Polymer Chemistry Commons^™

Morphology-Property Relationship For Binary Organic Thin Films, Alyssa Lynn Griffin

Master's Theses

Organic thin films can be readily mass-produced through solution-based fabrication methods including ink-printing and solution-casting because their light weight, flexibility, and inexpensive sources. Their applications range from organic field-effect transistors (OFET), organic solar cells (OSC), to organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Compared with pure component films, binary organic thin films (BOTF) allows for novel characteristics and specialized features to handle more demanding tasks. Due to the complex intermolecular interactions in BOTF, various microscopic phases with different morphological and electronic properties may be formed and this information is difficult to extract through conventional bulk measurements.

Organic thin films can be readily …

Biomimetic Adhesive Thiol-Ene Films For Improved Adhesion, Laken L. Kendrick

Honors Theses

Current dental restoration materials fall short in adhesion and often pull away from the surface of the tooth upon curing. This project seeks to design polymers that can adhere to wet, heterogeneous surfaces as potential materials for dental restoration applications. The goal of this project is to mimic the structure and adhesive properties of natural adhesives containing 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (DOPA). We will synthesize mono- and di-functional DOPA derivatives with catechol functionality and investigate their adhesion compared to their non-catechol-containing alternative through incorporation into a model thiol-ene photopolymerization. Functional group conversion, real time kinetics, and adhesion data will be used to analyze …

Analysis Of The Mechanical Properties Of Dgebf/4,4’-Dds Thermoset Systems As A Function Of Cure Rate, Chase B. Thompson

Honors Theses

The relationship between macroscopic mechanical and thermal properties and ramp rate during cure of epoxy-amine systems consisting of the epoxide resin digylcidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF, provided Hexion specialty chemicals) and 4,4-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (4,4-DDS, provided by Atul Sulpho) were probed using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS), and compression testing. These systems were cured in a programmable oven; the samples were heated from 35°C to 180°C at ramp rates of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10, and 15°C/min. Even as the ramp rates during the cure of these materials was changed, there was very little …

Polymerization Of Blocked Isocyanate Functional Polymer Surfaces And Post-Polymerization Modification By Thiol-Isocyanate Reactions, Chase A. Tretbar

Honors Theses

Direct polymerization of isocyanate-functional monomers has been achieved with controlled radical polymerizations (CRP) for precisely engineered modification platforms with highly reactive side chains. However, despite the success of these strategies, the inherent reactivity of isocyanates still leads to adverse side reactions, such as hydrolysis, that are difficult to suppress. Phenol, lactam, and oxime-based blocking agents have been used to limit the reactivity of isocyanates in applications such as multicomponent urethane coating systems. The reactivity of these blocked isocyanates can be restored by thermal deprotection of the blocking agent to achieve the desired reactions. In this work, we use blocked isocyanate-functional …

Mechanochemical Investigation Of A Glassy Epoxy-Amine Thermoset Subjected To Fatigue, Stephen Finley Foster

Dissertations

Covalent bonds in organic molecules can be produced, altered, and broken through various sources of energy and processes. These include photochemical, thermochemical, chemical, and mechanochemical processes. Polymeric materials derive their physical properties from the time scale of motion, summation of intermolecular forces, and number of chain entanglements and crosslinks. Glassy thermoset polymers experience mechanical fatigue during dynamic stress loading and properties diminish with inevitable material failure at stress levels below the ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Damage modeling has been successful in predicting the number of cycles required to induce failure in a specimen due to stress. However, it does not …

Aqueous Raft Polymerization Of Glycopolymers For Peptide Interaction Studies And Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics For Antimicrobial Activity And Selectivity Studies, Sarah Elizabeth Exley

Dissertations

The first section of this work describes the synthesis and characterization of novel glycopolymers synthesized to model GM1 gangliosides, a glycolipid found in neuronal cells. Glucose and galactose were attached to N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide, using chemistry that granted control over the stereochemistry at the C1’ carbon of each saccharide, and polymerized via aqueous RAFT (aRAFT). Homopolymers, targeting either 30 or 300 DP, and copolymers, with N-dimethyl acrylamide, were prepared as a glycopolymer platform for investigation of amyloid β (Aβ), a naturally occurring peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease, aggregation. Aβ aggregation kinetics and aggregate size in the presence of glycopolymer were determined. …

Continuous Polymer Reactor Design, David Sujay Kingsley

Dissertations

Twin screw extruders can be used as continuous polymer reactors to process polymers, which are conventionally made through batch reactors. Batch processes have certain undesirable qualities such as improper mixing and the inability to precisely control the reaction, which leads to variation between batches and potential exotherms. The work presented in this dissertation investigates the use of continuous polymer reactor designs to efficiently process renewable sourced thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), and prepreg epoxy matrix prepolymers.

