Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Highly Conductive, Flexible, And 3d-Printable Carbon Nanotube-Elastomer Ink For Additive Bio-Manufacturing, Andy Shar, Phillip Glass, Daeha Joung Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Posters

The synthesis of a highly conductive, flexible, 3D-printable, and biocompatible ink has been of great interest in the field of bio-based additive manufacturing. Various applications include ultra-sensitive, microscale tactile sensors, patient-customizable scaffolds for cardiac and nerve tissue regeneration, and flexible electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes. Here, a novel elastomeric carbon nanocomposite is presented consisting of amino-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT-NH₂) homogenously dispersed in a one-part room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone matrix. The use of acetone as a swelling solvent aids in electrical percolation through the elastomer matrix. CNT-NH₂ ratios can be tuned to fit various needs; higher tensile strength is favored …

Thermoelectric Transport In Disordered Organic And Inorganic Semiconductors, Meenakshi Upadhyaya

Doctoral Dissertations

The need for alternative energy sources has led to extensive research on optimizing the conversion efficiency of thermoelectric (TE) materials. TE efficiency is governed by figure-of-merit (ZT) and it has been an enormously challenging task to increase ZT > 1 despite decades of research due to the interdependence of material properties. Most doped inorganic semiconductors have a high electrical conductivity and moderate Seebeck coefficient, but ZT is still limited by their high lattice thermal conductivity. One approach to address this problem is to decrease thermal conductivity by means of alloying and nanostructuring, another is to consider materials with an inherently low …

Influence Of High Aspect Ratio Nanoparticle Filler Addition On Piezoelectric Nanocomposites, Jeremy A. Armas

Master's Theses

Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) are a new class of energy harvesting materials that show potential as a direct energy source for low powered electronics. Recently, piezoelectric polymers have been utilized for PNG technology due to low toxicity, high flexibility, and facile solution processing which provide manufacturing opportunities such as screen printing. Throughout the last decade, countless projects have focused on how to enhance the energy harvesting capabilities of these PNGs through the incorporation of nanoparticle fillers, which have been reported to enhance the piezoelectric properties of the film either directly through their intrinsic piezoelectric properties or through acting as surfaces for …

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Phosphate Glass Matrix Nanocomposites With Additional Chapter On Phosphate Glass-Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Matrix Composites, Kyoungtae Kim

Dissertations

Preparation and characterization of tin fluorophosphate glass (Pglass) matrix nanocomposites incorporating polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) were investigated on the structural, thermal, morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties. Various processes including synthesis, extrusion and sintering processes were applied to prepare the nanocomposite samples. Another application of POSS with hydrophobic functional groups on the well-structured nanoscale silicate cage with three silanol groups was investigated to present the feasibility to use POSS molecule as a coating material on the surface of the hydrophilic inorganic glass. In addition, Poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymer matrix composites incorporating Pglass was studied to present the benefits of the Pglass with …

Polymer Nanocomposites Containing High Aspect Ratio Particulates: Innovation In Co-Extruded Multilayer Barrier Films, Kevin Meyers

Dissertations

Delaminated montmorillonite (MMT) clay/ maleic anhydride grafted LLDPE nanocomposite multilayer films with alternating layers of LDPE were produced through multilayer co-extrusion. The MMT concentration within the nanocomposite layers was increased through annealing the films in the melt due to a mismatch in interdiffusion rates of the polymer layers. Analysis of the nanocomposite layers upon annealing revealed that the platelets impinged upon one another resulting in significant improvement in oxygen barrier in the multilayer system, exceeding the results of bulk nanocomposites.

Model analysis demonstrated that increasing the nanoplatelet aspect ratio or initial concentration in the filled layers would lead to even …

Graphene Nanoribbons And Their Polymeric Nanocomposites: Controlled Synthesis, Characterization And Applications, Nada M. Aljehany

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Carbon based materials are very promising as electrode materials energy generation and storage devices. They have been used for fuel cells, supercapacitors and solar cells. Among the carbon-based materials, graphene is very attractive due to its unique properties such as high electrical conductivity, good mechanical flexibility, large theoretical surface area (2630 m²/g), and high thermal and chemical stability. These unique properties make them very suitable for energy storage applications particularly for supercapacitors. The performance of the graphene as energy storage material could be further improved by growing them in nanoribbon form by unzipping carbon nanotubes. In this thesis, …

Preparation And Characterization Of Thermodynamically Controlled Polymer Nanocomposites, Jiadi Hou

Masters Theses

The mechanical and physical properties of polymeric materials can be greatly improved by adding nanoscale additives. To mediate the dispersion of nanoparticles in polymers, it is often necessary to modify their surfaces to prevent aggregation. While polymer nanocomposites system consisting of homopolymer-grafted nanoparticles are well understood, copolymer-functionalized nanoparticles are less well understood but provide additional ways to alter dispersion through the use of chemically different comonomers. In this thesis, polystyrene nanocomposites blended with copolymer-grafted nanoparticles were prepared and studied. The particular comonomers used were methyl methacrylate and cyclohexyl methacrylate, which provides miscibility with polystyrene. Polymers with varying comonomer ratios were …

Controlling Nanoparticle Dispersion For Nanoscopic Self-Assembly, Nathan S. Starkweather

Master's Theses

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter and devices on the nanometer scale. Below the critical dimension length of 100nm, materials begin to display vastly different properties than their macro- or micro- scale counterparts. The exotic properties of nanomaterials may trigger the start of a new technological revolution, similar to the electronics revolution of the late 20^th century. Current applications of nanotechnology primarily make use of nanoparticles in bulk, often being made into composites or mixtures. While these materials have fantastic properties, organization of nano and microstructures of nanoparticles may allow the development of novel devices with many unique properties. …

The Importance Of Chain Connectivity In The Formation Of Non-Covalent Interactions Between Polymers And Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Its Impact On Dispersion, Dias Linton

Doctoral Dissertations

Polymer nanocomposites have garnered incredible promise in the field of material science due to the excellent mechanical strength, thermal and electrical conductivities of the nanoparticles and the extension of these properties to the processing flexibility inherent to plastics. However, practical realization of these nanoparticle-based materials has been hindered by the tendency of these nanoparticles to aggregate as a result of strong inter-particle forces. In this dissertation, we investigate the formation of non-covalent charge transfer interactions between polymers and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with the goal of optimizing interfacial adhesion and homogeneity of nanocomposites without modifying the SWNT native surface.

Nanocomposites …