ABSTRACT

Carbohydrate-mediated interactions are involved in many cellular events, including immune responses and infections. Controlled fabrication of nanomaterials with carbohydrate functionalities across multiple length scales will enable many applications, such as versatile sensing of proteins and toxins as well as multifunctional, antimicrobial coatings against a broad spectrum of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This CAREER award supports fundamental research to provide the framework for establishing biopolymer-boron nitride nanomaterial hybrids for multifunctional antimicrobial applications from sensing microbial pathogens to mitigating the spread of infections. In addition, exceptional mechanical, thermal, electrical, and physicochemical properties of boron nitride nanomaterials will enable multifunctional protective coatings that are electrically insulating, thermally conductive, and absorb ultraviolet light. This research will be closely integrated into educational and outreach activities in the core areas of nanotechnology and glycoscience. This project will enable the offering of interactive seminars and workshops for local middle and high school students and teachers. In addition, it will allow the formation of a highly interdisciplinary nanotechnology course focusing on bionanomaterials and applications development. Combined, these activities will simultaneously advance scientific discovery and train a broadly inclusive, diverse, science and engineering workforce.

Synergistic nanoscale and carbohydrate interaction mechanisms of carbohydrate-decorated nanomaterials (known as glyconanomaterials) with microbes are largely unknown. This research will test the broad hypothesis that the synergistic interactions of glyconanomaterials with carbohydrate-binding bacterial proteins and toxins can enhance specificity and multivalency for bacterial adhesion, toxin inhibition, and cell membrane disruption. Specifically, glycopolymers with tunable carbohydrate structures mimicking the functions of naturally occurring glycoconjugates will be complexed noncovalently with one-dimensional boron nitride nanotubes and two-dimensional boron nitride nanosheets. The nanoscale size and shape of boron nitride scaffolds allow multivalent ligand display and distinct conformational arrangement of polymers. This will significantly amplify the binding affinity of carbohydrate-mediated interactions and even enable the discovery of nanostructure-dependent interactions with microbes that are unique to glyconanomaterials. Molecular interactions of glycopolymer-boron nitride complexes with bacterial proteins and toxins will be investigated by optical spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and electron microscopy. The antibacterial property of robust coatings from glycopolymer-boron nitride complexes will be investigated by antimicrobial assays. This research will illuminate the mechanistic behavior of glycopolymer-boron nitride nanosystems and will offer a transformative approach to fabricate glyconanomaterials for a broad range of applications, including antimicrobial coatings for improving indoor air quality and biosensors of microbes. The integration of research and education through an innovative nanotechnology course and outreach activities will establish a platform for increasing the pipeline of engineering students of diverse backgrounds. Combined, this CAREER project will simultaneously advance scientific discovery and the next generation of scientists and engineers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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