(365c) Developing Multifunctional Soft Materials through Tunable Intermolecular and Surface Interactions

The intermolecular interactions and surface characteristics of materials mostly determine their physicochemical properties and functionalities. Characterization of the intermolecular and surface interaction mechanisms (e.g., adhesion) in soft materials (e.g., surfactants, polymers, biopolymers) and engineering systems (e.g. stabilization/destabilization of water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsions, adsorption of proteins in bioengineering, and removal of pollutants in wastewater treatment) has attracted much research interest. In this talk, the basics of intermolecular and surface forces and some commonly used nanomechanical techniques, such as surface forces apparatus and atomic force microscope coupled with drop/bubble probe, will be briefly introduced. The recent progress on how we applied these advanced nanomechanical techniques for quantifying intermolecular and surface interactions of biological and soft material systems (e.g., wet adhesion of marine mussel) will be presented. The fundamental interaction mechanisms elucidated have been further applied for the development of advanced multifunctional soft materials (e.g., bio-inspired self-healing polymers/hydrogels, anti-fouling surfaces, wet adhesives) with important engineering, bioengineering and environmental applications (several examples will be given).