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Structure-Property Relationships In Novel Electrospun Composites For Advanced Applications, Melodie Lawton

Dissertations - ALL

Active polymeric materials that alter shape in response to an external stimulus offer unique avenues for the design and study of dynamic structures. This research focused on developing elastomeric polymer composites with multiple functionalities by exploring the design and properties for various applications including controlled drug delivery and shape memory.

The first part of this dissertation describes the fabrication and characterization of a soft, elastomeric polymeric composite with inherent shape memory properties capable of localized, long-term tunable drug release. In Chapter 2, the fibers were loaded with a hydrophilic drug model, Rhodamine B, and embedded within a siloxane-based elastomeric matrix …

Biodegradable Thermoplastic Elastomers And Smart Composites, Erin Mcmullin

Dissertations - ALL

There is a need for biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers for a variety of medical applications. This dissertation aims at (i) developing and characterizing biodegradable elastomers and (ii) developing and characterizing biodegradable smart composites, both to be used as biomaterials. First, in Chapter 1, an overview was given of the literature of relevant background information on polymers, biomaterials, and previous biodegradable elastomers and responsive elastomeric systems.

The first biodegradable elastomer developed and investigated, as presented in Chapter 2, is a novel thermoplastic polyurethane that has a biodegradable soft segment and a crystalline hard segment (POSS). By varying the composition of the poly(caprolactone)-based …

Mechanically Active Electrospun Materials, Jaimee Marie Robertson

Dissertations - ALL

Electrospinning, a technique used to fabricate small diameter polymer fibers, has been employed to develop unique, active materials falling under two categories: (1) shape memory elastomeric composites (SMECs) and (2) water responsive fiber mats. (1) Previous work has characterized in detail the properties and behavior of traditional SMECs with isotropic fibers embedded in an elastomer matrix. The current work has two goals: (i) characterize laminated anisotropic SMECs and (ii) develop a fabrication process that is scalable for commercial SMEC manufacturing. The former ((i)) requires electrospinning aligned polymer fibers. The aligned fibers are similarly embedded in an elastomer matrix and stacked …