CAREER: Block Copolymer/layered Silicate Nanocomposites: Thermodynamics, Dynamics, and Structure-Property Relationships

ARRA声明：该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。技术概述：该奖项支持一个探索新型聚合物复合材料的项目，该复合材料由嵌段共聚物密集接枝到高度剥落的层状硅酸盐颗粒表面组成。PI假设这种新型材料，嵌段共聚物/层状硅酸盐（bcpls），有可能导致高性能/高使用温度的聚烯烃基工程热塑性塑料，具有前所未有的材料性能，这是由以下因素协同组合产生的：由硅酸盐颗粒提供的机械增强，引起链构象扰动的增强热性能，以及嵌段共聚物将多种材料性能结合成单一化合物的能力。在BCPLS材料中，每个填充颗粒与密集的聚合物链紧密耦合；因此，涌现的性质不仅来自机械增强机制，也来自聚合物链构象特征的内在扰动。嵌段共聚物的使用是有利的，因为通过选择组成嵌段和嵌段序列，这赋予了系统这些迷人材料的固有可调性，并在有序-无序过渡之上带来了高度的可加工性。此外，将bcp限制在离散层状硅酸盐颗粒的相对表面，从根本上改变了自组装的热力学和由此产生的形貌。这种独特的特征组合目前在社区中是缺乏的，这项研究是一个重要的机会，可以为这些新材料的基本理解和利用做出开创性的贡献。非技术总结：该奖项支持一个探索新型聚合物复合材料的项目，该复合材料由嵌段共聚物密集接枝到高度剥落的层状硅酸盐颗粒表面组成。PI假设这种新型材料，嵌段共聚物/层状硅酸盐（bcpls），有可能导致高性能/高使用温度的聚烯烃基工程热塑性塑料，具有前所未有的材料性能。在BCPLS材料中，每个填充颗粒与密集的聚合物链紧密耦合，除了众所周知的复合增强机制外，还通过限制聚合物链的构象来消除颗粒聚集并增强性能。该项目将产生利用这些材料潜力所需的基础知识。另一个重要目标是提高K？12级。这将通过将这项研究整合到一个指导K？12名科学教师，以及合作开发互动工作坊，这些工作坊将以电子方式交付给K？爱荷华州的12间教室使用爱荷华通信网络。

ARRA STATEMENT:This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This CAREER award supports a project to explore a new class of polymer composites, comprised of block copolymers densely grafted to the surfaces of highly exfoliated layered silicate particles. The PI hypothesizes that this novel class of materials, block copolymer/layered silicates (BCPLSs), holds the potential to lead to high performance/high service temperature polyolefin-based engineering thermoplastics with unprecedented materials properties, arising from a synergistic combination of factors: Mechanical reinforcement provided by the silicate particles, enhanced thermal properties arising perturbations to the chain-conformations, and the ability of block copolymers to stitch multiple materials properties into a single compound. In BCPLS materials each filler particle is intimately coupled to a dense brush of polymer chains; consequently, emergent properties arise not only from mechanical reinforcement mechanisms but also intrinsic perturbations to conformational characteristics of the polymer chain. The use of block copolymers is advantageous since this imparts to the system the inherent tunability of these fascinating materials through the choice of constituent blocks and block sequences, and brings high degrees of processability above the order-disorder transition. Moreover, the confinement of BCPs to the opposing faces of discrete layered silicate particles fundamentally changes the thermodynamics of self-assembly and the resultant morphologies. This unique combination of features is currently absent from the community, and this research is an important opportunity to make seminal contributions to the fundamental understanding and utilization of these new materials.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This CAREER award supports a project to explore a new class of polymer composites, comprised of block copolymers densely grafted to the surfaces of highly exfoliated layered silicate particles. The PI hypothesizes that this novel class of materials, block copolymer/layered silicates (BCPLSs), holds the potential to lead to high performance/high service temperature polyolefin-based engineering thermoplastics with unprecedented materials properties. In BCPLS materials each filler particle is intimately coupled to a dense brush of polymer chains, eliminating particle aggregation and enhancing the properties by constraining the conformations of the polymer chains, in addition to well-known composite reinforcement mechanisms. This project will generate the fundamental knowledge needed to harness the potential of these materials. Another important objective is to heighten awareness of and interest in STEM careers at the K?12 level. This will be accomplished by integrating this research into an on-campus program for mentoring K?12 science teachers, and the collaborative development of interactive workshops to be delivered electronically to K?12 classrooms throughout Iowa using the Iowa Communications Network.