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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Toxicity of Common Fluoropolymers and PFAS on C. Elegans and an Innovative Strategy to Promote in Situ Remediation - 26128

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of synthetic chemicals used in a variety of modern technologies and consumer products. PFAS have an alkyl backbone with all or most of the hydrogen (H) atoms replaced with fluorine (F) atoms. PFAS generally fall into one of two categories, they can be non-polymeric with relatively low molecular weights, or long-chain polymers. PFAS are a diverse group of organic compounds that can be solids, liquids, dispersions, or gases. Their mobility and toxicity are influenced by their chain lengths and functional groups. Non-polymeric PFAS are common building blocks for the manufacturing of fluoropolymers. Non-polymeric PFAS are known to be mobile in the environment and some are considered contaminants of emerging concern. Polymeric PFAS, or fluoropolymers, are typically thought to be of low concern, however few systematic investigations into their toxicity have been completed. PFAS, including fluoropolymers and microplastics, have been found in pristine environments and animals located far from site of origin including the arctic and deep ocean.

Jacobs, Stephanie [Savannah River National Laborat↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improved Organic Electrochemical Transistors via Directed Crystallizable Small Molecule Templating

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are of great interest as biosensors and for flexible electronics applications. Historically, processing techniques have been widely used to improve the performance of polymers in organic electronics but have been underutilized in the field of OECTs. Here, in this work, we study the effects of a crystallizable small molecule template for improving the performance of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)-based OECTs. We utilize 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene (TCB) as a crystallizable additive to induce directional crystallization during blade coating. This procedure results in an aligned, highly ordered, and moderately porous layer of the semiconducting polymer. We find that compared to neat P3HT solutions, films cast with TCB additive show a greater than 8× improvement in the steady state figure of merit for OECTs. Additionally, the optimum TCB loading produces anisotropic OECTs where the polymer chain aligned parallel to the current outperforms the perpendicular alignment by more than a factor of 10. We investigated the mechanism of this improvement and found that polymer alignment, polymer ordering, and film porosity all play a role in improving the device performance. Overall, these results demonstrate the importance of processing on the optimization of polymers for OECTs and suggest a route to greatly improve the performance of commercially available hydrophobic polymers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tuning the Properties of Nanocomposites by Trapping Them in Deep Metastable States

We report the interfacial region formed in a polymer matrix around nanoparticles (NPs) controls many macroscopic properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). However, understanding the factors controlling structure and properties of interfacial region remains a challenge. We demonstrated that the initial trapping of polymer chains at surfaces of NPs in solution strongly affects the macroscopic properties of PNCs. The most surprising result is that the differences in properties of PNCs persist even after an extremely long thermal annealing time. We ascribe the observed changes to the formation of interfacial layer that is trapped in a deep metastable state already in solution. Furthermore, presented analysis suggests that PNC equilibration time is defined by the chain desorption time that can be extremely long and, in some cases, even not accessible on a reasonable experimental time scale. These results highlight the importance of polymer solution concentrations on the formation of interfacial layer and the macroscopic properties of PNCs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Stratification of polymer mixtures in drying droplets: Hydrodynamics and diffusion

In this work, we study the evaporation-induced stratification of a mixture of short and long polymer chains in a drying droplet using molecular simulations. We systematically investigate the effects of hydrodynamic interactions (HI) on this process by comparing hybrid simulations accounting for HI between polymers through the multiparticle collision dynamics technique with free-draining Langevin dynamics simulations neglecting the same. We find that the dried supraparticle morphologies are homogeneous when HI are included but are stratified in core–shell structures (with the short polymers forming the shell) when HI are neglected. The simulation methodology unambiguously attributes this difference to the treatment of the solvent in the two models. We rationalize the presence (or absence) of stratification by measuring phenomenological multicomponent diffusion coefficients for the polymer mixtures. The diffusion coefficients show the importance of not only solvent backflow but also HI between polymers in controlling the dried supraparticle morphology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Broad-Range Tunable Mechanical Properties via the Hofmeister Effect

