Ultrafast Affinity Extraction - Fundamental Studies and Use in Environmental Applications

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor David Hage and his group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are working to expand and improve their ability to perform chemical analysis and to progress science with regard to human-made chemicals in the environment and chemicals that are of importance to national health. Specifically, new chemical separation and analysis methods based on ultrafast affinity extraction and microscale chromatographic columns are being developed to characterize human-made chemicals in the environment that have weak-to-moderate strength binding with natural or synthetic components found in water.

These methods make it possible to study chemical systems that cannot be easily examined by current techniques and will allow for new information to be obtained on the behavior, transport and biological activity of pharmaceuticals and other human-made agents in the environment. Students working with these innovative methods are receiving interdisciplinary training in chemical analysis, chemical separations, and environmental analysis.

A short course in analytical chemistry that includes some of these models and methods is also being developed by Professor Hage for the further training of students within and beyond the field of chemical separations, as well as for outreach through a graduate certificate program.

The overall goal of this project is to develop, model, and utilize new high-performance separation methods based on ultrafast affinity extraction to characterize chemical interactions of environmental interest and that have reversible, weak-to-moderate strength binding. These interactions are important in determining the transport and activity of many human-made agents in the environment and in biological systems.

One specific system that is being examined is the binding of common pharmaceuticals with dissolved organic matter found in water, such as humic acids. The first objective is to use theoretical studies and simulations with model systems to identify conditions that can be used in ultrafast affinity extraction for use in binding or rate studies of complex binding agents of environmental interest or as part of multidimensional separation methods.

The second objective is to use this information with ultrafast affinity extraction in new applications of environmental interest, as well as to create novel methods to place complex binding agents within supports for in ultrafast affinity chromatography and related methods. The third objective is to develop new formats for ultrafast affinity extraction in binding and rate studies, such as in multidimensional methods that can be used to study complex binding agents that may be found in the environment.

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.