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At least 1,351 records · Page 75

Encapsulation of highly viscous CO 2 capture solvents for enhanced capture kinetics: Modeling investigation of mass transfer mechanisms

The encapsulation of highly viscous liquid-like Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) inside a gas permeable polymer to form SIPs (Solvent Impregnated Polymers) significantly enhanced the CO 2 capture kinetics of NOHMs, leading to a remarkable 50-fold increase in CO 2 flux compared to the neat NOHMs. To understand the mechanism for enhanced CO 2 mass transfer within these hybrid materials, kinetic modeling of CO 2 uptake into SIPs containing polyethylenimine functionalized NOHMs, denoted NPEI-SIP, was conducted. CO 2 mass transfer into NPEI-SIP films was found to conform, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with a diffusion-controlled moving front model. The diffusion-controlled model was also used to simulate CO 2 uptake within a fixed bed containing polydisperse NPEI-SIP particles, and this model accurately predicted experimentally measured breakthrough curves at 25 °C and 50 °C. The 50-fold increase in gas flux was shown to be a consequence of the very large CO 2 permeability within the polymer–solvent composite. Furthermore, the increase in gas flux is also dependent on the diffusion–reaction regime in which the chemical solvent operates, and the largest improvement will occur when immobilizing solvents, such as NOHMs, which operate in the instantaneous-reaction regime. The CO 2 capacity (~3 mol CO 2 /kg) and saturation time (~5 min) of 430 μm SIP particles were comparable to popular CO 2 chemisorption materials such as amine grafted silicates, in spite of the slow kinetics of NOHM-I-PEI in liquid form (CO 2 saturation time ~24 h for a 1 mm thin film).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Acetolysis for Epoxy-Amine Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Recycling

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are used in many applications in the global energy transition, including for lightweighting aircraft and vehicles and in wind turbine blades, shipping containers and gas storage vessels1,2,3,4. Given the high cost and energy-intensive manufacture of CFRPs5,6,7, recycling strategies are needed that recover intact carbon fibres and the epoxy-amine resin components. Here we show that acetic acid efficiently depolymerizes both aliphatic and aromatic epoxy-amine thermosets used in CFRPs to recoverable monomers, yielding pristine carbon fibres. Deconstruction of materials from multiple sectors demonstrates the broad applicability of this approach, providing clean fibres from 2 h reactions. The optimal conditions were scaled to 80.0 g of post-consumer CFRPs, and demonstrative composites were fabricated from the recycled carbon fibres, which were recycled two more times, maintaining their strength throughout. Process modelling and techno-economic analysis, with feedstock cost informed by wind turbine blade waste generation8, indicates this method is cost effective, with a minimum selling price of US$1.50 per kg for recycled carbon fibres whereas life cycle assessment shows process greenhouse gas emissions around 99% lower than virgin carbon fibre production. Overall, this approach could enable recycling of industrial CFRPs as it provides clean, mechanically viable recycled carbon fibres and recoverable resin monomers from the thermoset.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

1,4-cineole: a bio-derived solvent for highly stable graphene nanoplatelet suspensions and well-dispersed UHMWPE nanocomposite fibers

The exceptional properties of carbon nanoparticles, such as graphene, promise to expand the performance and functionality of many materials. The reinforcement of polymers is of keen interest due to their low density and flexible manufacturing methods. However, dispersing graphene in them has proven to be an enduring challenge due to the particles’ propensity to form performance degrading agglomerations. Furthermore, effective solvents for nanoparticle dispersion are commonly harmful, non-renewable, petrochemicals. In this work, a bio-derived solvent, 1,4-cineole, is demonstrated as a renewable alternative to these solvents that can be used to form highly stable graphene nanoplatelet (GnP) suspensions and used to gel spin well-dispersed UHMWPE/GnP nanocomposite fibers. The GnP concentration in the fibers was varied across three orders of magnitude, 0.01 wt% to 1 wt%, to examine its effect on fiber microstructure and properties. At low concentrations the particles act as point defects without affecting the fiber microstructure, and poor particle/matrix interfacial adhesion results in significantly reduced mechanical properties. At 1 wt% GnPs, a network effect takes hold thereby reinforcing the fibers, but the particles also impede the growth and orientation of crucial load-carrying crystalline structures in the fiber. Furthermore, unveiling the microstructural effects of GnPs on highly oriented and crystalline polymers in this study provides crucial insights for future work developing high-performance polymer nanocomposite fibers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Chemical research projects office: An overview and bibliography, 1975-1980

