Lightweight Multifunctional Hybrid Nanocomposites and Foams for Advanced Automotive Applications

纳米制造的最新进展导致了石墨烯纳米片（GnP）的大规模生产。这为新型聚合物基纳米复合材料铺平了道路，它能够取代传统的用微尺寸填料增强的复合材料，比如玻璃纤维（GF）。我们的初步研究表明，通过采用混合方法，即采用纳米和微尺寸填料的组合，显著改善了性能。这大大有助于轻量化多功能产品的发展相比，目前的重复合材料增强与极高的微尺寸填料含量。此外，泡沫的引入是朝着超轻量化产品发展的又一步。因此，本项目旨在对新型纳米复合材料和泡沫材料的多尺度开发的材料/工艺参数有一个基本的了解。该提案概述了一项全面、系统的研究，旨在开发轻质多功能纳米复合材料，作为传统产品的有效替代品，主要有两个目标：(i)开发超轻质GF和gnp增强混杂聚合物复合材料，其机械性能优于当前的GF基复合材料；（二）开发多功能杂化复合材料，并对其导电性和导热性进行基本分析。2021年发布的制造业年度调查显示，制造业是加拿大经济的基石（约7500亿美元）。考虑到多功能聚合物纳米复合材料是汽车、航空航天、能源和微电子等行业的新兴材料，通过这种合作缩小知识和技术差距将对加拿大制造业产生有益的连锁效应。此外，该项目还将培训和培养几名高素质的人才，最终将他们的专业知识带到加拿大先进的制造业和工程界，以及学术界。

Recent advancements in nanomanufacturing have led to the mass production of graphene nanoplatelets (GnP). This has paved the way for novel polymer-based nanocomposites capable of replacing conventional composites reinforced with micro-sized fillers, such as glass fibers (GF). Our preliminary studies have demonstrated significant property improvements by taking a hybrid approach, i.e., employing a combination of the nano- and micro-sized fillers. This significantly contributes to the development of lightweight multifunctional products compared to the current heavy composites reinforced with extremely high micro-sized filler contents. Moreover, the introduction of foaming is another step towards the development of ultralightweight products. Therefore, the proposed project aims to achieve a fundamental understanding on the materials/processing parameters, that are applicable for the multi-scale development of novel nanocomposites and foams.The proposal outlines a comprehensive, systematic study, on developing lightweight multifunctional nanocomposites as effective replacements for conventional products, following two primary objectives: (i) development of ultralightweight GF and GnP-reinforced hybrid polymer composites with mechanical properties being superior to those of the current GF-based composites; (ii) development of multifunctional hybrid composites with fundamental analyses of the electrical and thermal conductivities.The annual survey of manufacturing industries released in 2021 demonstrates that manufacturing is a cornerstone of Canada's economy (~$750 billion). Bearing in mind that multifunctional polymer nanocomposites are an emerging class of materials in industries, such as automotive, aerospace, energy, and microelectronics, closing the knowledge and technology gaps through this collaboration would cause a beneficial chain effect on Canada's manufacturing sectors. Additionally, this project will allow for the training and formation of several highly qualified personnel, which will eventually bring their expertise to the Canadian advanced manufacturing and engineering community, as well as to academia.