The overall goal of this research is to highlight the modularity of twin screw extruders as continuous polymer reactors to synthesize the relevant polymers. Chapter I …

Utilization Of Aqueous Raft Prepared Copolymers To Improve Anticancer Drug Efficacy, Andrew Christopher Holley

Dissertations

The advent of controlled radical polymerization (CRP) techniques, along with advancements in facile conjugation chemistry, now allow synthetic tailoring of precise, polymeric architectures necessary for drug/gene delivery. Reversible addition- fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and its aqueous counterpart (aRAFT) afford quantitative control over key synthetic parameters including block length, microstructure, and placement of structo-pendent and structo-terminal functionality for conjugation of active agents and targeting moieties. The relevance of water-soluble and amphiphilic (co)polymers synthesized by RAFT for in vitro delivery of therapeutics in biological fluids is an especially attractive feature. In many cases, polymerization, binding, conjugation, …

Tuning Responsiveness Of Polypeptide Based Block Copolymers For Drug Delivery, Ashley J. Johnson

Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to tune the pH response and self-assembled morphologies of amphiphilic polypeptide block copolymers for use as drug delivery vehicles. Poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-glutamtic acid) are responsive, ionizable polypeptides that undergo secondary structure transitions, from α-helix to random coil, whereby the change in conformation of the peptide chain results in changes to the global morphology of a self-assembled system. The main focus of this work was to understand how changes in the polymer composition and the local environment can lead to control over the behavior of the overall system. First, the responsive behavior of poly(L-lysine) block …

Investigation Of Glassy State Molecular Motions In Thermoset Polymers, Jianwei Tu

Dissertations

This dissertation presents the investigation of the glassy state molecular motions in isomeric thermoset epoxies by means of solid-state deuterium (²H) NMR spectroscopy technique. The network structure of crosslinked epoxies was altered through monomer isomerism; specifically, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was cured with isomeric amine curatives, i.e., the meta-substituted diaminodiphenylsulfone (33DDS) and para-substituted diaminodiphenylsulfone (44DDS). The use of structural isomerism provided a path way for altering macroscopic material properties while maintaining identical chemical composition within the crosslinked networks.

The effects of structural isomerism on the glassy state molecular motions were studied using solid-state ²H …

Computational And Experimental Investigation Into Yield Behavior And Cure Rate Dependence Of Thermoset Polymers, Christopher Harold Childers

Dissertations

This dissertation is broken down into two primary sections: firstly, the development and improvement of molecular dynamics simulations of thermoset matrix polymers including their use in understanding molecular response to applied strain deformation and secondly, the discernment of a cure heating ramp rate dependence of the final molecular and macro-molecular properties of thermoset matrix polymer.

The molecular dynamics section will discuss the development of molecular dynamics simulations of thermoset epoxy/amine matrix polymers, and the implementation of this work to determine the underlying molecular level events that cause thermoset matrix polymer yield. It will report a novel method for the determination …

Study Of The Structure-Property Relationships That Determine The Effects Of Latexes And Starch Containing Latex Emulsions On The Performance Of The Barrier Coatings (Sub-Coat) For Paper, Joanna Marie Monfils

Master's Theses

The history of carbonless paper dates back to the 1940s. Before this, a carbon copy sheet was needed between sheets of paper to be able to produce one or more copies simultaneously during writing. The pressure from a pen or typewriter would help deposit the ink of the carbon paper onto the blank sheet of paper under the original written sheet to create a “carbon copy.” This method did however, have its disadvantages. Not only did it produce a limited number of copies, but it was also a messy process. So came the creative process of using microencapsulated dyes to …

Effects Of Varying The Cure Profiles Of An Epoxy-Amine System, Patrick W. Hollingsworth