The activities of the Chemical Research Projects Office at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California are reported. The office conducts basic and applied research in the fields of polymer chemistry, computational chemistry, polymer physics, and physical and organic chemistry. It works to identify the chemical research and technology required for solutions to problems of national urgency, synchronous with the aeronautic and space effort. It conducts interdisciplinary research on chemical problems, mainly in areas of macromolecular science and fire research. The office also acts as liaison with the engineering community and assures that relevant technology is made available to other NASA centers, agencies, and industry. Recent accomplishments are listed in this report. Activities of the three research groups, Polymer Research, Aircraft Operating and Safety, and Engineering Testing, are summarized. A complete bibliography which lists all Chemical Research Projects Office publications, contracts, grants, patents, and presentations from 1975 to 1980 is included.

Kourtides, D. A.↗

Microstructural refinement of cement paste internally cured by polyacrylamide composite hydrogel particles containing silica fume and nanosilica

Supplementary cementitious materials were incorporated into hydrogel-based internal curing agents to improve the hydration, microstructure, and ultimately strength of internally cured high-performance cement paste. Polyacrylamide composite hydrogel particles containing amorphous silica – either silica fume or nanosilica – and two different polymer network crosslink densities were synthesized and incorporated into cement paste. The presence of silica and low crosslink density increased the absorption capacity of the particles in pore solution. Micrographs of internally cured paste indicated a significant improvement in hydrogel-related void-filling ability and an increase in void size for low crosslink density particles containing silica. Compressive strength and electrical resistivity increased at later ages for paste samples containing particles with higher silica dosage. The relationship between extent of hydration, void size, and void-filling activity was found to strongly influence the paste's long-term strength and is thus an important structure-property relationship to consider when selecting hydrogels for internal curing purposes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fluorinated polythiophenes with ester side chains for boosting the V OC and efficiency in non-fullerene polymer solar cells

As the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) approximates the 19 % threshold, wide bandgap (WBG) polythiophenes (PTs) have gained increasing attention due to their simple chemical structures and ease of synthesis, making them promising candidates for large-scale production. However, the benchmark polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is limited by its high-lying HOMO energy level, which restricts the open-circuit voltage (V OC ) in solar cells. Here, in this study, we introduce a novel series of PT derivatives (PDC8-T, PDC8-3T, PDC16-3T, and PDC16-3T-2F) featuring ester side chains designed to fine-tune electronic properties through a streamlined three-step synthesis. Additionally, we incorporated a π-spacer to reduce steric hindrance and elongated alkyl side chains to improve solubility and processability. Compared to P3HT, these PT derivatives demonstrate a significant reduction in HOMO energy levels, lowering by approximately 0.3–0.4 eV. Among them, PDC16-3T-2F—with fluorine atom substitution—achieves the lowest HOMO energy level, induces a coplanar molecular conformation, and enhances polymer aggregation behavior. We evaluated these PT derivatives in inverted non-fullerene bulk-heterojunction (NFA BHJ) OPVs. The PDC8-3T device showed a relatively low PCE of 0.69 %, with a V OC of 0.76 V, a short-circuit current density (J SC ) of 3.32 mA/cm 2 , and a fill factor (FF) of 27.3 %. In contrast, the PDC16-3T-2F device achieved an impressive PCE of 7.21 %, with a V OC of 0.85 V, a J SC of 14.60 mA/cm 2 , and an FF of 58.4 %. This remarkable improvement is attributed to the fluorine substitution, which not only enhances molecular orientation but also downshifts the HOMO energy level and further boosts the V OC . Hence, these molecular design strategies have led to a fibrillar bicontinuous interpenetrating network with optimal nanoscale phase separation within the active layer.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Biocomposite thermoplastic polyurethanes containing evolved bacterial spores as living fillers to facilitate polymer disintegration