Hydrogels, exhibiting wide applications in soft robotics, tissue engineering, implantable electronics, etc., often require sophisticately tailoring of the hydrogel mechanical properties to meet specific demands. For examples, soft robotics necessitates tough hydrogels; stem cell culturing demands various tissue-matching modulus; and neuron probes desire dynamically tunable modulus. Herein, a strategy to broadly alter the mechanical properties of hydrogels reversibly via tuning the aggregation states of the polymer chains by ions based on the Hofmeister effect is reported. An ultratough poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel as an exemplary material (toughness 150 ± 20 MJ m -3 ), which surpasses synthetic polymers like poly(dimethylsiloxane), synthetic rubber, and natural spider silk is fabricated. With various ions, the hydrogel's various mechanical properties are continuously and reversibly in situ modulated over a large window: tensile strength from 50 ± 9 kPa to 15 ± 1 MPa, toughness from 0.0167 ± 0.003 to 150 ± 20 MJ m -3 , elongation from 300 ± 100% to 2100 ± 300%, and modulus from 24 ± 2 to 2500 ± 140 kPa. Importantly, the ions serve as gelation triggers and property modulators only, not necessarily required to remain in the gel, maintaining the high biocompatibility of PVA without excess ions. Overall, this strategy, enabling high mechanical performance and broad dynamic tunability, presents a universal platform for broad applications from biomedicine to wearable electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Single-Crystal Polycationic Polymers Obtained by Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Photopolymerization

The efficient preparation of single-crystalline ionic polymers and fundamental understanding of their structure–property relationships at the molecular level remains a challenge in chemistry and materials science. Herein, we observe the single-crystal structure of a highly ordered polycationic polymer (polyelectrolyte) and its proton conductivity. The polyelectrolyte single crystals can be prepared on a gram-scale in quantitative yield, by taking advantage of an ultraviolet/sunlight-induced topochemical polymerization, from a tricationic monomer—a self-complementary building block possessing a preorganized conformation. A single-crystal-to-single-crystal photopolymerization was revealed unambiguously by in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, which was also employed to follow the progression of molecular structure from the monomer, to a partially polymerized intermediate, and, finally, to the polymer itself. Collinear polymer chains are held together tightly by multiple Coulombic interactions involving counterions to form two-dimensional lamellar sheets (1 nm in height) with sub-nanometer pores (5 Å). The polymer is extremely stable under 254 nm light irradiation and high temperature (above 500 K). The extraordinary mechanical strength and environmental stability—in combination with its impressive proton conductivity (~3 × 10 –4 S cm –1 )—endow the polymer with potential applications as a robust proton-conducting material. By marrying supramolecular chemistry with macromolecular science, the outcome represents a major step toward the controlled synthesis of single-crystalline polyelectrolyte materials with perfect tacticity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of Polymer Topology on Microstructure, Segmental Dynamics, and Ionic Conductivity in PEO/PMMA-Based Solid Polymer Electrolytes

We report Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have attracted much interest due to their high ionic conductivity resulting from inherently fast segmental dynamics and high salt solubility, yet they lack mechanical stability in their neat form. Blending PEO with another rigid, or high glass transition temperature, polymer is a versatile way to improve the mechanical stability; however, the ionic conductivity is strongly reduced due to slower segmental dynamics of highly interpenetrating linear polymer chains. In this work, we used model PEO/PMMA blend systems prepared with various well-defined PEO architectures (linear, stars, hyperbranched, and bottlebrushes) doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethane-sulfonyl)-imide (LiTFSI) and investigated, for the first time, the role of macromolecular architecture of PEO on crystallization, segmental dynamics, and ionic conductivity in the blends and electrolytes. The results suggest that room-temperature miscibility of these polymers can be dramatically extended by using nonlinear PEO in the blends instead of linear chains, which crystallize above 35 wt %. The broadband dielectric spectroscopy results revealed enhanced decoupling of PMMA and PEO segmental dynamics in compact branched architectures, which helps to achieve faster segmental motion of star PEO in glassy PMMA. This manifests as nearly three-fold higher ionic conductivity in these nonlinear blends compared to the conventional linear PEO/PMMA system. Regardless of the PEO architectures, the temperature dependence of ionic conductivity blends with PMMA and LiTFSI is well defined using the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann mechanism, suggesting that ion transport is mainly affected by the segmental motion. The activation energy values decrease with the increasing ionic conductivity. Overall, our results show that macromolecular architecture can be a tool to decouple segmental dynamics and ion mobility to rationally design SPEs with improved performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Molecular View on Mechanical Reinforcement in Polymer Nanocomposites

