Composites of Colloidal Silica Crystals in Non-crystalline Polymers

将进行一种新型复合材料的合成 它的微观结构比任何已知的 聚合物复合材料 复合材料将由单分散的 胶体二氧化硅球以晶体阵列形式分布， 无定形聚合物如聚（甲基丙烯酸甲酯）和聚（乙基 丙烯酸酯）。 晶体般的有序会使它们具有高度的选择性 可见光和红外光的过滤器，可以通过 粒子密度的变化，以拒绝任何波长的布拉格 散射 该复合材料将通过溶胶-凝胶法制备 单分散的100 nm直径的二氧化硅颗粒，改性 二氧化硅表面使其与单体相容， 二氧化硅在单体中自发形成的胶体晶体或通过剪切作用形成的胶体晶体 力和单体的聚合。 改性二氧化硅 颗粒和复合材料将用固态C-13分析 和Si-29核磁共振光谱。 制备 和化学表征的胶态二氧化硅和 复合材料将在福特教授的研究小组中进行， 光散射和流变特性将被 实验室的布鲁斯J.阿克森教授的实验室里进行， 物理系。 将分散的 复合材料中的颗粒对其机械性能的影响， 这一点很重要，但目前还不清楚。 具有广泛变化的玻璃状和弹性体聚合物复合材料 二氧化硅的颗粒密度和颗粒尺寸将是 詹姆斯·E教授辛辛那提大学的马克 用于研究其机械性能。

The Synthesis of a new kind of composite materials will be carried out that has a more highly ordered microstructure than any known polymer composites. The composites will consist of monodisperse colloidal silica spheres distributed as crystalline arrays in amorphous polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and Poly(ethyl acrylate). Crystal-like order will make them highly selective filters of visible and infrared light that can be tuned by variation of the particle density to reject any wavelength by Bragg scattering. The composites will be prepared by sol-gel synthesis of monodisperse 100 nm diameter silica particles, modification of the silica surface to make it compatible with monomer, formation of colloidal crystals of silica in monomer spontaneously or by shear forces, and polymerization of the monomer. The modified silica particles and the composites will be analyzed by solid state C-13 and Si-29 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The preparation and chemical characterization of the colloidal silica and the composites will be performed in Professor Ford's research group, and light scattering and rheological characterization will be performed in the laboratory of Professor Bruce J. Ackerson of the Department of Physics. The effects of ordering the dispersed particles in a composite on its mechanical properties are fundamentally important to understand, but presently unknown. Glassy and elastomeric polymer composites having a wide variation of particle density and particle size of the silica will be provided to Professor James E. Mark of the University of Cincinnati for investigation of their mechanical properties.