The field of hybrid engineered living materials seeks to pair living organisms with synthetic materials to generate biocomposite materials with augmented function since living systems can provide highly-programmable and complex behavior. Engineered living materials have typically been fabricated using techniques in benign aqueous environments, limiting their application. In this work, biocomposite fabrication is demonstrated in which spores from polymer-degrading bacteria are incorporated into a thermoplastic polyurethane using high-temperature melt extrusion. Bacteria are engineered using adaptive laboratory evolution to improve their heat tolerance to ensure nearly complete cell survivability during manufacturing at 135 °C. Furthermore, the overall tensile properties of spore-filled thermoplastic polyurethanes are substantially improved, resulting in a significant improvement in toughness. The biocomposites facilitate disintegration in compost in the absence of a microbe-rich environment. Finally, embedded spores demonstrate a rationally programmed function, expressing green fluorescent protein. This research provides a scalable method to fabricate advanced biocomposite materials in industrially-compatible processes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Precision Polishing of Spheres Via In-Situ Process Monitoring and Machine-Learning-Based Optimization

Precision polishing for high surface finish is a vital step in the making of many high-tech components for optical and semiconductor modules as well as for wide ranging experimental samples for HED science that is at the core of LLNL’s mission. In particular, the fabrication of extremely smooth and round spheres comprised of low atomic number materials (low-Z such as high-density carbon or HDC, beryllium, hydrocarbon polymers, etc.) for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) is entirely reliant on specialized polishing processes to achieve the surface smoothness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Highly Tunable Syngas Product Ratios Enabled by Novel Nanoscale Hybrid Electrolytes Designed for Combined CO 2 Capture and Electrochemical Conversion

Coupling renewable energy with the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 to chemicals and fuels has been proposed as a strategy to achieve a new circular carbon economy and help mitigate the effects of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Liquid-like Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) are composed of polymers tethered to nanoparticles and are previously explored as CO 2 capture materials and electrolyte additives. Here, in this study, two types of aqueous NOHM-based electrolytes are prepared to explore the effect of CO 2 binding energy (i.e., chemisorption versus physisorption) on CO 2 electroreduction over a silver nanoparticle catalyst for syngas production. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and Jeffamine M2070 (HPE) are ionically tethered to SiO 2 nanoparticles to form the amine-containing NOHM-I-PEI and ether-containing NOHM-I-HPE, respectively. At less negative cathode potentials, PEI and NOHM-I-PEI-based electrolytes produce CO at higher rates than 0.1 molal. KHCO 3 due to favorable catalyst-electrolyte interactions. Whereas at more negative potentials, H 2 production is favored because of the carbamate electrochemical inactivity. Conversely, HPE and NOHM-I-HPE-based electrolytes display poor CO 2 reduction performance at less negative potentials. At more negative potentials, their performance approached that of 0.1 molal. KHCO 3 , highlighting how the polymer functional groups of NOHMs can be strategically selected to produce value-added products from CO 2 with highly tunable compositions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Transient Interfacial Phenomena in Miscible Polymer Systems (TIPMPS)

