POLYMER-GRAFTED NANOPARTICLES (PGN) FOR SINGLE COMPONENT HYBRID NANOCOMPOSITES AND INORGANIC-INORGANIC NANOCOMPOSITE MATERIALS
Abstract
Polymer grafted nanoparticles (PGN) with tailored polymer brush canopies will be prepared using a variety of methods including a newly developed water-based method using ARGET-ATRP. These new hybrid materials, combining an inorganic core and a polymer brush canopy, offer solutions for numerous Air Force relevant applications including optical, magnetic, thermal and mechanical materials. By increasing the brush canopy complexity, we will exploit the power of polymer processing to tailor these emerging materials in ways not before achieved. Now that we have mastered large scale PGN synthesis we plan to focus on the chemistry of the polymer canopy to enable not only combinations of inorganic core and polymer brushes but also develop a preceramic brush-ceramic precursor complexes to form inorganic-inorganic hybrids. Thrust 1: Our proposed research program will address the use of PGNs as templating systems for the creation of ceramic nanoparticle building blocks from polymer latices and the creation of core-shell inorganic-inorganic ceramic materials with optical properties suited for mid-wave IR applications. We plan to collaborate with the groups of Dickerson and Fairchild at AFRL to explore new emulsion and PGN materials as ceramic precursors. A common theme of this proposal will be the use of hydrogen bonding. We will use hydrogen bonding to control the interactions of the polymer brushes with ceramic precursors and in our processing of PGN composites and arrays. Thrust 2: We will work synergistically with AFRL (Koerner) on PGN and PGN array characterization using advanced synchrotron scattering methods (e.g. GISAXS) to study core and canopy characteristics. We will use super-resolution microscopy methods such as STORM to identify core structure, canopy location and size and placement of PGNs in nanoparticle arrays. We will study their magnetic and optical properties as part of our toolset for characterization of these new PGNs and PGN arrays.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 20, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502210524
Entities
People
- Christopher Ober
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Cornell University
- United States Air Force