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特性或改进特性的功能材料的主要因素之一。一个突出的例子是石墨烯基材料，其中石墨烯？石墨烯的高强度、表面积和导电性的非凡组合还不能被充分利用，因为石墨烯片由于缺乏与其他材料的相容性而倾向于聚集在一起并堆叠。氮化硼片是受相同问题限制的有前途材料的另一个例子。该项目试图通过利用两种不混溶溶剂之间的高能界面来克服这一障碍，以迫使堆叠的石墨烯片剥离和扩散。对该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被应用于形成乳液，这些乳液作为合成具有优化机械和电气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具有用作坚固且轻质的结构材料、电容器和电池中的电极、柔性电子器件的基底、导电的高表面积催化剂载体和超吸收材料的潜力。该项目还将具有社会效益，因为它是在化学奇才方案基础上开展的外联活动，旨在针对中学生学习科学探究。该计划旨在鼓励来自代表性不足的人群的学生在STEM领域进行中学后学习和职业生涯。化学和物理上不同的物种，如聚合物链，胶体颗粒和溶剂的混合是阻碍功能材料未来发展的主要因素之一。一个突出的例子是石墨烯基聚合物材料，其中石墨烯？通常通过损害其上级的电、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复合材料的相容性/溶解性的缺乏。该项目试图通过利用两种不混溶溶剂之间的高能界面来克服这一障碍，以迫使堆叠的石墨烯片剥离和扩散。降低系统的总自由能驱动这种片的重新排列。这项研究的重点是发展一个统一的理论，计算和实验框架来描述二维材料在液/液界面的行为。该方法是多尺度的，从原子到介观尺寸。以石墨烯和氮化硼为例，这项工作将揭示溶剂对和反应条件的一般选择原则，可以实现使用二维片作为表面活性剂的新概念。石墨烯和氮化硼的表面活性的支配物理原理的理解将被应用于形成乳液，该乳液用作合成用石墨烯或氮化硼增强的泡沫状材料的前体。这些复合泡沫的理论和计算模型旨在设计具有优化机械和电气性能的材料。这些设计工具将通过纳米和中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特性的纳米结构，多功能，二维表面增强聚合物复合材料的设计原则，使材料开发仅需试错方法所需的一小部分时间。增强的聚合物材料具有用作坚固且轻质的结构材料、电容器和电池中的电极、柔性电子器件的基底、导电的高表面积催化剂载体和超吸收材料的潜力。该项目还将具有社会效益，因为它是在化学奇才方案基础上开展的外联活动，旨在针对中学生学习科学探究。该计划旨在刺激来自代表性不足的人口的学生在STEM领域进行中学后学习和职业生涯。

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.