QNRF undergraduate research / UREP19-110-1-014
Polymeric micelles for remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Self-assembled block-copolymer micelles for solubilizing and recovering hydrophobic environmental pollutants.
Scientific question
Polymer physical chemistry and colloidal transport
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have limited aqueous solubility. The project investigated whether the hydrophobic cores of block-copolymer micelles could increase apparent solubility and enable improved remediation. It connected polymer thermodynamics to a practical separation problem.
My contributions included drafting portions of the UREP research proposal and personally performing Flory–Huggins interaction-parameter (χ) calculations to assess the theoretical compatibility of PAH compounds with the core-forming blocks of candidate diblock copolymers. These calculations informed the polymer-selection rationale and micellar-solubilization hypotheses. They were theoretical estimates, not direct experimental measurements of χ. The archived plan establishes the project scope, but should not be treated as proof that every proposed experiment or performance target was completed.
Proposal development and scientific writing; Flory–Huggins χ-parameter calculations for PAH–diblock-copolymer compatibility; theoretical comparison of candidate polymer systems for micellar encapsulation and pollutant solubilization. The work was conducted as an undergraduate researcher within a supervised Qatar University team. The original QNRF research plan provides the project scope, with subsequent outputs identified separately.
Methods and research design
- Amphiphilic block-copolymer self-assembly and micellization
- Critical micelle concentration, aggregation and hydrophobic-core partitioning
- My calculated Flory–Huggins interaction parameters (χ) for theoretical comparison of PAH–diblock-copolymer interactions, alongside polymer-solute thermodynamics
- PAH solubilization and formulation-comparison concepts
Research record
Related conference work: encapsulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in block copolymers, presented in the undergraduate research period.