KSEF RDE: FTIR Imaging for Microscale Analysis of Hydrogel Patterning Reactions

This project will further develop and apply a method for real-time FTIR imaging characterization of patterning polymerization processes with microscale spatial resolution. These novel methods proposed within will enable for the control and optimization of processes for the integration of intelligent polymer networks with silicon, glass, and gold surfaces of devices with microscale control. The ability to optimize the integration of these polymers is critical for the fabrication and development of platforms that harness the unique abilities of intelligent polymer networks, including diagnostic devices, therapeutic devices, tissue engineering, microarray, and diagnostic and therapeutic clinic-on-a-chip. In these studies, the micropatterning reactions of intelligent polymer networks, which are entirely synthetic and tailored to have various properties and function, will be characterized and optimized for integration as functional components of microdevices. The specific objectives of this project are to develop a novel method based on FTIR imaging to characterize the patterning polymerization reaction kinetics of intelligent polymer networks on silicon, glass, and gold substrates with microscale spatial resolution, characterize the polymeric networks post-polymerization to determine their physical and response properties (AFM, SEM, etc. analysis at micro- and nanoscale) to develop correlations to reaction conditions, and then optimize micro scale polymerization reactions (e.g. micropatterning) to allow for the reproducible and controlled integration of intelligent polymer networks with silicon, glass, and gold surfaces in microdevices.