Responsive Polymer Assembly at the Mesoscale
Abstract
Major goals of the project involve the preparation of novel, responsive mesoscale polymers (MSPs) by flow coating processes, affording ribbon-like structures at multiple length scales (macroscale length, sub-micron width, and nanoscale height). During the prior funding period, we developed a piezoelectric flow-coating process for the fabrication of well-defined, responsive structures intended to reflect the behavior of polymers at the single chain (nanoscale) level but in this work giving structures observable through simple optical microscopy techniques. This report focuses on work towards achieving goals in collaborative chemistry and materials aspects of MSPs, including: 1) a new continuous flow coating method that uses a piezoelectric actuator to control the mechanism of capillary break, paving the way for scalable, roll-to-roll MSP fabrication; and 2) the preparation of MSPs that respond to selected triggers, focusing specifically on solvent polarity and ionic strength of solution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 04, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF1410185
Entities
People
- Todd Emrick
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Massachusetts Amherst