PECASE: Fabrication of Hierarchically Structured Open Cell Porous Polymers for Biomedical Applications

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award provides funding to establish an integrated research and educational program on the fabrication of hierarchically structured porous polymers for biomedical applications. The research objective of this program is to develop an innovative process to create polymeric microstructures with well-defined, interconnected pores on the scale of one hundred nanometers to several hundred micrometers and at desired locations. Such microstructures allow particles and fluids to flow through, offering tunable mass transport properties that are crucial to many emerging applications such as tissue engineering scaffolds, controlled drug delivery devices, adsorption sites for bio-chemical sensors, and catalyst carriers for fuel cells. The approach to the research objective is to selectively foam gas-impregnated polymers and implode the gas bubbles using focused ultrasound of various frequencies and amplitudes. Inert gases such as CO2 and N2 will be used as the blowing agents. The research will involve fundamental studies to explore gas-polymer interaction, bubble dynamics, and ultrasonic cavitation, implosion, and bubble enhanced heating. Many of these underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Findings from this research will enhance the scientific knowledge base and enable technology advancement. The educational plan of this CAREER program focuses on promoting interdisciplinary training, which will better prepare our students for the rapidly changing technical diversity of today's engineering profession. The planned activities include innovative curriculum and teaching method development, women and minority students recruiting and mentoring, and the involvement of undergraduate students, K-12 students and teachers in research.