Research Initiation Award: Investigating the Efficacy and Stability of Charred Nanocellulose Materials in High Temperature and High Performing Polymers

研究启动奖为传统黑人学院和大学的初级和中期职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新指导和重建现有的研究项目。期望该奖项有助于提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。约翰逊·c·史密斯大学将获得该奖项，以支持使用纤维素纳米添加剂增强的新型材料的设计研究。该项目还将开发一个本科生研究项目，为本科生在STEM领域的职业生涯做好准备。该项目的目标是研究将热解纳米纤维素材料（以炭渣的形式）作为添加剂添加到高性能和高温固化聚酰亚胺树脂中，并检查由此产生的新型聚合物/炭复合材料的机械性能。纤维素纳米材料的炭渣是一种有吸引力的添加剂，可以添加到高性能聚酰亚胺树脂中，因为它在350°C以上的固化温度下不会降解。该项目将通过将纳米纤维素材料热解成聚合物基质最终复合材料，将炭渣整合成非共价的高温聚合物。这种方法为纤维素纳米材料的应用开辟了更多的机会。由于炭渣比原始聚酰亚胺材料具有更高的碳含量和表面积，因此将其作为增强剂添加到材料中有望改善所得聚酰亚胺复合材料的机械性能。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The award to Johnson C. Smith University will support research in the design of novel materials enhanced with cellulosic nano-additives. The project will also develop an undergraduate research program that will prepare undergraduate students for careers in STEM fields.The goal of the project is to investigate the addition of pyrolyzed nanocellulose materials – in the form of char residue – as an additive into high performing and high curing temperature polyimide resins and examine the resulting mechanical properties of the new polymer/char composite. The char residue of cellulose nanomaterials is an attractive additive that can be added into high performance polyimides resins, because it does not degrade at cure temperatures above 350 °C. The project will involve the integration of the char-residue into high-temperature polymers non-covalently via the pyrolysis of nanocellulosic materials into the polymeric matrices final composite. This approach opens additional opportunities for cellulose nanomaterial applications. Since the char residue has higher carbon content and surface area than the original polyimide material, its addition to the material as a reinforcement agent is expected to improve the mechanical properties of the resultant polyimide composite.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.