US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Processing Techniques for Improving Mechanical Properties of Biodegradable Polymers

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0111334MarkDescription: This award is to support a collaborative project between Dr. James E. Mark, Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio and Dr. Mohammed Sharaf, Department of Chemistry, Helwan University, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt. They plan to devise new techniques for processing polymer chains into high-performance materials. Specifically they plan to: identify polymeric chains of sufficient stiffness to give liquid-crystalline, anisotropic phases, either homopolymers or block copolymers consisting of stiff and flexible sequences, cross-linking the chains, either by peroxide thermolysis, chemical regents, or high-energy radiation, in the presence of solvent. The cross links confer sufficient solidity for the polymer to remain in a deformed state for any length of time, and the solvent prevents the premature ordering of the stiff chains, deforming the swollen network uniaxially or biaxially to induce segmental orientation, and removing the solvent, at constant length or at constant force, causing a first-order transition, and thus yielding a single-phase, homogeneous, and highly ordered material. These techniques will be applied to polymers having a desired level of biodegradability. This control of molecular ordering will be used simultaneously to optimize mechanical properties and environmental degradability.Scope: The project supports collaboration between two well-known scientists who have complementary expertise and resources to investigate an important material and environmental problem. Their past collaboration has been productive. The project is a combination of strengths of the PIs, and issues related to molecular orientation and strength in polymers with the challenges associated with biodegradable polymers. There will be opportunities for interaction with industrial scientists in Egypt to test the impact of this collaboration. Two US graduate students will participate in the project. This project meets the INT objective of supporting collaborative research in areas of mutual interest.