GOALI: Collaborative Research: Processing of Self-assembled, Bottom-Up Polymeric Nanocomposite Materials

这一合作研究项目建议支持凯斯西储大学(CWRU)和阿克伦大学(UA)的研究团队通过自下而上的自组装方法从多面体低聚倍半硅氧烷(POSS)分子在几种热塑性聚合物中的分散形成纳米复合材料的基础方面的工作。这些纳米复合材料将具有未填充聚合物的加工简易性，并将适合于通过高速注塑、纤维纺丝和热成型来制造具有微米和纳米级特征的物品。在这项工作中开发的基本原理将提供比大多数自上而下的更好的选择。聚合物纳米复合材料，其中粘度比主体聚合物的粘度增加数量级是常态，而实现纳米级分散是一个挑战。纳米填料/聚合物和纳米填料/纳米填料相互作用的程度将取决于聚合物体系和POSS等级的选择。在峰值剪切速率为50-100s-1的连续单螺杆混沌混合装置中，POSS纳米粒子以直径约50 nm的球形、直径约5 nm的长纤维和/或厚度约5 nm的片层的形式取向。层次化结构和纳米颗粒的形态和取向将与力学和热性能相关。该研究项目汇集了来自CWRU和UA的具有互补专业知识的研究团队，并提供了共同的平台，以自由和无缝地合作。来自CWRU、UA和这些学校目前由NSF资助的夏季REU项目的本科生研究人员将参与拟议的研究。将尽一切努力确保团队的每个教育级别都包括多样化的美国学生，包括女性学生和代表不足的少数族裔学生。

This collaborative research project proposes to support work by research teams from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the University of Akron (UA) on fundamentals of nanocomposite formation by a bottom-up self-assembly approach from dispersions of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) molecules in several thermoplastic polymers. These nanocomposite materials will have the processing ease of unfilled polymers and will be suitable for manufacturing of articles with micro- and nano-scale features by high-speed injection molding, fiber spinning, and thermoforming. The fundamentals developed in this work will offer superior alternatives to most ?top-down? polymer nanocomposites, where orders of magnitude increase in viscosity over that of the host polymers is a norm and achieving nanoscale dispersion is a challenge. The degree of nanofiller/polymer and nanofiller/nanofiller interactions will be governed by the choice of polymer systems and POSS grades. A continuous single screw chaotic mixing device with peak shear rate in the range 50-100s-1 will render POSS nanoparticles oriented in the form of spheres of ~50 nm dia, long fibrils with ~5 nm dia, and/or lamellas of ~5 nm thickness. The hierarchical structures and the nanoparticle morphology and orientation will be correlated with mechanical and thermal properties. The research program brings together research teams with complementary expertise from CWRU and the UA and provides common platform to collaborate freely and seamlessly. Undergraduate researchers from CWRU, UA, and from the currently NSF-funded summer REU programs at these schools will participate in the proposed research. Every effort will be made to ensure that a diverse mixture of American students, including female and underrepresented minority students are included at each educational level of the team.