Almost one hundred years ago Korteweg published a theory of how stresses could be induced in miscible fluids by concentration gradients, causing phenomena that would appear to be the same as with immiscible fluids. Miscible fluids could manifest a transient or effective interfacial tension (EIT). To this day, there has been no definitive experiment to confirm Korteweg's model but numerous fascinating and suggestive experiments have been reported. The goal of TIPMPS is to answer the question: Can concentration and temperature gradients in miscible materials induce stresses that cause convection? Many polymer processes involving miscible monomer and polymer systems could be affected by fluid flow and so this work could help understand miscible polymer processing, not only in microgravity, but also on earth. Demonstrating the existence of this phenomenon in miscible fluids will open up a new area of study for materials science. The science objectives of TIPMPS are: (1) Determine if convection can be induced by variation of the width of a miscible interface; (2) Determine if convection can be induced by variation of temperature along a miscible interface; (3) Determine if convection can be induced by variation of conversion along a miscible interface An interface between two miscible fluids can best be created via a spatially-selective photopolymerization of dodecyl acrylate with a photoinitiator, which allows the creation of precise and accurate concentration gradients between polymer and monomer. Optical techniques will be used to measure the refractive index variation caused by the resultant temperature and concentration fields. The viscosity of the polymer will be measured from the increase in the fluorescence of pyrene. Because the large concentration and temperature gradients cause buoyancy-driven convection that prevents the observation of the predicted flows, the experiment must be done in microgravity. In this report, we will consider our efforts to estimate the square gradient parameter, k, and our use of the estimates in modeling of the planned TIPMPS experiments. We developed a model consisting of the heat and diffusion equations with convective terms and of the Navier-Stokes equations with an additional volume force written in the form of the Korteweg stresses arising from nonlocal interaction in the fluid. The fluid's viscosity dependence on polymer conversion and temperature was taken from measurements of poly(dodecyl acrylate). Numerical modeling demonstrated that significant flows would arise for conditions corresponding to the planned experiments.

Pojman, John A.↗

An unprecedented quinoid–donor–acceptor strategy to boost the carrier mobilities of semiconducting polymers for organic field-effect transistors

Quinoidal–aromatic conjugated polymers hold great application potential in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). However, the development of high mobility quinoidal–aromatic conjugated polymers still lags behind the more popular donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers, mainly owing to the lack of a rational design strategy and efficient building block. Herein, a novel quinoid–donor–acceptor (Q–D–A) strategy is demonstrated to modulate the energy-level and boost the charge carrier transport mobility of conjugated polymers as opposed to the D–A system. On the basis of this strategy, a quinoidal–aromatic conjugated polymer, namely PAQM-BT, is designed and synthesized. With the combined use of quinoid, donor and acceptor units in the backbone, the resulting Q–D–A polymer PAQM-BT displays the narrowest bandgap with the deepest-lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level, highest backbone coplanarity, enhanced thin-film crystallinity and smallest effective hole mass ($m^*_h$) in comparison with the corresponding D–A polymer PT3B1 and quinoid–donor (Q–D) polymer PAQM-3T. Benefitting from the more effective intra- and inter-chain charge transport, as corroborated by experiment and theoretical calculations, OFET devices based on PAQM-BT exhibit a highly boosted hole mobility of up to 5.10 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , which is one and four orders of magnitude higher than that of PAQM-3T and PT3B1, respectively, and is among the highest for quinoidal–aromatic conjugated polymers. Finally, the potent Q–D–A strategy not only allows the energy level to be modulated but also leads to effective charge carrier transport, opening up possibilities to the development of high mobility quinoidal–aromatic conjugated polymers based on a variety of quinoids, donors, and acceptors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fast Photoactuation Driven by Supramolecular Polymers Integrated into Covalent Networks

