REU: INFEWS: N/P/H2O: MATERIALS INNOVATION AT THE INTERSECTION OF FOOD-ENERGY-WATER SYSTEMS (MII-FEWS)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

In this project funded by The Division of Chemistry Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, Professors Timothy Long and Susan Duncan at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University lead a summer research program to train future scientists and engineers in innovations at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems (INFEWS). This interdisciplinary interface demands fundamental studies and developments in the chemistry of materials. The scientific broader impacts address the challenges that are rapidly emerging as our global population reaches 9 billion. Technologies ranging from "smart farming" to water management and energy utility demand multiphase materials with tailored structure at the nanoscale. The program has specific recruitment goals for community college students, students from underrepresented minorities, and female students. Training students to excel within a global scientific community occurs in partnership with the University of Trento in Italy. This research program produces enabling polymeric materials for food distribution, water-efficient crop production, real-time monitoring devices, and advanced manufacturing to print the next generation of membranes for water purification and novel synthetic methods to understand predictable transport and diffusion through materials. Fundamental understanding of the molecular basis for diffusion and transport of diverse molecules through nanostructured polymeric membranes and packaging remains paramount. The team investigates the preparation of multiphase morphologies wherein charged groups are located in a low glass transition phase in a co-continuous fashion with a mechanically-durable high glass transition phase to ensure material ductility in combination with enhanced transport in energy, water, and food applications. The REU faculty team collectively hypothesizes that the precise tailoring of macromolecular structure and morphology at the nanoscale enables the predictability of physical properties and performance of technologies that influence future availability of sufficient food, energy, and water. Undergraduate students from Norfolk State University and the University of Trento are actively involved in these research projects.