Honors Theses

The cure of an epoxy prepolymer with an amine hardener induces stress in thermosetting systems. The extent of residual stresses in the cured epoxy-amine thermosets are dependent on several factors; one of which is the cure profile utilized. The effect of cure profile on cure induced stresses of an epoxy-amine thermoset was examined in the current study. A difunctional epoxide based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) and a tetrafunctional amine curative were used to conduct this study. Two cure profiles were selected to prepare samples of varying degrees of stress in the cured thermosets. The first was constant heating …

Raft Polymerization Of Sulfonamide-Containing Methacrylamides, Michael B. Sims

Honors Theses

Targeted delivery of cancer therapeutics offers an exciting new opportunity for utilization of controlled polymerization techniques. However, a major obstacle in achieving the desired therapeutic effect is facilitating endosomal release of active agents following endocytosis. Peptides and pH-responsive polymers have been utilized as a means of triggering endosomal release via phase transition-induced membrane disruption. Unfortunately, the fidelity by which the pKa of these polymers/peptides can be varied is limited, such that it reduces their versatility in altering the phase transition point to best match the endosomal pH of a particular cell-type. Herein, we report the controlled polymerization of library of …

Design And Synthesis Of Flexible And Functional Polybenzoxazine Thin Films, Austin David Baranek

Dissertations

Polybenzoxazines offer the unique ability to incorporate a variety of properties and functionality into a single polymer network through simple synthetic techniques. However, within benzoxazine materials exist certain drawbacks of which brittleness is the primary issue when exploring thin film applications. This brittleness leads to poor mechanical stability and would reduce the lifetime of any device sought after. It is, however, through the simplistic nature of the benzoxazine monomer synthesis that the mechanical stability could be addressed chemically, avoiding the complications of using rubber toughening agents or plasticizers. The monomer synthesis offers tailorability of both the phenol and amine to …

In Situ Quenching And Post-Polymerization Modification Of Telechelic Polyisobutylene, Todd Raymond Hartlage

Dissertations

Polyisobutylene (PIB) is a saturated hydrocarbon elastomer that can only be produced by cationic polymerization. The water-initiated, chain transfer controlled synthesis conducted on an industrial scale produces monofunctional PIB with mixed olefin end groups. Living cationic techniques produce mono- and di-functional telechelic PIB. In situ quenching is the process of adding functional molecules to the polymerization reactor after all monomer is consumed. These quencher species bond to the chain ends, installing their latent functionality onto the polymer chain. To date, all quenchers utilized have been soft π-nucleophiles.

In the first project, free thiols, both aromatic and aliphatic, are shown to …

Relation Between The Adsorption Behavior And Bulk Complexation In Oppositely Charged Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Systems: Effect Of Polyelectrolyte Concentration, Molecular Weight, Charge Localization And Backbone Rigidity/Hydrophobicity, Vipul Suhas Padman

Dissertations

Due to a wide range of applications, much emphasis has been placed on understanding the physicochemical behavior of polyelectrolyte/surfactant complexes, both at air-water interface and in the bulk. However, the correlation between the adsorption behavior and complexation in the bulk is less explored. In this research, this correlation is investigated and its dependence on polyelectrolyte concentration, molecular weight, charge localization and backbone rigidity and hydrophobicity is studied. The polyelectrolyte concentration is normalized with respect to it critical overlap concentration in order to compare the polymer in same concentration regime. Different polyelectrolyte systems were used to analyze the polyelectrolyte structural effect: …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polyisobutylene-Block-Polyamides As Novel Thermoplastic Elastomers, Lauren Renee Kucera

Dissertations

Academic research has focused on two main areas of the living carbocationic polymerization (LCP) of isobutylene (IB): (1) the in-depth study and understanding of mechanistic features of the polymerization, and (2) the utilization and manipulation of the unique aspects of PIB in order to produce practically useful polymeric materials. The research included in this dissertation focuses mainly on the latter objective. This work details three main areas of research: (1) the copolymerization of PIB and polyamides (PA) to form novel thermoplastic elastsomers (TPEs), (2) the mechanical, physical and thermal properties of the novel PIB-PA materials, and (3) the use of …

Direct Chain-End Functionalization Of Living Polyisobutylene With Phenoxyalkyl(Meth)Acrylates, Conor Patrick Roche

