Nanomaterials and nanostructures are already revolutionizing many areas of the US manufacturing. Several composite products containing nanomaterials are also being introduced into a consumer market. However, developing new Nano products, while ensuring safety of consumers, is a very critical task to safeguard competitive and sustainable development of the US nanomanufacturing. The objective of this project is to address the knowledge gap in stability and rate of release of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) encapsulated in polymers under the influence of environmental factors. This information will be vital in designing stable and safe nanocomposites while reformulating the ones potentially posing the health risks.
Polymer materials reinforced with these nanomaterials are now at the verge of transforming many industries. These new nanocomposites benefit from many unique properties of CNTs, which can deliver extraordinary stiffness, reduction in weight, increased strength and resilience. Although CNTs are considered potentially hazardous, they are often viewed as safe when encapsulated into the polymer matrix. However, systematic research to confirm the abovementioned paradigm is lacking, despite the potential risks of released nanomaterials to human health and environment. Our preliminary data indicate that there is substantial degradation of CNTs -polymer composites due to exposure to environmental factors, especially UV radiation and moisture, leading to potential pathways for CNTs release. In the proposed research the PI will conduct a systematic study of stability of nanocomposites exposed to single and multiple environmental factors, while accurately quantifying the rates of nanomaterials release. A very distinct aspect of the proposed research is a comprehensive evaluation of nanocomposites in terms of their performance and functionality (mechanical testing), long term stability (environmental exposure and spectroscopic/microscopy characterization) and toxicity measurements. These three aspects will give an unprecedented level of detail to evaluate environmental and health risks of nanocomposites with the most promising functional properties.
This project will significantly impact nanotoxicology, environmental engineering, materials science and green chemistry/engineering areas through evaluation of various strategies for delivering functional nanocomposites with reduced health and environmental impacts. These approaches are designed to make timely contributions to a basic understanding of the environmental health and safety of nanotechnology. They will also make a notable contribution to ensuring the competitiveness of the US nanomanufacturing industry. During the course of this project students will gain fundamental and applied knowledge in many areas of science and engineering encompassing environmental health and safety of nanotechnology. By utilizing innovative on-line tools we will reach underrepresented groups, including students from minority and economically disadvantaged communities as well as females. All these activities will establish a good foundation to achieve notable broader impacts of this proposal.