The microscopic origin of mechanical enhancement in polymer nanocomposite (PNC) melts is investigated through the combination of rheology and small-angle neutron scattering. It is shown that in the absence of an extensive particle network, the molecular deformation of polymer chains dominates the stress response on intermediate time scales. Quantitative analyses of small-angle neutron scattering spectra, however, reveal no enhanced structural anisotropy in the PNCs, compared with the pristine polymers under the same deformation conditions. These results can demonstrate that the mechanical reinforcement of PNCs is not due to molecular overstraining, but instead a redistribution of strain field in the polymer matrix, akin to the classical picture of hydrodynamic effect of nanoparticles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Two-population Rouse models for polymer segmental dynamics in nanocomposites

Segmental dynamics of polymer chains in a model nanocomposite of poly(ethylene oxide) and silica nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated using quasielastic neutron scattering. The dynamics can be accurately described with the Rouse model. The bulklike polymer far from the NP surface behaves as the neat polymer. However, the slower polymer in the interface close to the NP surface is described either with a second Rouse population with different relaxation time or using the suppressed Rouse model. These simple two-population models accurately reproduce the experimental data, with the suppressed Rouse model describing topological constraints, on average, every 12 beads with an interfacial thickness up to 13.5 beads, and the effect of the interface extending to a layer of thickness comparable to the end-to-end distance of the polymer. This modeling provides an explanation for the observed reinforcement in PNC even at low loadings, consistent with current understanding of the relevance of the interphase.

Composite materials↗
DOE OSTI2021

Single crystals of mechanically entwined helical covalent polymers

Double helical conformation of polymer chains is widely observed in biomacromolecules and plays an essential role in exerting their biological functions, such as molecular recognition and information storage. It has remained challenging, however, to prepare synthetic helical polymers, and those that exist have mainly been limited to single-stranded polymers or short oligomeric double helices. In this work, we report the synthesis of covalent helical polymers, with a high molecular weight, from the achiral monomer hexahydroxytriphenylene through to spiroborate formation. Polymerization and crystallization occurred simultaneously under solvothermal conditions to form single crystals of the resulting helical covalent polymers. Characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed that each crystal consisted of pairs of mechanically entwined polymers. No strong non-covalent interactions were observed between the two helical polymers that formed a pair; instead, each strand interacted with neighbouring pairs through hydrogen bonding. Each individual crystal was made up of helical polymers of the same handedness, but the crystallization process produced a racemic conglomerate, with equal amounts of right-handed and left-handed crystals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mechanism of the Comonomer Effect in LLDPE from Ethylene/1-Hexene Using a Quinoline-Amine Hafnium Catalyst

