Microlayer and Nanolayer Polymeric Materials

层倍增技术将用于制造独特的结构，否则不相容的聚合物。与众所周知的自组装概念相反，层倍增使用强制组装来创建数千个由两种聚合物交替组成的纳米层，每个层的厚度小于10纳米。通过这种方法制备的数千个连续聚合物纳米层的组装易于处理，并且可以通过传统的聚合物分析方法进行表征。这使我们能够探索只发生在大分子尺度上的现象，并制造出具有这种尺度独特性质的新材料。本研究拟：(1)探索两种不混相聚合物亲密接触时形成的聚合物“间相”，并基于“间相”的独特性质创造新材料；(2)探索聚合物在受限纳米层空间中的结晶；(3)研究纳米层熔体破碎成纳米液滴，以及随后纳米液滴的分馏成核和结晶；(4)通过纳米层膜的取向制备纳米纤维和非多孔膜。由于需要新的加工技术来开发未来的工程纳米结构，凯斯西储大学开发了一种多层共挤设备。CWRU的实验室是公共机构中唯一具有处理灵活性的设施，可以利用该技术探索广泛的新材料系统。参与研究的研究生和本科生将有机会使用独特的共挤出工艺，解决与纳米级聚合物行为相关的基本问题，并设计和实现以前不可能实现的材料系统。通过书面和口头交流，这种多功能技术提供的基本见解和独特机会将被转化为整个领域，包括工业部门。最终，纳米加工，如纳米层共挤压所示，可以成为创造具有多种功能的“智能”材料的基础。制造具有特定光学特性的坚韧薄膜和片材，并额外表现出屏障特性或不寻常的电子特性，似乎是可能的。

Layer-multiplying technology will be used to fabricate unique structures of otherwise incompatible polymers. In contrast to the well-known concept of self-assembly, layer multiplication uses forced-assembly to create thousands of alternating nanolayers of two polymers with individual layer thickness less than 10 nm. The assemblies of thousands of continuous polymer nanolayers fabricated by this method are easily handled and are amenable to characterization by conventional methods of polymer analysis. This allows us to probe phenomena that occur only on the size scale of the macromolecule, and to fabricate new materials that incorporate the unique properties of this size scale. The proposed research intends to: (1) Explore the polymer "interphase" that forms when two immiscible polymers are brought into intimate contact, and create new materials based on the unique properties of the "interphase"; (2) Explore crystallization of polymers in confined nanolayer spaces; (3) Investigate melt breakup of nanolayers into nanodroplets, and subsequent fractionated nucleation and crystallization of nanodroplets; and (4) Create nanofibers and nonoporous membranes by orientation of nanolayered films.Motivated by the need for new processing technologies to develop the engineered nanstructures of the future, a facility for layer-multiplying coextrusion was developed at Case Western Reserve University. The laboratory at CWRU is the only facility at a public institution with the processing flexibility needed to explore the wide range of new materials systems possible with this technology. The graduate and undergraduate students that participate in the research will have the opportunity to use a unique coextrusion process, to address fundamental problems related to the behavior of polymers at the nanoscale, and to design and realize materials systems that were not possible previously. Through written and oral communications, the fundamental insights and the unique opportunities provided by this versatile technology will be translated to the field at large, including the industrial sector. Ultimately, nanoprocessing, as exemplified by nanolayer coextrusion, can be the basis for creating "smart" materials with multiple functions. Fabrication of tough films and sheet that possess specific optical properties, and additionally exhibit barrier characteristics or unusual electronic properties, seems possible.