Advancing the Engineering Design of Bionanocomposites with Controlled Properties

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The aim of this grant is to build basic scientific knowledge on the effects of nanoparticle size, shape, and agglomerate structure on biopolymer structure and properties. The research goals that are being addressed are to enable the design, advancement, and application of biomaterials with desirable properties by tailoring nanoparticle size, shape and the polymer chemical microstructure. Filled biopolymers containing nanoscale (1 - 100 nm) particulates, i.e. bionanocomposites, can offer renewable alternatives to the most widely used petroleum-based polymers with equal or better properties and enable new applications. In this project we employ our unique small angle light scattering capabilities, in combination with X-ray diffraction simulations, multiscale modeling and a suite of complementary measurement techniques, to build a robust understanding of the structure-property relationship of newly developed commercially available biopolymers and their composites - which have been offered as competitors for crystalline synthetic polymers. Control over enhanced properties of bionanocomposites requires knowledge of the local (nanoscale) and global (microscale) structure of the nanofillers and the biopolymer matrix. Specific deliverables for the proposed research are 1) to build new knowledge for achieving fundamental control over the properties of bionanocomposites; 2) to provide structural and morphological information for building multiscale models that predict mechanical and barrier properties; and 3) to provide fundamental scientific knowledge for discovering cost-effective manufacturing technologies for bionanocomposites.The broader impact of the project is that it will provide a framework advancing the design and discovery cost-effective manufacturing technologies for bionanocomposites with applications in consumer packaging, adhesives, coatings and many more areas. Enabling the control of biomaterial properties will lead to significant advances in both commercial and industrial processes. Students participating in this program experience (first hand) the integration of scattering techniques (light and X-rays), multi-scale (connectivity) modeling approaches, and data (X-ray) simulation for breakthrough scientific discovery. The PI is a mentor for the National Society of Black Engineers and collaborates with Argonne National Laboratory and National Institute of Standards and Technology.