Collaborative Research: A Nanoparticle Embedment Method to Determine Surface and Interface Properties of Viscoelastic Liquids and Solids

材料在纳米尺度上的行为是一个非常重要的问题，因为它们的应用范围很广，从增强聚合物复合材料的颗粒到微/纳米电子学中的低k介电应用。人们普遍认为，纳米材料及其相互作用往往由表面性质决定。在目前的工作中，我们将建立新的纳米球嵌入实验和开发新的纳米棒嵌入方法来确定一系列聚合物材料的表面力学性能。这项工作发展了原子力显微镜方法，以获得聚合物从玻璃态到橡胶态的材料数据。此外，将使用计算和分析工作，以便获得随时间变化的模量和泊松比。最后，在拟议的工作中，来自德克萨斯理工大学和俄克拉荷马州立大学的学生将与相关机构的学生合作。

The behavior of materials at the nanoscale is a matter of great importance due to their use in applications as diverse as particles for reinforcement of polymer composites to low k dielectric applications in micro/nano electronics. It has been widely postulated that the surface properties often dominate nanometer size materials and their interactions. In the present work, we will build upon novel nanosphere embedment experiments and develop novel nanorod embedment methods to determine the surface mechanical properties of a series of polymeric materials. The work develops atomic force microscopy methods to obtain materials data for polymers from the glassy to the rubbery states. In addition, both computational and analytical work will be used so that the time dependent modulus and Poisson's ratio can be obtained. Finally, in the proposed work, students from Texas Tech Univesity and Oklahoma State University will work in collaboration with their opposites at the relevant institutions.