Abstract The design of robotic soft matter capable of emulating the complex movements of living organisms such as mechanical actuation, shape transformation, and autonomous translation remains a grand challenge in soft materials science. Functionalized hydrogels are excellent candidates for such materials since they can operate in water and are highly responsive to their environment, but their response times can be slow. This work investigates fast photoactuation of hybrid bonding hydrogels composed of peptide amphiphile (PA) supramolecular nanofibers bonded covalently to merocyanine‐based (MCH + ) photoresponsive networks. By incorporating ionizable acrylic acid (AA) co‐monomers in these networks, photoactuation at nearly neutral pH is observed, which in turn enables a new mechanism to accelerate the response by triggering the bundling of supramolecular nanofibers by rapid proton exchange reactions. Furthermore, this rapid response and its consequent large shape transformations lead to hydrogels capable of spontaneously tracking external light sources inspired by pedicellariae, defensive organs present in echinoderms like the starfish and the sea urchin. This work suggests that hybrid bonding polymers (HBPs), which leverage the interplay between supramolecular assemblies and covalent networks, offer novel strategies to design rapidly actuating soft robotic materials.

Cezan, S. Doruk↗

Sulfur Conversion to Donor‐Acceptor Ladder Polymer Networks through Mechanochemical Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution for Efficient CO 2 Photoreduction

The development of synthetic methods capable of converting elemental sulfur into conjugated porous sulfur‐rich polymers remains a great challenge, although direct utilization of this readily available feedstock can significantly enrich its uses and circumvent environmental problems during sulfur storage. Here, we report herein mechanochemical (MC) nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S N Ar) that enables sulfur conversion into thianthrene‐bridged porous ladder polymer networks with dense donor‐acceptor (D−A) molecular junctions. We demonstrate that the key lies in the generation of bent thianthrene units through a solid‐state ball‐milling condensation reaction between 1,2‐dihaloarenes and elemental sulfur. We also show that the assembling of D−A structural motifs into porous networks affords efficient visible‐light‐driven photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with water (H 2 O) vapor, in the absence of any additional photosensitizer, sacrificial agents or cocatalysts. Exceptional photoinduced charge separation along with boosted exciton dissociation results in a high‐performance of carbon monoxide (CO) production rate of 306.1 μmol g −1 h −1 with near 100 % CO selectivity, which is accompanied by H 2 O oxidation to O 2 , as confirmed by both experimental and theoretical results. We anticipate this novel MC S N Ar approach will advance processing techniques for direct sulfur utilization and facilitate new possibilities for the synthesis of D−A ladder polymer networks with promising potential in photocatalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modifying the pore size distribution in Fe-rich inorganic polymer mortars: An effective shrinkage mitigation strategy

Highlights: • Inorganic polymer mortar has mainly macropores and a drying shrinkage of 5.1 mm/m. • 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol acts as air entrainer in inorganic polymer mortars. • Optimal dosage 2 wt% 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol reduced drying shrinkage to 1.8 mm/m. • Heat curing inorganic polymer mortars reduced drying shrinkage more than 50%. • Blast Furnace slag addition increased drying shrinkage and reduced strength. Inorganic polymer (IP) binder is formed upon alkali-activation of Fe-rich (41 wt%) metallurgical slag leading to materials with mechanical properties comparable to ordinary Portland cement binders. Crack formation is reported in IPs, which can be related to volumetric stability, which is to date not thoroughly understood in IPs. This study determined the autogenous and drying shrinkage of IP mortars. Shrinkage mitigation strategies, such as the addition of 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (2MPL), blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and applying heat curing, were used separately or in combination. IP mortars exhibited autogenous expansion and high drying shrinkage. The addition of 2MPL led to a porosity increase, as air was entrained, decreasing the drying shrinkage with 64%. Additional heat curing had no effect on samples with 2MPL. Introducing GGBFS resulted in smaller pores, increasing drying shrinkage. Shrinkage in IP mortars is driven by its pore size distribution and higher shrinkage resulted in lower flexural strength.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A flexible polymer-based luminescent ink for combined thermographic phosphors and digital image correlation (TP+DIC)

