The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) has awarded a $328,000 Project Grant to Drexel University for the collaborative research project "Directed Assembly of Nanoparticles and Polymers via Co-Crystallization." This 3-year project aims to fabricate ordered nanoparticle-polymer superstructures by co-crystallizing linear crystalline polymers and inorganic nanoparticles ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers. The research will investigate the co-crystallization process, control the structure of the resulting nanoparticle crystalsomes, and tune their characteristics like size, opening, and curvature. Key expected outcomes include establishing a novel scientific approach for co-crystallizing dynamically and topologically asymmetric motifs, elucidating the kinetics of ligand exchange and polymer crystallization in nanoparticle crystalsome formation, and creating a library of unprecedented nanoparticle-polymer superstructures with potential applications in bioimaging and drug delivery. The project also includes educational components such as mentoring students and developing course modules on nanoparticle assembly. No sub-awards are planned under this grant.
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