Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 26: Nanostructures, Nanostructuring and Nanosized Soft Matter I

CPP 26.1: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 11:30–12:00, H34

Polyelectrolytes in the confined space of mesopores for transport regulation — •Annette Andrieu-Brunsen — Technische Universität Darmstadt, Macromolecular Chemistry - Smart Membranes, Germany

Nanopores are a key component in various technologies from oil production, separation and sensing, to drug delivery or catalysis and energy conversion. In contrast to technological pores, biological pores and channels demonstrate highly precise transport being directed, highly selective, and gated. A key factor to this performance is their nanoscale structure, and their local control on charge regulation and polarity in confined space. Inspired by this performance and precision we are interested in understanding the relation between the design of polymers in nanoscale space and its resulting properties to for example understand and advance transport performance of technological pores.

This talk will give insights into the interplay of polymer functionalization of mesoporous layers and resulting ionic mesopore accessibility. Among others, the effect of increasing polyelectrolyte amount and thus increasing charge density as well as the influence of polymer chain composition and the observation of confinement-induced pKa shifts will be discussed. Furthermore, ionic transport regulation by gradually adjusting the wettability of mesopores will be demonstrated including the influence of nanoscale wettability step-gradients in mesoporous silica layers. To indicate next steps our activities towards increasing precision in polymer functionalization of mesoporous silica materials will be outlined.

Keywords: Polymer; Nanopore; Confinement; Ionic transport; Polyelectrolyte