(72d) Hierarchical Control and Characterization of Biopolymer Materials

From their fundamental building blocks, many soft and biological materials have structural organization on several length-scales which are a function of their molecular structure, inter-/intra-chain interactions, spatial orientation, and material processing. Our mechanistic understanding of the interactions that occur at these different length-scales is a critical driver of progress for the development of future technologies. To-date we have made great progress towards our understanding and control of synthetic soft matter systems; however, there still exists several domains and examples where natural and biological systems greatly outperform our synthetic products. Functional soft matter and structurally arranged nanomaterials and material composites will play a critical role in the evolution of future science and technology. Many people rely on these advanced technologies to complete day-to-day performance tasks or to remain safe through their hazardous occupations. For the most efficient design and control of polymers and their properties, we must achieve sufficient hierarchical control of said systems and have an intimate understanding of how each length-scale of the material hierarchy influences or is influenced by the other length-scales. Nature has done this in admirable fashion through millions of years of evolution; however, our synthetic materials still have much room for growth. Additionally, many of our current synthetic polymer systems and processing methods are having negative secondary impacts on the environment and are contributing harmful side-products that our delicate ecosystem must negotiate. How can we continue to learn from nature to innovate our materials space while simultaneously lowering our toxic ecological footprint?

Here I will discuss the relevance of hierarchical material structure and provide an overview of how we use materials science & engineering principles to investigate hierarchically complexed biological systems and synthetic polymer systems that are continuing to grow in hierarchical complexity. I will conclude my work by discussing pathways toward deeper characterization and manipulation of these uniquely assembled materials structures.