Recent work on the development of integrated thermographic phosphors and digital image correlation (TP+DIC) for combined thermal–mechanical measurements has revealed the need for a flexible, stretchable phosphor coating for metal surfaces. Herein, we coat stainless steel substrates with a polymer-based phosphor ink in a DIC speckle pattern and demonstrate that the ink remains well bonded under substrate deformation. In contrast, a binderless phosphor DIC coating produced via aerosol deposition (AD) partially debonded from the substrate. DIC calculations reveal that the strain on the ink coating matches the strain on the substrate within 4% error at the highest substrate loads (0.05 mm/mm applied substrate strain), while the strain on the AD coating remains near 0 mm/mm as the substrate deforms. Spectrally resolved emission from the phosphor is measured through the transparent binder throughout testing, and the ratio method is used to infer temperature with an uncertainty of 1.7 °C. In conclusion, this phosphor ink coating will allow for accurate, non-contact strain and temperature measurements of a deforming surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mechanically and Thermally Enhanced 3D-Printed Photocurable Polymer Nanocomposites Containing Functionalized Chitin Nanowhiskers by Stereolithography

Additive manufacturing, or simply 3D printing (3DP), where objects are built through layer-wise material deposition, has gained significant academic and industrial attention as a result of the development of advanced and functional materials requiring rapid, customized, and flexible solutions. In the context of green manufacturing, diversifying environmentally and economically sustainable material portfolios is an essential endeavor for the success of 3DP technology that uses widely available, highly valuable, and renewable materials. Here, we used stereolithography (SLA) for processing methacrylate-based photocurable resins containing crab shell-derived chitin nanowhiskers (CNWs), which are surface-functionalized by reactive acrylate groups. Results from full spectral, thermal, structural, and topological analyses corroborate not only the surface functionalization of CNWs but also indicate the presence of these photocurable CNW (pCNW) fillers in the 3D-printed nanocomposites. Owing to the strong interfacial bond induced by the physical and chemical crosslinking between the pCNW and methacrylate (MA) polymer matrix, the internally formulated nanocomposites displayed enhanced thermomechanical properties (e.g., storage modulus and glass transition temperature) compared to those of commercially available pure SLA resins. For instance, the inclusion of 0.5 wt % pCNW improved the tensile strength and stiffness to up to 78 and 71%, respectively, without compromising the toughness and ductility of the printed material. Accordingly, this result also evidences the compatibility between the filler and resin materials. Consequently, the formation of a crosslinked network in the nanocomposite structure results in a higher thermal stability and activation energy (i.e., up to ~79%) for all the hybrid materials than the pristine MA. Finally, the high-resolution SLA print features, dimensional accuracy, and enhanced mechanical performance of our microstructure-forming functionalized chitin-based nanocomposites make them promising materials for a wide range of robust and high-performance industrial applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Printing polymer blends through in situ active mixing during fused filament fabrication

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) enables production of 3D objects over a range of material compositions at low-cost relative to traditional manufacturing approaches. To date, a limited but growing number of materials are able to be used with FFF, however many applications exist where specific mechanical, thermal, or chemical properties are needed that cannot currently be met with the available feedstock selection. Therefore, a need exists to tune these materials for specific chemical or mechanical properties. One common formulation strategy to address these demanding design parameters is to develop composites or polymer blend filaments. Typically, this is a time-consuming and costly optimization process. Here, we have developed hardware for reproducibly mixing two filaments of similar or dissimilar compositions at the time of printing within individual printed layers. This mixing occurs via software-controlled rotating hardware in the chamber of an extruder’s hot-end. The efficiency of mixing within the printed layers has been characterized in detail as a function of the rotational speed and geometry of the blending hardware. These parameters were exploited to program the ratio and distribution of thermoplastic-based filaments blended within printed extrudate. Example printed specimens were produced with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer blended with rigid polylactic acid (PLA) and Nylon blended with PLA. In addition, a conductive carbon nanotube (CNT)-PLA composite was blended as a function of mixer geometry and input feed ratios with non-conductive PLA and resistance values were measured across the resulting printed specimens.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