CAREER: 3D Magnetic Structuring and Hierarchical Integration of Multi-functional Polymer Nanocomposites

与同等重量的其他工程材料相比，碳纳米管更轻、更坚固，并能传导更多的电/热。碳纳米管和使用它们的复合材料可以改善飞机/航天器、汽车和建筑物的性能。这项教师早期职业发展(Career)计划拨款支持研究，促进这些有前途的纳米工程材料的制造知识，促进科学进步和国家繁荣。为了达到最高的性能，这些碳纳米管必须结合在聚合物基质中，并根据其最终的宏观结构进行排序。一种新颖的、可扩展的磁性方法被用来混合和排序材料中的纳米管。这种受控的纳米管结构是充分利用它们的潜力来潜在地取代更重的结构金属的关键，从而产生节能、低维护和更安全的运输工具。这种磁性制造技术可以应用于电力和生物医学应用的工程材料，如电池电极、人造肌肉等，这些都是国家利益的。将促进多样化参与STEM职业和缩小工程教育与现实世界需求之间差距的教育活动纳入研究计划。将轻质碳纳米管集成到航空航天或其他结构增强塑料复合材料中，以提高多功能性能。有组织的碳纳米管网络有望提高层间强度，取代较重的金属屏蔽以抵御电磁干扰，并作为传感/致动层发挥作用。然而，目前碳纳米管对复合材料性能的改善是有限的，这是因为(1)多尺度结构-界面-性能关系还没有被很好地理解，(2)纳米碳纳米管与宏观尺寸复合材料的可伸缩和可定制的集成需要开发。这笔赠款解决了这两个挑战。首先，将研究利用低频磁场在聚合物基质中定制纳米管的3D结构，以实现对碳纳米管间距和相间条件的控制。其次，我们将利用解析和蒙特卡罗模拟方法对碳纳米管的实现方式(如三维结构和纳米管-聚合物界面相)对纤维增强塑料复合材料多功能性能的影响进行实验评估和建模。磁性组装和比例效应的知识，再加上可扩展的制造技术，将加速设计和制造具有先进性能的分层结构纳米填料实施的复合材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Carbon nanotubes are lighter, stronger, and conduct more electricity/heat than other engineering materials for the same weight. Carbon nanotubes and composites utilizing them can improve the performance of aircraft/spacecraft, cars, and buildings. This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant supports research which advances knowledge about manufacturing of these promising nano-engineered materials, promoting the progress of science and advancing the national prosperity. To achieve the highest performance, these carbon nanotubes must be incorporated and ordered within the polymer matrix based on its final macroscopic structure. A novel and scalable magnetic method is used to mix and order the nanotubes within materials. This controlled nanotube structuring is the key to fully harness their potential to potentially replace much heavier structural metals, resulting in energy-efficient, low-maintenance, and safer transport vehicles. This magnetic manufacturing technology could be applied to engineer materials for power and biomedical applications, such as battery electrodes, artificial muscles, etc., that are of national interest. Educational activities to promote diverse participation in STEM careers and to close the gap between engineering education and real-world demands are integrated into the research plans. Integration of lightweight carbon nanotubes into aerospace or other structural -reinforced plastic composites are investigated for multifunctional property enhancement. Organized carbon nanotube networks are expected to improve interlaminar strength, to replace heavier metal shielding against electromagnetic interference protection, and to function as sensing/actuation layers. However, composite property improvement with carbon nanotubes is currently limited because (1) multi-scale structure-interphase-property relationships are not well understood, and (2) scalable and tailorable integration of nano-sized carbon nanotubes into macro-sized composites needs to be developed. This grant addresses these two challenges. First, tailorable 3D structuring of nanotubes in polymer matrices using low-frequency magnetic fields will be studied to enable control over carbon nanotube spacing and the interphase conditions. Second, the effects of carbon nanotube implementation, such as 3D structures and nanotube-polymer interphases, on multifunctional properties of fiber-reinforced plastic composites will be experimentally evaluated and modeled using analytical and Monte Carlo simulation approaches. The knowledge of magnetic assembly and of scaling effects, together with a scalable manufacturing technology, will accelerate design and fabrication of hierarchically structured nanofiller-implemented composites with advanced properties.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.