Catalysis of Microstructure Evolution in Block Copolymer Blend Materials Through Dynamic Modulation of Filler/Matrix Interactions

非技术性总结：嵌段共聚物是能够自组织成功能性纳米结构的层次结构的材料，其在从用于下一代锂离子电池的聚合物膜到高性能聚合物光致发光的应用中具有技术相关性。该项目的目标是开发控制这些纳米结构中缺陷形成的工艺，这是嵌段共聚物基材料未来技术开发的关键要求。最终目标是建立程序，将允许有效和经济可行的制造嵌段共聚物材料与精确控制的纳米结构和性能。该计划将加强两个聚合物类的教学，并为一个研究生和几个本科生研究人员在聚合物和纳米材料的关键领域提供培训。与佛罗里达A M大学以及卡内基梅隆大学的教育工作者正在进行的合作将被用来支持少数民族学生的参与，并让高中生参与材料工程。最后，将开发一个新颖的教育界面，用于材料物理概念的“动手”探索，作为吸引和吸引初中和高中学生学习科学和工程的一种手段。这项研究计划的目的是了解填料的影响-基体相互作用对本体嵌段共聚物中微观结构演变的影响，并检验填料-基质相互作用提供了增加晶粒粗化速率的手段。在第一部分中，该项目将集中在一系列的均聚物和聚合物接枝的纳米粒子模型系统，这将有助于澄清的嵌段共聚物共混材料的微观结构演变过程中的填料-基质相互作用的影响的合成。在第二部分，该项目将建立粗化动力学和演变的晶界结构的嵌段共聚物/均聚物共混物系统中，均聚物有利地与主共聚物域相互作用。一个平行的系列相应的嵌段共聚物/纳米粒子共混体系将被追求，以确定填料-基体相互作用的作用，在边界区域内的填料的隔离。在第三部分中，该计划将探讨温度循环的影响，以动态（可逆）的“开关”之间的相互作用填料和共聚物的主机域从“无热”到“灵活”。我们的目标是测试是否动态调制的填料-基质相互作用提供了一种手段，大力破坏晶界缺陷，从而提高晶粒生长的驱动压力。研究计划将通过与聚合物合成和模拟领域的专家组合作来加强，这些专家组将提供对模型材料系统的访问并支持数据的解释。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Block copolymers are materials that are capable of self-organizing into a hierarchy of functional nanostructures that are of technological relevance in applications ranging from polymer membranes for next-generation lithium ion batteries to high-performance polymer photovoltaics. The goal of this project is to develop processes to control the formation of defects in these nanostructures, a key requirement for the future technological exploitation of block copolymer based materials. The ultimate goal is to establish procedures that will allow the efficient and economically viable fabrication of block copolymer materials with precisely controlled nanostructure and properties. The program will enhance the teaching of two polymer classes and provide training for one graduate and several undergraduate researchers in the critical area of polymer and nanoscale materials. Ongoing collaborations with educators at Florida A&M University as well as Carnegie Mellon will be leveraged to support the participation of minority students and to engage high school students in materials engineering. Finally, a novel educational interface will be developed for 'hands-on' exploration of materials physics concepts as a means to engage and attract middle and high school students to the study of science and engineering.TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The objective of this research program is to understand the implications of filler-matrix interactions on the microstructure evolution in bulk block copolymers and to test the hypothesis that the dynamic modulation of filler-matrix interactions provides a means to increase the rate of grain coarsening. In a first part the project will be focused on the synthesis of a range of homopolymer and polymer-grafted nanoparticle model systems that will facilitate the elucidation of the effect of filler-matrix interactions on the microstructure evolution process in block copolymer blend materials. In a second part, the project will establish the coarsening kinetics and evolution of grain boundary structures in block copolymer/homopolymer blend systems in which the homopolymer favorably interacts with the host copolymer domain. A parallel series of corresponding block copolymer/nanoparticle blend systems will be pursued to identify the role of filler-matrix interaction on the segregation of fillers within boundary regions. In a third part, the program will explore the effect of temperature-cycling to dynamically (and reversibly) 'switch' the interaction between filler and copolymer host domain from 'athermal' to 'miscible'. The objective is to test whether the dynamic modulation of filler-matrix interactions provides a means to energetically destabilize grain boundary defects and hence raise the driving pressure for grain growth. The research plan will be enhanced by collaboration with expert groups in the areas of polymer synthesis and simulation who will provide access to model material systems and support the interpretation of data.