Catalyzing new international research collaboration in molecular polymer composites reinforced with in situ low-Tg phosphate glass fibers

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This award will catalyze a synergistic international collaboration to enable new international cooperative research on in situ molecular polymer composites with researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi and University of Lyon. The research will be jointly conducted in the European Synchrotron Radiation Facilities in Grenoble (near Lyon), providing opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to enrich their research and education with international collaborative activities. The uniqueness of the research lies in the potential ability to structure the molecular polymer composites in situ using flow and deformation-induced orientation of the dispersed phosphate glass phase which offers a distinctive transformative alternative to conventional composites materials processing and use. The research will benefit from the individual expertise and the facilities available at the U.S. and the French collaborators' institutions, providing students with a critical and unique suite of complementary research capabilities.The research has far reaching societal benefits, potentially creating a new class of advanced materials that may find uses in a number of high-end applications including biomedical parts (e.g., rebuilding teeth and bones), optoelectronic components, and automotive parts. The educational broader impact of the international collaborative research is achieved via an exchange of broad-based research knowledge and opportunities for students at the graduate and undergraduate levels to experience collaborative research in highly advanced facilities focused on each area of expertise. The international experience will be extended to students at the individual institutions through presentations led by the participants and it will integrate research and education through enhancement of infrastructure for research & education, and international student exchanges, providing students with the capabilities for future international collaborative success.