Reactive and Conventional Extrusion of Polymeric Materials

挤出成型是一种非常重要的聚合物加工技术。传统挤出包括将聚合物材料熔融、均化和成型成连续的最终塑料产品，如薄膜和纤维。反应挤出(REX)将前面提到的操作与熔融聚合物中的反应(S)相结合，目的是生产具有增强性能的新材料。典型的应用包括反应性混合，在其他惰性聚合物上添加官能团，以及改变分子量和结构。每个操作都受材料特性和加工条件之间的潜在相互作用的制约。 拟议研究计划的主旨是对工业上重要的反应性和常规聚合物加工操作中的这些相互作用的基本理解。对这些复杂现象的了解可以导致先进聚合物挤出工艺的优化设计和操作，以生产具有增强性能的新型聚合物材料/结构。 本申请中提出的研究工作的目标是研究：(I)聚合物化学改性的反应挤出操作，(Ii)电池隔膜应用的塑料薄膜挤出操作，以及(Iii)机械超材料塑料薄膜的挤出操作。作为这些研究的结果，将开发工艺模型，以将应用特性与工艺条件联系起来。 拟议的研究计划将增进我们在聚合物挤出技术领域的知识，更具体地说，将在用于改性现有聚合物的反应聚合物挤出的重要部门，以及用于电池隔膜的塑料薄膜和机械塑料超材料薄膜的生产领域。这些知识将有助于聚合物化学改性、薄膜挤出和新型超材料薄膜生产操作相关技术的发展，从而提高加拿大工业的竞争力。这些都是塑料行业认为对塑料和塑料复合材料下一阶段技术和市场发展至关重要的要素。HQP将在建议的研究领域工作，将获得聚合物生产和加工行业所需的聚合物挤出、聚合物流变学和聚合物表征方面的独特技能/知识。这将使他们成为这个行业研究和制造职位上非常有价值和令人向往的员工。

Extrusion is a very important polymer processing technique. Conventional extrusion involves melting, homogenizing and shaping of polymeric materials into continuous final plastic products such as films and fibres. Reactive extrusion (REX) combines the previously mentioned operations with reaction(s) in the molten polymer for the purpose of producing new materials with enhanced properties. Typical applications involve reactive blending, addition of functional groups on otherwise inert polymers, and modification of molecular weight and structure. Each operation is governed by underlying interactions between material properties and processing conditions. The main thrust in the proposed research program is the fundamental understanding of these interactions in industrially important reactive and conventional polymer processing operations. Understanding of these complex phenomena can lead to optimal design and operation of advanced polymer extrusion processes for the purpose of producing novel polymeric materials/structures with enhanced properties. The objectives of the research work proposed in this application are to study: : (i) reactive extrusion operations for the chemical modification of polymers, (ii) plastic film extrusion operations for battery separator applications, and (iii) extrusion operations for mechanical metamaterial plastic films. As a result of these studies, process models will be developed to relate application properties to processing conditions. The proposed research plan will advance our knowledge in the area of polymer extrusion technology and more specifically in the important sectors of reactive polymer extrusion for modification of existing polymers and the area of production of plastic films for battery separators and mechanical plastic metamaterial films. Such knowledge will boost the competitiveness of the Canadian industry by helping in the evolution of technology related to polymer chemical modification, film extrusion and novel metamaterial film production operations. These are elements deemed crucial by the plastics industry for the next phase of technical and market development in plastics and plastic composites. HQP who will work in the proposed research areas will acquire the unique skills/knowledge in polymer extrusion, polymer rheology, and polymer characterization required by the polymer production and processing industry. This will make them highly valuable and desirable employees in both research and manufacturing positions in this industry.