| 项目编号: | 1703402
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| 项目名称: | Understanding Molecular Driving Forces to Tailor Macromolecular Materials with Dual-Thermoresponsive Behavior |
| 作者: | Arthi Jayaraman
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| 承担单位: | University of Delaware
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| 批准年: | 2017
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| 开始日期: | 2017-09-01
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| 结束日期: | 2020-08-31
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| 资助金额: | 129794
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| 资助来源: | US-NSF
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| 项目类别: | Continuing grant
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| 国家: | US
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| 语种: | 英语
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| 特色学科分类: | Engineering - Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
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| 英文关键词: | elp-cxp
; elp
; thermoresponsive polymer
; thermoresponsive behavior
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| 英文摘要: | 1703402
PI: Jayaraman, Arthi
Institution: University of Delaware
Thermoresponsive molecules find important applications in sensors, electronics, actuators, drug delivery devices, and matrices for tissue engineering. Synthetic thermoresponsive polymers, such as poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNIPAAM)), and biological thermoresponsive macromolecules, such as elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), have been extensively studied. Various molecular-level design aspects of these thermoresponsive polymers, e.g., molecular composition, sequence, molecular weights, concentration, etc., provide ways to tune the phase transition (e.g. lower critical solution temperature or LCST) underlying their thermoresponsive behavior. Furthermore, conjugation of these thermoresponsive polymers to other polymers or substrates not only alters their LCST phase transition in a non-trivial manner but also facilitates ways to manipulate assembly and disassembly of nanostructures, by virtue of the dual thermal transitions associated with the two polymers. As of yet, however, there lacks a set of universal guidelines to predict how the molecular design of these polymers and their conjugates affect molecular-level interactions or physicochemical properties driving the thermodynamic phase transitions. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to capture the molecular interactions governing LCST transitions in an important class of thermoresponsive polymers, and to use the fundamental understanding to design thermoresponsive conjugates with two separately tunable thermal transitions.
The project will employ ELPs as the model system owing to the finely tuned control of hydrophobicity and molecular weight (and consequently transition temperatures) that is possible with these molecules versus other thermoresponsive materials. A key innovation is the introduction of associating peptide domains to the ELPs (ELP-CXPs) so that pre-association of short ELPs (that are computationally tractable) in the ELP-CXP drives the ELP LCST-like transition into an experimentally accessible temperature range. The collapse of the thermoresponsive ELP block subsequently drives phase separation of the pre-associated ELP-CXPs in aqueous solution. The resulting structures will also undergo an additional disassembly transition at even higher temperatures owing to the unfolding of the associating block (CXP). Both the lengths and compositions of the CXP and ELP blocks can be altered to yield tailored transitions and assembly/disassembly; specific design features will be informed by the development of the computational methods. The modular design and precise composition of the ELP-CXP conjugates offers strategies not only to modulate the transition temperature of the ELP domain via unreported methods, but also to manipulate assembly and disassembly of nanostructures, which has multiple applications in nanocomposites, nanoscale templating, and drug delivery. Importantly, owing to the presence of the CXP domain, these materials will be competent for further elaboration with peptide-modified molecules and nanoparticles, expanding the versatility of the conjugates in nanotechnology applications. The interdisciplinary nature of the research will enrich the training of graduate and undergraduate students. Outreach activities are proposed aimed at recruitment and retention of female and underrepresented minority researchers in science and engineering careers. |
| 资源类型: | 项目
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| 标识符: | http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/89246
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| Appears in Collections: | 全球变化的国际研究计划
科学计划与规划
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| Recommended Citation: | |
Arthi Jayaraman. Understanding Molecular Driving Forces to Tailor Macromolecular Materials with Dual-Thermoresponsive Behavior. 2017-01-01.
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