Excellence in Research: Manufacturing of Sustainable and Environment-Friendly Bio-Binder from Algae for Epoxy-Based Composite Materials

环氧树脂以其优越的性能成为高分子复合材料领域最流行的热固性聚合物基体。它也被用于多种工业应用，如粘合剂、电子产品和涂料。环氧树脂及其常见的硬化剂（固化剂）目前是在以化石燃料为基础的化学过程中制造的。近年来，在科学出版物和复合材料市场上出现了可持续或“绿色”环氧树脂。然而，目前的绿色环氧树脂技术在机械性能、成本和配套固化剂方面存在局限性。该奖项支持从可持续来源：藻类中开发环氧体系和增值复合产品。该研究有可能解决环氧复合材料的环境问题，并对环氧相关行业产生重大影响，该行业近年来稳步增长，预计到2023年全球市场规模将达到382亿美元。这项研究将提高美国最大的公立HBCU北卡罗来纳农工州立大学在先进材料研究领域的竞争力。它还将加强和扩大本科生和研究生，特别是代表性不足的非洲裔美国学生在绿色材料方面的教育/培训和研究经验。该项目将为K-12水平提供新的信息，以促进STEM教育，并提高公众对环境和可持续系统的认识。本研究的总体目标是以藻类为原料，通过热化学液化工艺开发一种经济、可持续、环保的生物粘合剂，然后直接与环氧树脂混合，完全取代传统的环氧固化剂，部分取代环氧树脂。合作研究团队将确定藻类的培养条件，揭示藻类热化学液化的工艺参数，优化环氧树脂/生物粘合剂体系的制造/固化条件。特别是，研究将揭示水热液化参数、生物粘合剂中活性官能团的含量、固化过程中交联反应的程度以及固化产物的最终力学性能之间的关系。该研究最终将产生一种高性能、可持续和经济的环氧基纳米复合材料的新型环氧树脂体系。研究小组还将进行分子动力学模拟，以了解和预测环氧树脂/生物粘合剂系统的机械性能。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Epoxy resin is the most prevalent thermoset polymer matrix in the field of polymer composite materials due to its superior properties. It has also been used in versatile industrial applications such as adhesives, electronics, and coatings. Epoxy resin and its common hardeners (curing agents) are currently manufactured in a fossil fuel-based chemical process. In recent years, sustainable or "green" epoxy resin has emerged in scientific publications and in the composite market. However, there are limitations in current green epoxy technologies regarding mechanical performance, cost, and paired curing agent. This award supports development of an epoxy system and value-added composite products from a sustainable source: algae. The research has potential to remediate environmental concern in epoxy composite materials and impact significantly the epoxy-related industry, which is steadily growing these years with a projection of $38.2 billion global market in 2023. This research will enhance the competitiveness of North Carolina A&T State University, the largest public HBCU in the US, in the advanced material research sector. It will also strengthen and expand the education/training and research experiences of undergraduate and graduate students, especially underrepresented African American students, in green materials. The project will generate new information for K-12 level to promote STEM education and create public awareness about environment and sustainable systems. The overall objective of this research is to develop an economic, sustainable and environment-friendly bio-binder from algae through a thermochemical liquefaction process, then directly mix bio-binder with epoxy to completely replace conventional epoxy hardener and partially replace the epoxy resin. The collaborative research team will identify culture conditions of algae, reveal processing parameters of algae thermochemical liquefaction, and optimize manufacturing/curing conditions of the epoxy resin/bio-binder system. Particularly, the research will uncover the relationships among hydrothermal liquefaction parameters, contents of reactive functional groups in bio-binder, degree of cross-linking reaction in the curing process, and final mechanical properties of the cured products. The research will eventually generate a novel epoxy resin system for high-performance, sustainable, and economic epoxy-based nanocomposite materials. The research team will also perform molecular dynamic simulation to understand and predict mechanical properties of the epoxy resin/bio-binder system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.