Chemical and Biological Separations (CBS)

Description

The Chemical and Biological Separation(CBS) program supports fundamental research on novel methods and materials for separation processes.  These processes are central to the chemical, biochemical, materials, energy, and pharmaceutical industries.  A fundamental understanding of the interfacial, transport, and thermodynamic behavior of multiphase chemical systems as well as quantitative descriptions of processing characteristics in the process-oriented industries is critical for efficient resource management and effective environmental protection.  The program encourages proposals that address emerging research areas and technologies, have a high degree of interdisciplinary thought coupled with knowledge creation, and integrate education and research.

Areas of emphasis include separation of biological molecules and separations that lead to environmentally benign processing.  Much of the current work involves the investigation of new membrane materials such as novel polymers, zeolites, mixed matrix materials, carbon nanotubes, biological and biomemetic materials, and glasses.  Projects on modeling transport processes - - especially at the molecular level - - in membranes are supported by the program.  For the hydrogen economy, membranes that selectively transport atomic, molecular, or ionic hydrogen and oxygen are required.  Current membrane materials often lack sufficient selectivity to eliminate critical contaminants from the hydrogen stream.  Membrane materials to prevent fuel crossover in fuel cells are also being sought.  Adsorption on materials ranging from hydrogels to micas is being studied.  New processes for drinking water purification rely on the development of new materials for membranes and adsorbents, which are supported by CBS.

Research topics in CBS include fundamental molecular-level work on:

• Biochemical separations and purification processes
• Microporous and novel molecular-recognition adsorbents
• Self-assembly in the synthesis of adsorbents and membranes
• Nanostructured materials for separations
• Fuel-cell membranes
• Biomimetic materials for separations
• Chiral separations
• Separations for environmentally benign processing
• Novel polymeric and ceramic membranes
• Hybrid separation processes
• Control and separation of organic crystalline materials
• Separations using ionic liquids
• Purification of drinking water
• Membranes for ion-selective sensors
• Adsorption and chromatography
• Field (flow, magnetic, electrical) induced separations.
• Separation of molecular constituents from blood
• Thermodynamics and transport simulations for the design of separation processes
• Combinatorial design of separation systems
• Rational ligand design for separations

Available Funding

The duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years.  The average annual award size for the program is $80,000.  Small equipment proposals up to $100,000 will also be considered and may be submitted during these windows.  Any proposal received outside the announced dates will be returned without review.

Key Dates

Deadline:   September 15, 2009  -  at 5:00 pm submitter's local time.

More Info + Submissions

Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Expires: September 15, 2009

Submissions for this opportunity are not handled by RI STAC or RI EPSCoR. Please follow the link below for more information on the opportunity and how to submit a response.

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