DMREF/Collaborative Research: Laminated Elastomeric Composites with Anisotropic Shape Memory

该设计材料革命和工程我们的未来（DMREF）赠款提供资金，用于开发一组新型活性聚合物，各向异性形状记忆弹性体复合材料（ASMEC）和层压板的强大制造方法，通过先进的理论和计算建模的指导。该方法涉及通过将可结晶热塑性纤维网络嵌入具有优选取向的弹性体基质中来制造ASMEC和层压材料。共连续纤维相的熔融和结晶提供机械切换，从而实现主动行为，例如形状记忆。ASMEC的结构-功能关系将使用计算微观力学方法进行研究。这种关系将用于建立ASMEC的稳健设计和制造流程。然后将ASMEC组装成弹性体层压板，并将其表征数据用于验证计算和理论模型，这些模型将用于指导未来ASMEC的设计。理论研究和材料开发将同时进行，并以迭代的方式进行，计算和理论指导实验，实验为理论和计算提供信息，所有方法都可能出现新的发现。如果成功，这项工作的结果将导致建立一个新的范式，用于构建各种活性聚合物，沿着对复合材料力学的新见解。这项工作的主要目标是建立ASMEC的活性行为与其微观结构参数，如纤维取向，纤维相行为和体积分数之间的关系。ASMEC的发展代表了活性聚合物开发的一种新方法，与使用高度专业化化学的传统方法截然不同。相反，活性聚合物是使用即插即用工艺制造的，其中两种常规聚合物组合形成新的活性材料/复合材料。ASMEC的制造方法将是高度可扩展的，因此它可以很容易地商业化，以低成本进行大规模生产。拟议的理论发展也将推进目前的理解如何聚合物结晶可以用作？切换阶段？主动行为和复合材料力学的现有知识。

This Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) grant provides funding for the development of a robust manufacturing approach for a novel group of active polymers, anisotropic shape memory elastomeric composites (ASMEC) and laminates, by the guidance of advanced theoretical and computational modeling. This approach involves manufacturing of ASMEC and laminates by embedding a crystallizable thermoplastic fiber network into an elastomeric matrix with a preferred orientation. The melting and crystallization of the co-continuous fiber phase provides mechanical switching, enabling active behavior such as shape memory. The structure-function relationship of the ASMEC will be investigated using a computational micromechanics approach. Such a relationship will be used to establish robust design and manufacturing processes for ASMEC. The ASMECs will then be assembled into elastomeric laminates and their characterization data will be used to validate the computational and theoretical models which will in turn be used to guide the design of future ASMECs. Theoretical studies and material developments will be conducted simultaneously and in an iterative manner, with computation and theory guiding experiments, experiments informing theory and computation, with possible discoveries emerging across all approaches.If successful, the results from this work will lead to the establishment of a new paradigm for the construction of a wide range of active polymers, along with new insights into the mechanics of composite materials. The primary goal of this work is to establish a relationship between the active behavior of ASMEC and its microscopic structural parameters, such as fiber orientation, fiber phase behavior, and volume fraction. The development of ASMEC represents a new approach to the development of active polymers, quite distinct from the conventional approach of using highly specialized chemistry. Instead, active polymers are manufactured using a plug-and-play process where two conventional polymers are combined to form new active materials/composites. The manufacturing approach for ASMEC will be highly scalable so that it can be readily commercialized for large scale production at a low cost. The proposed theoretical development will also advance current understanding on how polymer crystallization can be used as a ?switching phase? for active behavior and the current knowledge on mechanics of composite materials.