Development of Layer-Multiplying Technology for Continuous Processing of Polymers into Microlayers and Nanolayers

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DMR-9503941 Hiltner A layer-multiplying technology is proposed that will process elastometers, thermoplastics, and composites into sheets of films with hundreds or thousands of alternating layers. With this technology, two polymers are fed from extruders into a feed block as parallel layers, and then into a die that splits, spreads, and recombines the melt. Any number of die elements can be combined in series to produce two- component multilayered structures, or three-component multilayered structures by adding a third OtieO polymer. Fundamental research topics include mechanisms of polymer compatibilization and of interface formation. As the individuial layer thickness becomes comparable to the size of the polymer molecule, new phenomena and properties arising from the high interface to volume ratio are anticipated. There is a need for new processing technologies to create engineered microstructures of incompatible polymers. The processing facility to be developed at Case Western Reserve will make it possible to scout a wide range of multilayered compositions of interest to the academic as well as to the industrial communities. The co-extrusion technology can potentially produce layered polymers with unique toughness and permeability characteristics.