Analysis and Optimization of Polymer Networks for Emerging Applications

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With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Jeremiah A. Johnson and Professor Bradley D. Olsen of MIT will endeavor to develop new ways to understand the fundamental structure and properties of polymer networks, which are the major components of many materials used in everyday life from tires to soft contact lenses to five-minute epoxy adhesives. Due to the incredible complexity of polymer networks, several fundamental features of their structure remain a mystery despite over 100 years of academic and industrial investigation. Without knowledge of structure, one cannot fully understand function. This project seeks to fill these knowledge gaps in the context of industrially important, high-performance polymers called “thermosets” through the creation of new experimental ways to break down polymers into pieces that can be characterized and used to reconstruct the original material’s structure. Simultaneously, new ways to compute the structures of polymers will be developed and tested against experimental findings. The results will guide the design of next-generation polymer materials with useful properties for a wide range of applications including sustainable materials, membranes for removal of toxic agents from wastewater, and matrices for cellular and tissue engineering. Additionally, this project will drive education and outreach efforts at MIT designed to increase awareness of the importance of polymers in everyday life as well as the critical challenges that society faces in polymer waste management. Polymer networks are materials composed of chemically and/or physically crosslinked macromolecules. The compositions and topologies of polymer networks are extremely diverse and complex, driving numerous applications as plastics, composites, rubbers, and hydrogels. Due to their relatively disordered structures, polymer networks have traditionally been difficult to quantitatively design from the molecular level. In this project, ProfessorsJeremiah A. Johnson and Bradley D. Olsen of the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at MIT, respectively, will work to invent new chemical strategies, theories, and simulations to provide a deeper understanding of the topology of high-performance thermoset materials. First, methods to enable the degradation and measurement of primary loops in industrial thermosets including polydicyclopentadiene and polyurethanes will be created. These methods will be applied to measure and control the topology of covalent adaptable networks, enabling “topological recycling” of thermoset-like materials. Finally, new methods for quantification of high-order loop structures in polymer networks will be developed. If successful, these studies have the potential to significantly add to the tools available to design, understand and construct polymer networks.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.