CAREER: High Speed Reactive Extrusion for Stabilized and Toughened Renewable Polymer Blends and Copolymers

该学院早期职业发展（Career）计划资助研究可再生塑料的加工行为和生命周期，并致力于激励女学生积极追求工程职业。高速挤压与界面反应相结合，有可能密切混合不同的聚合物，以获得整个组合性能范围。研究将表征这种新工艺对共混物微观结构的影响，并将体性能与工艺参数联系起来。加工流变的预测模型的创建将使扩展到其他聚合物共混物，包括再生塑料。这项研究还将通过在当地职业和传统高中课程中引入学生经营的职业选择示范，作为扩大女性参与工程的催化剂。多媒体信息公共服务网站和新生课程的气候变化和可持续性模块将揭开环境可持续性和塑料工业的神秘面纱。这项工作将探索可再生材料和尖端加工策略的交叉点，以发现增强生物基塑料的新技术。作为这项研究的结果，生物基聚合物的稳定性和性能将被修改，以创造出坚固的塑料，可以用来代替传统的化石衍生聚合物，用于耐用品应用。高剪切的使用也有可能减少挤压过程中的能耗。将确定聚合物共混物的结构-性能-加工关系。将开展大量的经验学习工作，以扩大妇女参与工程和扩大工程专业在关键高中一级的知名度，包括较少接触高等教育选择的学生群体。这些活动将在教育管道的几个层次上建立指导关系和早期的积极经验，同时提高科学素养和传播。

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant funds a study of the processing behavior and life cycle of renewably-sourced plastics, and works to inspire female students to proactively pursue engineering careers. High-speed extrusion coupled with interfacial reaction has the potential to intimately blend dissimilar polymers in order to access the entire range of combinatorial properties. The research will characterize the effects of this novel process on blend microstructure and correlate bulk properties to processing parameters. Creation of a predictive model of the processing rheology will enable expansion to other polymer blends, including recycled plastics. The research will also be used as a catalyst for broadening participation of women in engineering by bringing student-run demonstrations of career options to local vocational and traditional high school programs. A multimedia informational public service website and a module on climate change and sustainability for freshman courses will demystify environmental sustainability and the plastics industry.This work will probe the intersection of renewable materials and cutting-edge processing strategies to discover new techniques for reinforcement of biobased plastics. As a result of this research the stability and properties of bio-based polymers will be modified to create robust plastics that can be used in place of conventional fossil-derived polymers in durable goods applications. The use of high shear also has the potential to reduce energy consumption in extrusion processes. Structure-properties-processing relationships will be determined for the polymer blends. A substantial experiential learning effort will be launched to broaden participation of women in engineering and to expand visibility of the engineering profession at the critical high school level, including student populations with less exposure to higher education options. These activities will establish mentoring relationships and early positive experiences on several levels of the educational pipeline, while improving science literacy and communication.