Design and Tailoring of Lightweight Polymer Blend Nanocomposites with Enhanced Properties

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In today's marketplace, consumers demand lighter weight and smaller electronic devices with improved functionality and design options. Demand for lightweight materials is expected to reach ca. $200 billion by 2022, and polymer composites dominate the global lightweight market. In 2014, polymer nanocomposite was a $5 billion dollar industry and is projected to grow to $31 billion in 2025, yet there is little understanding about how to design these materials. Novel multiphase polymer materials, such as polymer blend nanocomposites (PBNs), are ideal candidates for electronics, automotive, military, aerospace, packaging, photovoltaics, sensors, batteries, and fuel cells. Polymer blend nanocomposites are hybrid materials of two or more polymers mixed with nanofillers. By controlling PBN structure through careful selection of components, chemistry, and fabrication, we can obtain new materials with enhanced performance and combination of properties that cannot be obtained from a single material. Use of PBNs for advanced applications like charge storage, electromagnetic interference shielding for personal electronics and military camouflage, and galactic cosmic ray shielding (vehicles for outer space) are still in their infancy. Therefore, to take full advantage of this market trend, research into PBN formulation and performance is essential. In this program, our end goal is to create property-structure-processing-synthesis maps, which will be used to design and tailor PBNs. Electrical conductivity, static discharge, charge storage and EMI shielding will be the main properties of focus. We will synthesize a variety of novel nanomaterials with specific properties (e.g. high electrical conductivity) like carbon nanotubes, graphene and nano metal wires to impart electrical properties to PBNs. We will find relationships between properties and system chemistries, flow characteristics, composition, physical properties and processing conditions. Research proposed here will train highly qualified individuals for careers in high tech industries. We will take advantage of a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, scientists and technicians to control all aspects of the design and development of PBNs. This work will be critical for Canadian manufacturers of polymer materials and the customers of these novel materials such as automotive, aerospace and electronics industries that are under constant pressure to find lower cost, lighter weight, higher performance materials. Our group has a significant advantage due to the breadth of knowledge on polymer blends and nanocomposites, which is the foundation needed to create methods to design and tailor PBNs. We can span the entire development process: synthesize inorganic nanomaterial filler; perform processing using our custom-built miniature mixers; extensive structure and material property characterization. This program will provide critical guidance to manufacturers and users of multiphase polymer materials.