Materials World Network: New Fluorinated Polymers for Applications in Electronics

该奖项支持美非合作项目，设计和开发具有多种官能团的新型氟化聚合物，用于电子领域的潜在应用。研究这些聚合物的结构、热力学和介电性能可以更好地理解结构-性能关系，从而指导先进材料的设计。该项目将通过与两所非洲大学——摩洛哥的Cadi Ayyad大学和突尼斯的Sfax大学——以及一个工业合作伙伴（摩洛哥的意法半导体大学）建立有效的伙伴关系，将德保罗大学联系起来，从而提高合作伙伴的研究能力。该项目将侧重于聚合物材料设计领域的研究和教育，这是一个可以促进全球经济发展的领域。该项目的目的是利用美国小组在合成和表征功能性丁腈聚合物方面的丰富经验和非洲小组在设计用于潜在电介质的氟化聚合物方面的专业知识。除了双方团队的协同设计和合成努力外，所得到的共聚物将通过热机械技术（美国团队）和介电分析（非洲团队）进行研究，以更好地了解聚合物结构功能如何影响性能。该项目的独特之处在于，它特别强调在聚合物设计方面发展一种创新的、基于发现的培训，这有助于激发和促进学习，并可在其他机构中进行调整。这个为期三年的项目将影响大量本科生（每年约50人）和研究生（每年2人），为他们提供参与国际研究和教育经验的机会，通过学习视角的多样性，因为他们准备和表征了大约150种潜在的电子材料应用的新聚合物。美国/非洲合作伙伴将使用基于网络的工具提供访问虚拟实验室和教室以及网络直播项目会议的途径。将开发教学模块（网络模块、多媒体演示和互动实验室手册），以支持非洲和美国科学家和工程师在聚合物材料设计方面的教育。这些模块将在万维网上广泛提供。它们还将被纳入德保罗大学和非洲合作大学的本科和研究生课程的教学中。该合作项目包括合作伙伴之间的研究人员和学生交流。在供资周期结束后，随着继续合作，预计参与机构在全球材料网络背景下的研究文化将发生变化。该奖项由材料研究部和国际科学与工程办公室共同资助。

This award supports US-Africa cooperation project on the design and development of novel fluorinated polymers with a large variety of functional groups for potential applications in electronics. The study of structure, thermomechanical and dielectrical properties of these polymers may lead to better understanding of structure-property relations which guide the advanced materials design. The project will link DePaul University through effective partnership with two African universities, Cadi Ayyad University (Morocco) and Sfax University (Tunisia), and an industrial partner (STMicroelectronics, Morocco) which enhances the research capacity of the partners. The project will focus on research and education in the area of polymer materials design-- an area that can promote global economic development.The aim of the project is to capitalize on extensive experience of the US team in the synthesis and characterization of functional nitrile polymers and expertise of the African team in the design of fluorinated polymers for potential dielectric applications. In addition to synergistic design and synthetic effort of both teams, the resulting copolymers will be investigated by thermomechanical techniques (US team) and by dielectric analysis (African team) to gain better understanding how polymer structural functionality affects properties. The unique feature of the project is the special emphasis on development of an innovative discovery-based training in polymer design helping to inspire and advance learning and which can be adapted in other institutions. The three-year project will impact a significant number of undergraduate (about 50 per year) and graduate students (2 per year) in providing the opportunity to participate in an international research and educational experience through the diversity of learning perspectives as they prepare and characterize about 150 new polymers for potential electronics materials applications. The US/African partners will use web-based tools to provide access to virtual laboratories and classrooms and web-cast project meetings. Teaching modules (web-based modules, multi-media presentations, and interactive lab manuals) will be developed to support the education of African and U.S. scientists and engineers in polymeric materials design. The modules will be made widely available on the world-wide-web. They will also be integrated into the teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses at DePaul University and collaborating African universities. The collaboration project includes exchange of researchers and students between the partners. Changes in the research culture in the participating institutions in context of global materials network are expected with the continuing collaboration after the funding cycle is completed.This award is co-funded by the Division of Materials Research and the Office of International Science and Engineering.