Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Effect Of Composition And Architecture On Polymer Behavior In Homopolymer Blends And Inter-Filament Bonding In 3d Printed Models, Edward Roy Duranty

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents work that increases our understanding of the effects of composition and architecture on copolymer structure and dynamics and how they affect material diffusion between filaments in a 3D printed model. Copolymers are polymer chains made up of at least two different monomers. The ordering and arrangement of the two monomer species within a copolymer can have drastic effects on the behavior and properties of the copolymer.

The first chapter of this dissertation examines how the copolymer composition affects the structure and dynamics of the chain in a homopolymer blend. This study used a modified Monte Carlo BFM …

Tunable Photonic Multilayers From Stimulus-Responsive, Photo-Crosslinkable Polymers, Maria C. Chiappelli

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes the synthesis of photo-crosslinkable copolymers and their utilization for the fabrication and testing of tunable and responsive one-dimensional (1D) photonic multilayers. Photonic multilayers exhibit structural color due to the interference of incident light at layer interfaces, providing a convenient route towards optically responsive materials that do not rely on potentially light- or oxygen-sensitive chromophore-containing pigments and dyes. A fabrication technique based on sequential spin-coating and crosslinking of photo-crosslinkable polymers is used to assemble tunable and responsive photonic multilayers. Chapter One introduces the fundamental underlying principles of 1D photonic structures and explores their importance in a variety of …

Polymer Additives Effects On Structure And Dynamics, Adam Eugene Imel

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents work that expands the understanding of the effect additives have on the structure and dynamics of a polymer matrix. Polymer additives are molecules, nanoparticles or fibers that are added to a polymer to modify the properties of the host polymer. Due to the vast amount of additives available, our studies were limited to C₆₀ (C60), soft polystyrene nanoparticles, and poly(ethylene oxide).

The first part of this project examined the influence that C₆₀ nanoparticles have on the assembly of polyacrylonitrile using small angle and wide-angle x-ray scattering techniques and viscometry. The addition of C₆₀ (C60) …