DMREF: Collaborative Research: Polymeric Composites and Foams Based on Two Dimensional Surfactants

混合塑料、颗粒和溶剂等不同材料的挑战是阻碍未来开发具有新的或改进的性能的功能材料的主要因素之一。一个突出的例子是基于石墨烯的材料，在这种材料中，石墨烯？S高强度、表面积和导电性的非凡组合尚未得到充分利用，因为由于与其他材料缺乏兼容性，石墨烯片材往往会聚集在一起并堆叠在一起。氮化硼薄板是受同样问题限制的有前途的材料的另一个例子。该项目试图通过利用两种互不相容的溶剂之间的高能界面来迫使堆叠的石墨烯薄片剥落和扩散来克服这一障碍。通过对这一活动产生的石墨烯和氮化硼表面活性的物理原理的理解，将其应用于形成乳液，作为合成具有优化机械和电性能的石墨烯或氮化硼增强的泡沫状材料的前体。这些增强的聚合物材料有可能被用作坚固而轻便的结构材料、电容器和电池的电极、柔性电子产品的基板、导电、高比表面积催化剂载体和高吸水性材料。该项目还将因建立在化学奇才计划基础上的外联活动而产生社会效益，该计划旨在以中学生学习科学探究为目标。该计划旨在鼓励来自代表性不足人群的学生在STEM领域继续大专学习和职业生涯。高分子链、胶体颗粒和溶剂等化学和物理不同物种的混合是阻碍未来功能材料发展的主要因素之一。一个突出的例子是基于石墨烯的聚合物材料，在这种材料中，石墨烯-S缺乏兼容性/溶解性的问题通常是通过折衷其优异的电、热和机械性能并使复合材料对未来开发的吸引力降低的方法来克服的。该项目试图通过利用两种互不相容的溶剂之间的高能界面来迫使堆叠的石墨烯薄片剥落和扩散来克服这一障碍。降低系统的总自由能推动了这种片层的重新排列。这项研究的中心是建立一个统一的理论、计算和实验框架来描述二维材料在液/液界面上的行为。这种方法是多尺度的，从原子到介观维度。以石墨烯和氮化硼为例，本工作将揭示溶剂对的一般选择原则和反应条件，从而实现使用二维片作为表面活性剂的新概念。对石墨烯和氮化硼表面活性的主要物理原理的理解将被应用于形成乳液，作为合成用石墨烯或氮化硼增强的泡沫状材料的前体。所开发的这些复合泡沫的理论和计算模型旨在设计具有优化的机械和电学性能的材料。这些设计工具将通过纳米和介观尺度的实验研究进行测试和校准。最终，这项工作将概述具有定制性能的纳米结构、多功能、二维表面活性剂增强聚合物复合材料的设计原则，使材料开发所需的时间仅需试错法的一小部分。增强的聚合物材料具有作为坚固而轻便的结构材料、电容器和电池的电极、柔性电子设备的基板、导电、高比表面积催化剂载体和高吸水性材料的潜力。该项目还将因建立在化学奇才计划基础上的外联活动而产生社会效益，该计划旨在以中学生学习科学探究为目标。该计划旨在鼓励来自代表性不足人群的学生在STEM领域继续大专学习和职业生涯。

The challenge of mixing different materials such as plastics, particles, and solvents is one of the major factors hindering future advances in the development of functional materials with new or improved properties. A prominent example of this are graphene-based materials, where graphene?s extraordinary combination of high strength, surface area, and conductivity cannot yet be fully utilized as graphene sheets tend to clump together and stack due to a lack of compatibility with other materials. Boron nitride sheets are another example of a promising material limited by the same problem. This project attempts to overcome this obstacle by utilizing the high-energy interface between two immiscible solvents to force stacked graphene sheets to exfoliate and spread. The understanding of governing physical principles of surface activity of graphene and boron nitride produced by this activity will be applied to form emulsions that serve as precursors for the synthesis of foam-like materials reinforced with graphene or boron nitride with optimized mechanical and electrical properties. These reinforced polymeric materials have the potential to be used as strong and lightweight structural materials, electrodes in capacitors and batteries, substrates for flexible electronics, electrically conductive, high surface area catalyst supports, and super-absorbent materials. The project will also be of societal benefit as a result of outreach activities built on the Chemistry Wizards Program designed to target middle school children learning about scientific inquiry. The program aims to spur students from underrepresented populations to pursue post-secondary study and careers in STEM fields.Mixing of chemically and physically different species such as polymer chains, colloidal particles, and solvents is one of the major factors hindering future advances in the development of functional materials. A prominent example of this are graphene based polymeric materials, where graphene?s lack of compatibility/solubility is commonly overcome by approaches that compromise its superior electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties and make the composite materials less attractive for future development. This project attempts to overcome this obstacle by utilizing the high-energy interface between two immiscible solvents to force stacked graphene sheets to exfoliate and spread. Lowering the overall free energy of the system drives this rearrangement of sheets. This research is centered on the development of a unifying theoretical, computational and experimental framework to describe the behavior of two-dimensional materials at the liquid/liquid interface. The approach is multi-scale, reaching from the atomic to mesoscopic dimensions. Using graphene and boron nitride as examples, this work will reveal general selection principles for solvent pairs and reaction conditions for which the novel concept of using two-dimensional sheets as surfactants can be realized. The understanding of the governing physical principles of surface activity of graphene and boron nitride will be applied to form emulsions that serve as precursors for the synthesis of foam-like materials reinforced with graphene or boron nitride. The developed theoretical and computational models of these composite foams aim at the design of materials with optimized mechanical and electrical properties. These design tools will be tested and calibrated through experimental studies at nano- and meso-length scales. Ultimately, the work will outline design principles for nanostructured, multifunctional, two-dimensional surfactant-reinforced polymeric composites with tailored properties, enabling material development in a fraction of the time that would be required by a trial and error approach alone. The reinforced polymeric materials have the potential to be used as strong and lightweight structural materials, electrodes in capacitors and batteries, substrates for flexible electronics, electrically conductive, high surface area catalyst supports, and super-absorbent materials. The project will also be of societal benefit as a result of outreach activities built on the Chemistry Wizards Program designed to target middle school children learning about scientific inquiry. The program aims to spur students from underrepresented populations to pursue post-secondary study and careers in STEM fields.