Master's Theses

This volume describes efforts toward the synthesis and employment of phenoxyalkyl (meth)acrylates, which were used to end-quench 1sobutylene polymers m1tiated from 2-chloro-2,4,4-tnmethylpentane (TMPCl), and 5-tert-butyl-1 ,3-d1(1-chlorol- methylethyl)benzene (bDCC), respectively, at -70 °C in 40/60 (v/v) hexane/methyl chlonde. The quencher/cham end molar rat10s typically ranged from 2.5-4, while the ratio of Lewis ac1d/cham end was vaned from approximately 3 5-6 In all cases, alkylation occurred exclusively at the para position of the quencher and no cham degradat10n was observed, even at high concentrations of TiC14 and long reaction times. Prellmmary qualitative studies mvolved the reaction of quenchers of varymg alkyl tether …

Photopolymerization And Characterization Of Modified Thiol-Ene Networks, Bradley James Sparks

Dissertations

Photopolymerization provides a unique ability to control variables typically uncontrollable using traditional thermally initiated polymerization, thus leading to its use in a broad range of commercial operations. Many of the traditional photopolymers suffer from several setbacks, including oxygen inhibition, unwanted stress buildup which leads to bulk shrinkage, etc., which ultimately lead to diminished polymer performance. The photopolymerization of multifunctional thiols and alkenes has been shown to provide a means to improve upon the weaknesses of traditional photoinitiated polymerizations. The free radical polymerization of thiol and –ene monomers occurs via a series of free radical chain transfer events, as a result, …

Dynamic Bioactive Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Surfaces, Heather Marie Pearson

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the design, synthesis, and development of antimicrobial and anticoagulant surfaces of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) polymers. Aliphatic polymeric surfaces of PE and PP polymers functionalized using click chemistry reactions by the attachment of –COOH groups via microwave plasma reactions followed by functionalization with alkyne moieties. Azide containing ampicillin (AMP) was synthesized and subsequently clicked into the alkyne prepared PE and PP surfaces. Compared to non-functionalized PP and PE surfaces, the AMP clicked surfaces exhibited substantially enhanced antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. To expand the biocompatibility of polymeric surface …

Biological And Biologically Inspired Polymers For Interface Modification, Lea Clayton Paslay

Dissertations

Naturally occurring macromolecules are produced for a specific function and have the selectivity to accomplish objectives with little waste in energy. The scientific community strives to develop smart, efficient molecules on an economical scale, thus lessons can be learned from nature and applied to cost effective synthetic systems. First, the mimicry of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) will be described. AMPs show great potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics as they can selectively bind and eliminate pathogenic bacteria without harming eukaryotic tissues. Aqueous reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was utilized to prepare primary and tertiary amine containing AMP polymer …

Investigations Toward Tunability Of Mechanical, Thermal, And Impact Properties Of Thiol-Ene Networks For Novel High Energy Absorbing Materials, Olivia Devon Mcnair

Dissertations

The UV polymerization of thiols with electron rich alkenes is a highly resourceful reaction that has been utilized by scientists within various disciplines to produce an even more versatile display of applications. This dissertation focuses on a newer application, thiol-ene network (TEN) materials for energy absorption devices. TEN networks display a host of positive polymer properties such as low stress, high optical clarity and uniformity, but they also suffer from unfavorable mechanical properties such as low toughness and elongation at break. The poor mechanical properties demonstrated by TENs prohibit them as choice materials for applications requiring thicker material forms, including …

Synthesis Of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (Poss) Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes For Improved Dispersion In Polyurethane Films, Xiaonan Kou

Dissertations

Carbon nanotube (CNT) polymer nanocomposites are promising advanced materials. These materials exhibit the advantages of traditional polymeric materials, such as being light weight and easy to process, combined with the potential to exhibit enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties compared to pure polymers. To achieve substantial improvement of composite properties at low CNT loading, uniform dispersion of CNTs in the polymer matrix and strong CNT-polymer interfacial interaction are needed. However, it is difficult to achieve adequate dispersion and interfacial interactions due to the inert nature of CNTs. In this project, polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane (POSS) will be used as a dispersing …

Nanoparticle Filled Polymeric Systems For Gas Barrier And Flame Retardant Properties, Yingji Wu

