Investigation of Rheology and Processing of Multilayer Polymer-Based Products

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Canada's plastic industry is a multi-faceted sector worth more than $50.9 billion with over 3,757 companies and 171,000 workers [Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA)]. Growing concerns about the environmental impacts of polymers have encouraged the plastic industry to produce biodegradable products. However, existing biodegradable polymers do not meet the requirements for many applications due to the lack of proper functionality or processability challenges. Polymer-based multilayer products are a viable option to incorporate biodegradable materials to produce partially or fully biodegradable products while introducing functionalities such as stimuli responsiveness, impact, optical properties, and barrier properties to the material. The development of advanced multilayer products is at its infancy due to existing challenges in product design and process. To address these challenges, the long-term goal of this research program is to develop value-added biodegradable multilayer products. This will be achieved through understanding structure-process-properties relationships and developing best processing strategies. This objective serves Canada's economy in terms of developing advanced functionalized multilayer products and introducing new processing strategies in manufacturing these products. Canadian companies including Husky Injection Molding Systems, Solvay, Shawcor, Ingenia and Solegear are interested in resolving such challenges. The short-term objectives (STO's) of this program are as follows: STO1-To develop advanced functional multilayer products by incorporating temperature, pressure, pH and light responsive layers with engineered micro and nanostructures. The focus of this STO will be on the use of biopolymers. STO2-To develop best processing practices through quantifying (i) viscoelastic instabilities such as slippage, secondary flows, interfacial layer nonuniformity; and (ii) interfacial strength as a function of material, process, and design parameters. STO3-To investigate and model the structure-process-property relationship of the fabricated advanced multilayer products (i) in simple and complex geometries; (ii) in linear and non-linear viscoelastic regions; and (iii) adjacent to elastic and plastic-walls. The proposed research program will contribute to the training of seven HQP by engaging both graduate and undergraduate students. Our research team will investigate the rich research topics by developing rigorous rheological models, using advanced experimental techniques (e.g. rheological experimentation, visualization, and characterization experiments). The proposed research is important not only to develop advanced functionalized products but also, to find practical solutions to produce environment-friendly products. Such a development will benefit Canada's plastics industry, more particularly in Ontario, and will strengthen their competitiveness in the global markets.