This collaborative research project proposes to support work by research teams from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the University of Akron (UA) on fundamentals of nanocomposite formation by a bottom-up self-assembly approach from dispersions of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) molecules in several thermoplastic polymers. These nanocomposite materials will have the processing ease of unfilled polymers and will be suitable for manufacturing of articles with micro- and nano-scale features by high-speed injection molding, fiber spinning, and thermoforming. The fundamentals developed in this work will offer superior alternatives to most ?top-down? polymer nanocomposites, where orders of magnitude increase in viscosity over that of the host polymers is a norm and achieving nanoscale dispersion is a challenge. The degree of nanofiller/polymer and nanofiller/nanofiller interactions will be governed by the choice of polymer systems and POSS grades. A continuous single screw chaotic mixing device with peak shear rate in the range 50-100s-1 will render POSS nanoparticles oriented in the form of spheres of ~50 nm dia, long fibrils with ~5 nm dia, and/or lamellas of ~5 nm thickness. The hierarchical structures and the nanoparticle morphology and orientation will be correlated with mechanical and thermal properties.
The research program brings together research teams with complementary expertise from CWRU and the UA and provides common platform to collaborate freely and seamlessly. Undergraduate researchers from CWRU, UA, and from the currently NSF-funded summer REU programs at these schools will participate in the proposed research. Every effort will be made to ensure that a diverse mixture of American students, including female and underrepresented minority students are included at each educational level of the team.