Dissertations

Polymer composite gas barrier and fire retardant properties were studied in this investigation. An increase in the gas barrier property was observed by adding silicate nanotubes or clay nanoparticles into polymeric systems. Oxygen permeability, diffusivity, solubility and water vapor permeability were determined for polyimide/silicate nanocomposites with 0 to 9.99% (vol/vol) filler loading. Both oxygen and water vapor permeability for the system gradually decreased when adding increasing amounts of nanofiller up to 4.50% (vol/vol) and increase again after that. The permeability decrease was caused by both the diffusivity and solubility coefficient changes, although diffusivity (the tortuous factor) is the main reason …

Relationships Between Cure Kinetics, Network Architecture, And Fluid Sensitivity In Glassy Epoxies, Katherine Lea Frank

Dissertations

Relationships between chemical structure, cure kinetics, network morphology and free volume have been correlated with fluid ingress for glassy epoxy network blends. Polymers synthesized from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-F (DGEBF) were blended with varying amounts of triglycidyl-m-aminophenol (TGAP), tetraglycidyl-4,4-diaminodiphenylmethane (TGMP), napthylamine (NA), adamantylamine (AA), and aminopropylisobutyl polyhedral oliogmericsilsesquioxane (AI-POSS) and cured with 3,3’- and 4,4’- diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) to control fractional free volume, average hole size and morphology.

Varying curing profiles introduced morphological changes resulting in differences in network architectures. Epoxy with 10% NA had a smaller V_h (71 ų) …

Utilizing Polymer Topology In Peptide-Based Block Copolymers: Unique Aqueous Assembly And Responsive Behavior, Jacob Griffin Ray

Dissertations

This document details work in the area of amphiphilic polypeptide-based block copolymers that are able to self-assemble into well-defined nanostructures in aqueous solution. The main focus of this work is to understand the impacts of polymer topology on self-assembly behavior and response to external stimulus, particularly pH. Poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-glutamic acid) are two pH-responsive, hydrophilic polypeptides that possess the unique property of undergoing α-helix to random coil secondary structure transitions with pH, and this responsiveness can lead to global morphology changes such as changes in aggregate size or even morphology transitions. These polypeptides are synthesized via ring opening polymerization of …

Understanding Corrosion Protection And Failure Through Model Polymers In Thin Films, Joshua Smith Hanna

Dissertations

When developing a model polymeric system to facilitate in the detection of molecular and microscopic events that preface macroscopic corrosive failure; a better understanding of how polymers can indicate corrosion was accomplished. Initially, the thought that molecular chain scission as a necessity for corrosion to occur had to be tested. Through the utilization of high molecular weight thermoplastic (HMWTP) model polymers, it was found that corrosion protection did not correlate to the quantity of weak bonds within an epoxy-amine polymer matrix. Therefore more sensitive methods of detecting corrosion had to be developed since changes within the polymer matrix did not …

Polymer Surface Engineering Via Thiol-Mediated Reactions, Ryan Matthew Hensarling

Dissertations

Synthesis of polymer brushes to decorate a surface with desired functionality typically involves surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) of functional, but non-reactive monomers. This approach suffers major drawbacks associated with synthesizing sufficiently thick polymer brushes containing surface-attached polymer chains of high molecular weight at high grafting density (i.e. cost, synthetic effort and functional group intolerance during polymerization). The research herein seeks to circumvent these limitations by the decoration of surfaces with polymer chains bearing specific pendent functional groups amenable to post-polymerization modification (PPM). In particular, this dissertation leverages PPM via a specific class of click reactions – thiol-click – that 1) enables …

Magnesium-Based Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection Coatings (Mg-Rich Primers) For Aluminum Alloys, Shashi S. Pathak, Sharathmukar K. Mendon, Michael D. Blanton, James W. Rawlins

Faculty Publications

Magnesium is electrochemically the most active metal employed in common structural alloys of iron and aluminum. Mg is widely used as a sacrificial anode to provide cathodic protection of underground and undersea metallic structures, ships, submarines, bridges, decks, aircraft and ground transportation systems. Following the same principle of utilizing Mg characteristics in engineering advantages in a decade-long successful R&D effort, Mg powder is now employed in organic coatings (termed as Mg-rich primers) as a sacrificial anode pigment to protect aerospace grade aluminum alloys against corrosion. Mg-rich primers have performed very well on aluminum alloys when compared against the current chromate …