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| Texas NanoEnergy Collaborative |
Principal Investigator
Ramanan Krishnamoorti [ Bio]
Associate Dean, Research
University of Houston Cullen School of Engineering
Project Period: 06/01/2007 - 09/30/2008
One of the most important challenges is the development of materials and material systems for the next generation of space vehicles and space systems is the development of light weight materials with enhanced mechanical properties and tailored multifunctionality such as self-monitoring or self-healing incorporated. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), and layers of graphite because of their outstanding set of mechanical, electrical, optical, physical and chemical properties are excellent candidates for incorporation into polymeric systems as nano-inclusions that can render multi-functional property changes. A significant challenge in obtaining the predicted property enhancements arises from the difficulty in dispersing such nanoparticles in the polymer matrix and further complicated by an uncertain nature of the mechanical interaction between the matrix and the nano-inclusion.
Two developments in our laboratories, namely, the development of highly dispersed SWNTs and graphite in polymers and further to tailor and control interactions between the polymer matrix and the nano-inclusions by careful choice of functionalization route have rendered a wide range of multi-functional materials possible. We wish to extend the research and developments in lab scale systems to large-scale prototype development, where demonstrated improvements in mechanical properties and sensing/healing can be exploited.
Our proposal aims to address: (a) The outstanding results obtained for poly(-caprolactone) will be extended to commercially more relevant systems including nylon 6,6 and polyimide based systems. The notion will be built on the use of non-covalent functionalization of nanotubes using compatibilizing surfactants. (b) Demonstration of outstanding mechanical properties and self-sensing and self-healing (especially for the polyimide work) in large scale systems produced by direct injection molding after twin screw extruder or reactive extrusion. (c) Development of complementary set of nanocomposites based on dispersed graphite sheets using the birch alkylation route developed and generalized in the Billups lab. (d) Development of bulk manufacturing processes for the large scale productions of enhanced nanocomposites.
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| Page Updated/Reviewed: 02/27/2008 8:31 AM |
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