Revolutionary Super-Responsive Materials
Abstract
The development of switchable, highly responsive materials will revolutionize smart materials applications. The ideal smart, super-responsive materials would be selectively triggered by defined chemical environmental changes to switch their volumes, optical properties, and chemical reactivities. These smart materials will revolutionize chemical sensing and chemical protection devices. The development of super-responsive smart materials is presently impeded by the small responses of existing materials to chemical and physical changes. Only a few materials, such as hydrogels and organogels significantly respond to chemical and physical changes. The development of the next generation of responsive materials is stymied because of the current lack of understanding of the molecular response mechanisms of hydrogel-like materials, and the lack of insights that point the way towards extraordinarily large response mechanisms. The basic research program proposed here will: 1. develop a deep fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) of the thermal volume phase transitions (VPT) of highly responsive hydrogels and organogels; 2. utilize this insight to develop novel super-responsive materials; and 3. develop a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and physics of chemical processes that transform solids and liquids into gases for driving extraordinarily large volume expansions for sensing and smart material responses such as chemical protection.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2016
- Source ID
- HDTRA11510038
Entities
People
- Sanford A Asher
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- University of Pittsburgh