A modular system for melt-processing of thermoplastic polymers: Phase 1 - Control System and Internal Mixer Units

扭矩流变仪由混合器/测量头、转子和软件组成，是热塑性聚合物基材料熔体加工和表征的重要设备，包括聚合物共混物和生物/纳米复合材料。它是一种混合器，允许实验室规模的熔体加工实验获得关于材料流动特性、加工简易性、降解行为和组分混合的数据。申请者的研究项目都与新型热塑性材料的开发和加工有关，这些材料通常从研究它们在各种受控加工条件下的行为开始，这些条件包括温度、时间和外加剪切。随后，必须准备配方，并且必须量化组成和混合时间等参数的影响。我们要求的扭矩流变仪和密炼机将允许所有这些重要的研究。该仪器是我们研究计划的核心，最终将使我们能够优化材料性能，提交专利申请，并与工业合作伙伴一起开发新的商业产品。在加拿大，塑料行业有2434家公司，77 400个工作岗位，发货量为197亿美元(占2010年总发货量的38%)。热塑性塑料是相对便宜的材料，与金属相比重量轻，可以通过共混获得协同性能，性能可以通过添加微/纳米颗粒来增强和/或修改，它们相对容易加工和模压成各种形状等。因此，应用的三个主要部门是包装工业(34%)、建材(26%)和交通/汽车部门(18%)，以及一些技术利基(用于生物医学技术的生物材料、电子等)。申请人目前开发的材料专门针对这些应用领域：新型生物基高性能聚合物混合物、高性能生物/纳米复合材料、用于智能检测包装应用的功能聚合物材料、新型含能材料、用于生物医学/生物技术领域的软多相凝胶材料等。

A torque rheometer equipped with a mixer/measuring head, rotors and softwares is an important apparatus for the melt processing and characterization of thermoplastic polymer based materials, including polymer blends and bio/nanocomposites. It is a mixer that allows laboratory scale melt processing experiments to obtain data on material flow properties, ease of processing, degradation behavior and blending of components. The applicants' research programs are all related to the development and processing of novel thermoplastic based materials, which usually start by studying their behavior at various controlled processing conditions of temperature, time and applied shear. Subsequently, formulations must be prepared, and the impact of parameters such as composition and mixing time must be quantified. The torque rheometer and internal mixer we request will allow all of these important studies. This instrument, central to our research programs, will ultimately allow us to optimize material properties, to submit patent applications, and to develop new commercial products with industrial partners. In Canada, the plastics industry comprises 2434 companies, 77 400 jobs for 19.7 B$ in shipments (38% of total shipments in 2010). Thermoplastic based materials are relatively inexpensive materials, lightweight compared to metals, synergistic properties can be obtained by blending, properties can be reinforced and/or modified by the addition of micro/nanoparticles, they are relatively easy to process and mold into various shapes, etc. As a result, the three main sectors of applications are the packaging industry (34%), building materials (26%) and the transportation/automotive sector (18%), with a number of technological niches (biomaterials for biomedical technologies, electronics, etc.). The materials currently developed by the applicants specifically target these fields of applications: new bio-based high performance polymer blends, high-performance bio/nanocomposites, functional polymer materials for smart detection packaging applications, new energetic materials, soft multiphase gel materials for the biomedical/biotechnology fields, etc.