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- All Subjects: Synthetic Biology
- All Subjects: Elastomers
- Creators: Frow, Emma
- Creators: Green, Alexander
Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) offer design solutions to produce smart sensing, conductive, or high performance composites for a number of critical applications. Nanoparticle additives, in particular, carbon nanotubes and metallic quantum dots, have been investigated for their ability to improve the conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical strength of traditional composites. Herein we report the use of quantum dots (QDs) and fluorescently labeled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to modify the thermomechanical properties of PMCs. Additionally, we find that pronounced changes in fluorescence emerge following plastic deformation, indicating that in these polymeric materials the transduction of mechanical force into the fluorescence occurs in response to mechanical activation.
Segmented ionenes are a class of thermoplastic elastomers that contain a permanent charged group within the polymer backbone and a spacer segment with a low glass transition temperature (Tg) to provide flexibility. Ionenes are of interest because of their synthetic versatility, unique morphologies, and ionic nature. Using phase changing ionene-based nanocomposites could be extended to create reversible mechanically, electrically, optically, and/or thermally responsive materials depending on constituent nanoparticles and polymers. This talk will discuss recent efforts to utilize the synthetic versatility of ionenes (e.g., spacer composition of PTMO or PEG) to prepare percolated ionic domains in microphase separated polymers that display a range of thermomechanical properties. Furthermore, by synthesizing two series of ionene copolymers with either PEG or PTMO spacers at various ratios with 1,12-dibromododecane will yield a range of ion contents (hard contents) and will impact nanoparticle dispersion.
Industries and research utilizing genetically-engineered organisms are often subject to strict containment requirements such as physical isolation or specialized equipment to prevent an unintended escape. A relatively new field of research looks for ways to engineer intrinsic containment techniques- genetic safeguards that prevent an organism from surviving outside of specific conditions. As interest in this field has grown over the last few decades, researchers in molecular and synthetic biology have discovered many novel ways to accomplish this containment, but the current literature faces some ambiguity and overlap in the ways they describe various biocontainment methods. Additionally, the way publications report the robustness of the techniques they test is inconsistent, making it uncertain how regulators could assess the safety and efficacy of these methods if they are eventually to be used in practical, consumer applications. This project organizes and clarifies the descriptions of these techniques within an interactive flowchart, linking to definitions and references to publications on each within an Excel table. For each reference, variables such as the containment approach, testing methods, and results reported are compiled, to illustrate the varying degrees to which these techniques are tested.
Industries and research utilizing genetically-engineered organisms are often subject to strict containment requirements such as physical isolation or specialized equipment to prevent an unintended escape. A relatively new field of research looks for ways to engineer intrinsic containment techniques- genetic safeguards that prevent an organism from surviving outside of specific conditions. As interest in this field has grown over the last few decades, researchers in molecular and synthetic biology have discovered many novel ways to accomplish this containment, but the current literature faces some ambiguity and overlap in the ways they describe various biocontainment methods. Additionally, the way publications report the robustness of the techniques they test is inconsistent, making it uncertain how regulators could assess the safety and efficacy of these methods if they are eventually to be used in practical, consumer applications. This project organizes and clarifies the descriptions of these techniques within an interactive flowchart, linking to definitions and references to publications on each within an Excel table. For each reference, variables such as the containment approach, testing methods, and results reported are compiled, to illustrate the varying degrees to which these techniques are tested.