。在陶瓷材料的形成过程中，材料在界面上定向流动，这可能导致原子晶格中形成孔洞，这一过程称为柯肯德尔效应，形成空心纳米粒子或纳米壳，可用作捕获系统用于反应组分的装载、储存和控制释放。当中空结构与磁性相结合时，这种陶瓷纳米材料可用于开发原位传感设备，能够与监测接收器进行无线通信。目前，我的研究计划有两个正在进行的研究项目受益于该支持，即：（a）开发智能包装材料（SPM）以延长易腐食品的储存和保质期。 SPM 将需要空心陶瓷纳米粒子来封装气体清除材料（例如负责水果成熟的乙烯或负责肉类和乳制品降解的氧气）。很好的例子包括硅酸铝空心圆柱体（即埃洛石粘土纳米管），能够装载和持续释放化学剂； (b) 开发智能伤口敷料（SWM），用于在伤口仍在敷料的情况下实时监测伤口愈合过程。 SWM 需要将磁性纳米陶瓷嵌入纱布纤维中，通过改变其磁性和自旋电子行为来响应伤口愈合生物标志物（例如温度梯度和气体释放，如 H2O2）。