Novel Approaches to Nanostructured Polymer Blends With Enhanced Benefits

智力优势：该项目将探索基于环酰胺和芳香族碳酸酯的快速阴离子开环聚合(ROP)的反应挤出的可行性，在商业聚合物(如PP)的基质中，提供具有独特和有趣性能的纳米结构PP-聚酰胺6或PP-聚碳酸酯共混物。“纳米结构”一词的用意是指一种聚合物相在另一种聚合物相中的分散程度低于100纳米。这项工作将论证利用环状单体的开环聚合反应挤出制备纳米结构PP-聚酰胺6和PP-聚碳酸酯共混物的基础科学和技术的概念。使用低聚环状单体的ROP的好处包括在聚合步骤中不形成副产物、低聚混合物的低粘度、快速的反应动力学、非常高的单体转化率，以及从聚合物加工设备中消除高腐蚀性的化学品，如光气。由于PP、聚酰胺6和聚碳酸酯的许多固有性质是互补的，因此目标聚合物共混物将是有用的。通过测试这些聚合物共混物是否可以用文献中的有限共混物粘弹性、聚合物乳液和反应动力学模型来描述，本工作将试图在建立基于实验结果的有用的经验定量关系方面取得进展。这些共混体系与传统聚合物共混体系的不同，以及相结构演变的未知机理，要求对前者的任何分析都必须以实际实验结果为基础。这些将在这项研究中获得，以便产生关于这些材料的组成/加工/性能行为的准确和有用的信息。如果成功，由此产生的关系可能会减少或消除文学和行业中常见的代价高昂的“试错”做法。本研究将为新型纳米结构聚合物共混材料的模型理论发展和性能预测提供定量和定性的实验依据。如果成功，这项工作还将使人们能够更好地了解纳米结构聚合物混合材料(和其他类似的纳米复合材料)在加工和使用过程中将遇到的一系列条件下的反应挤出。广泛的影响这项工作可能会影响新材料的加工，并可能为聚合物反应工程研究开辟新的前景。纳米结构聚合物共混物的潜在多功能性将使其在各种高性能应用中发挥作用，如光学、药物输送、组织工程和用于分离现象的渗透膜。南密西西比大学有相当多的少数民族学生，他们可以从广泛的聚合物反应工程领域的培训中受益。

Intellectual Merit:This project will explore the feasibility of reactive extrusion based on the fast anionic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic amides and aromatic carbonates, in a matrix of a commercial polymer such as polypropylene (PP), to afford a nanostructured PP-polyamide 6 or PP-polycarbonate blend with unique and interesting properties. The word "nanostructured" is used to imply that the scale of dispersion of one polymer phase in the other is below 100 nanometers. This work will demonstrate proof of concept of the basic science and technology for generating nanostructured PP-polyamide 6 and PP-polycarbonate blends in reactive extrusion using ring-opening polymerization of cyclic monomers. The benefits of using ROP of the oligomeric cyclic monomers include the fact that no byproducts are formed in the polymerization step, the low viscosity of the oligomeric mixtures, the fast reaction kinetics, the very high monomer conversion, and the elimination from the polymer processing equipment of highly corrosive chemicals such as phosgene. The targeted polymer blends would be useful because many of the intrinsic properties of the PP, polyamide 6, and polycarbonate are complementary.By testing whether (or not) these polymer blends can be described by the limited blend viscoelasticity, polymer emulsion, and reaction kinetics models in the literature, this work will attempt to make progress in developing useful empirical quantitative relations that are based on the experimental results. The differences between these blend systems and traditional polymer blends and the unknown mechanisms of the phase structure evolution require that any analysis of the former system be based on actual experimental results. These will be obtained in this study so as to generate accurate and useful information regarding the composition/processing/property behavior of these materials. If successful, the resulting relations may reduce or eliminate costly "trial and error" practice that is common in the literature and industry. This research will provide a quantitative and qualitative experimental basis for future model theory development of new nanostrutured polymer blend materials and the prediction of their properties. If successful, the work will also permit a better understanding of the reactive extrusion of nanostrutured polymer blend materials (and other similar nanocomposites) under a range of conditions that the materials will encounter during processing and service.Broad ImpactThis work could impact processing of new materials and may open up new vistas of polymer reaction engineering research. The potential versatility of the nanostructured polymer blends will make them useful in a variety of high performance applications such as optics, drug delivery, tissue engineering and permeable membranes for separation phenomena. The University of Southern Mississippi has a sizable minority student population who could benefit from training in the broad area of polymer reaction engineering.