REU Site: Polymer Innovation for a Sustainable Future

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This Site is jointly funded by the Divisions of Chemistry and Materials Research in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate.NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This REU Site brings together undergraduate students from across the country to perform research aimed at critical societal needs with faculty and students in the state-of-the-art Polymer Science and Engineering Research Center. REU students, recruited from primarily undergraduate institutions, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and community colleges, work in interdisciplinary research teams and receive training in polymer science and engineering, science communication, sustainability, and life-cycle analysis during the ten-week summer program. Students participate in field trips to local industry, engage in outreach for elementary students, and prepare abstracts for presentation of their research at national conferences. This site helps develop the pipeline of science and engineering researchers with the skills to address the grand challenges of the 21st century while advancing fundamental research to support applications such as recyclable composites for aerospace and automotive sectors, on-demand degradable polymers for packaging, polymers from renewable feedstocks for drug delivery, polymeric solar cells, and flexible printed electronics. Most participants pursue graduate degrees in science and engineering after completing the summer program and are ultimately employed in research and development in industry, national laboratories, or academia. TECHNICAL DETAILS: The research objective of the REU site is to develop sustainable approaches to materials development to meet critical societal needs while improving utilization of energy and raw materials. Undergraduate student researchers are engaged in fundamental materials research efforts that span the complex, interdisciplinary facets of materials sustainability, including design of materials for recyclability and degradability, synthesis of polymers from renewable feedstocks, enhancing process efficiency, and designing polymers for renewable energy applications, while gaining the tools to assess the environmental impact of new material development. The research is organized in three themes: (1) Design for Recyclability and Degradability (2) Sustainable Polymers: (Bio) Renewable Feedstocks and Resource-Efficient Processing and (3) Materials for Sustainable Energy. Students are trained in state-of-the-art research facilities, including recently acquired X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) - wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and advanced imaging instrumentation, and gain interdisciplinary research skills through collaborative efforts with polymer computational, synthesis, analysis, and processing experts.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.