CAREER: Polyolefin-Inorganic Hybrid Materials

该奖项的主要目标将是合成新型聚烯烃无机杂化共聚物。还将对这些新材料的物理和机械性能进行调查，然后从这些研究中得出的结果将用于进一步指导合成工作。通过分子精确的纳米级无机粒子与简单的乙烯基单体共聚，开发开发所产生的结构-性能相关性所必需的基本理解将出现。因此，通过纳米级颗粒之间预期的相当大的分子间相互作用以及通过它们附着在聚合物链上，应该有可能增强所得到的共聚物杂化物的物理性质。这些混合材料是非常有趣的，因为它有可能扩大商品聚烯烃的一般用途，超出其目前的使用。例如，将等规聚丙烯的强度、韧性或高温稳定性提高到工程树脂领域，将允许这些混合材料在今天由更昂贵的材料主导的应用中使用。追求一种基于化学的“自下而上”的方法来形成聚烯烃纳米复合材料，将允许利用与自组装过程相关的有益热力学。这将扭转不利的热力学通常遇到的熔融挤出“自上而下”的方法，以产生聚合物纳米复合材料。因此，自组装工艺将有利于产生分散在聚烯烃基质中的无机颗粒的所需配置。研究是一些最重要的学习得以实现的工具。研究项目不仅为学生提供了学习技术技能、实验技术和科学发现过程的机会，而且还学习了他们如何处理和解决问题以及面对挑战。再加上课堂和其他教育机会，将极大地帮助学生进入现代劳动力市场。将开设一门新的研究生课程，名为“工业聚合物”。本课程将采取从开始到结束的化学和工程方法，这是成功生产高分子材料所必需的。这是为了给学生一个很好的技术掌握生产一套选定的工业聚合物。这个研究和开发过程是许多学生在完成研究生学业后将参与的。通过与美国国家科学基金会（nsf）资助的马萨诸塞州西部聚合物化学教育工作者研究网站（RSEC）的合作，进一步利用教学和推广活动，该网站位于马萨诸塞州大学的聚合物科学与工程系。该计划的目标是：(1)通过将跨学科引入本科研究和教育来实现课程现代化；(2)让当地院校的教师和学生参与到聚合物科学的前沿研究中来。这项计划的直接和长期影响将是深远的。每年约有60个化学学士学位由参与机构授予（近90%为女性和少数族裔）。将开发适合纳入参与机构课程的聚合物化学教学模块，并在课堂上进行测试。这种方法并不主张彻底改变化学系的课程设置，而是提倡注入现代材料化学。成功的教学模块将在全国范围内分发给化学教育工作者。

The main objective of this award will be the synthesis of novel polyolefin inorganic hybrid copolymers. Investigation of the physical and mechanical properties of these new materials will also be undertaken, and the findings from these studies will then serve to further direct synthetic efforts. By copolymerizing molecularly precise nanometer-scale inorganic particles with simple vinyl monomers development of the fundamental understanding necessary to exploit the resulting structure-property correlation will emerge. Thus, it should be possible to enhance the physical properties of the resulting copolymer hybrids through the anticipated sizable intermolecular interactions that occur between the nanometer-scale particles and through their attachment to polymer chains. These hybrid materials are of great interest in that it may be possible to expand the general utility of commodity polyolefins beyond their current day use. For example, improvement of the strength, toughness, or upper temperature stability of isotactic polypropylene into the realm of engineering resins would allow for use of these hybrid materials in applications that are today dominated by more expensive materials. Pursuit of a chemistry based "bottom-up" approach to the formation of polyolefin nanocomposites will permit harnessing the beneficial thermodynamics associated with self-assembly processes. This will reverse the unfavorable thermodynamics typically encountered in the melt extrusion "top-down" approach to the generation of polymer nanocomposites. Self-assembly processes will thus be used to advantage for generating desired configurations of inorganic particles dispersed in a polyolefin matrix.Research is the vehicle through which some of the most important learning takes place. Research projects offer students the opportunity to not only learn technical skills, experimental techniques, and the process of scientific discovery, but also about how they approach and solve problems and face challenges. This coupled with classroom and other educational opportunities will greatly aid students entering the modern workforce. A new graduate level course will be developed entitled "Industrial Polymers." This course will take a beginning-to-end approach of the chemistry and engineering that are necessary to successfully produce polymeric materials. This is intended to give the students a good technical grasp of the production of a selected set of industrial polymers. This research and development process is what many students will be participating in following completion of their graduate studies. Further leveraging of teaching and outreach activities will also occur through combining efforts with the NSF-sponsored Research Site for Educators in Chemistry (RSEC) on Polymer Chemistry in Western Massachusetts that is in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts. The goals of this program are (i) to modernize curricula by introducing interdisciplinarity to undergraduate research and education and (ii) to involve faculty and students from local institutions in frontier research in polymer science. The immediate and long-term impacts of this program will be profound. Approximately 60 Bachelors degrees in Chemistry are awarded each year from the participating institutions (nearly 90% women and underrepresented minorities). Teaching modules on polymer chemistry that are appropriate for inclusion in the curricula of the participating institutions will be developed and tested in the classroom. The approach does not advocate a complete change in the curriculum of Chemistry Departments but rather an injection of modern materials chemistry. Successful teaching modules will be disseminated nationally to chemical educators.