Polymers of ethylene and copolymers of ethylene and 1-hexene are synthesized by utilizing a single-site hafnium catalyst activated with tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane. Polymer production increases sharply as compared to the homopolymerization of ethylene with the addition of just a small amount of 1-hexene-a phenomenon known as the "comonomer effect." A mechanism behind the comonomer effect is proposed where the activation-initiation step plays the key part. When only a small fraction of the precatalyst is initially active, high molecular weight (170 000 g mol -1 , Đ 1.6) polymer chains grow, forming a physical gel structure that traps catalyst, monomer, and solvent molecules, thereby shutting down the reaction-this scenario plays out in the case of homopolymerization of ethylene. 1-Hexene, when present, slows down the chain growth, thereby lowering the molecular weight and preventing the formation of a gel, which in turn allows for more catalytic sites to be initiated; the reaction continues, resulting in a larger amount of polymer of lower molecular weight (25 000 g mol -1 ). The proposed mechanism is validated in a series of experiments where targeted variation of the activation/initiation steps is shown to produce, depending on the condition, either a small amount of high molecular weight physical gel or a large amount of low molecular weight polymer.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

High Energy Density Shape Memory Polymers Using Strain-Induced Supramolecular Nanostructures

Shape memory polymers are promising materials in many emerging applications due to their large extensibility and excellent shape recovery. However, practical application of these polymers is limited by their poor energy densities (up to ~1 MJ/m 3 ). Here, we report an approach to achieve a high energy density, one-way shape memory polymer based on the formation of strain-induced supramolecular nanostructures. As polymer chains align during strain, strong directional dynamic bonds form, creating stable supramolecular nanostructures and trapping stretched chains in a highly elongated state. Upon heating, the dynamic bonds break, and stretched chains contract to their initial disordered state. This mechanism stores large amounts of entropic energy (as high as 19.6 MJ/m 3 or 17.9 J/g), almost six times higher than the best previously reported shape memory polymers while maintaining near 100% shape recovery and fixity. The reported phenomenon of strain-induced supramolecular structures offers a new approach toward achieving high energy density shape memory polymers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Correlative molecular-to-mesoscale evolution in conjugated polymers for intrinsically stretchable organic photovoltaics

Conjugated polymer thin films offer a unique combination of tunable optoelectronic properties and mechanical flexibility, making them as promising materials for intrinsically stretchable optoelectronic devices. However, achieving both mechanical robustness and high device performance remains a key challenge. Addressing this requires a fundamental understanding of how molecular and mesoscale structures evolve under mechanical strain. Here, we employ a comprehensive suite of X-ray spectroscopy and scattering techniques to investigate the multiscale structural evolution of conjugated polymer thin films during uniaxial deformation. We uncover a two-stage morphological response: an initial stage characterized by polymer chain alignment and rapid crystallite disruption, followed by continued chain orientation accompanied by intrachain torsion at higher strains. These correlative structural adaptations govern key material properties, including stress dissipation, optical absorption, and photovoltaic performance. Our findings establish a mechanistic framework for understanding deformation in semiconducting polymers and provide design principles for developing mechanically robust, high-performance stretchable electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Application of the core shell model for strengthening polymer filament interfaces

While surface segregation has been intensively studied in thin films, relatively little has been investigated in filament geometries. In contrast to thin films, the filament surface forms a continuum, with interactions both at the free air and internal filament interface, which makes it difficult to achieve an equilibrium configuration. This asymmetry has become particularly apparent with the increasing use of additive manufacturing where entire structures are constructed via layered deposition of filamentous layers from a moving thermal nozzle. In addition, this process is highly non-equilibrated with poor thermal retention and is responsible for insufficient filament–filament interfacial fusion and internal pore formation along the printing direction. These features all contribute to poor mechanical and structural properties, which are exacerbated in semi-crystalline polymers, such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), where the melting point, T m , is much higher than the glass transition, T g . Even though system is liquid the molecules become ordered within the crystal structure and this ordering interferes with interdiffusion, which in turn prevents proper interfacial fusion. Capitalizing on the differential in surface tension, we show that addition of less than 1%, or trace amounts, of longer chain polymers, an oriented core shell structure, will be formed with a self-limiting thickness of three time the radius of gyration, R g , of the tracer chains. The lower T g of the tracers and their orientation makes them poised for interdiffusion when subsequent layers are deposited producing structures with significant improvement of the mechanical properties and internal structural integrity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Relaxation dynamics of water in the vicinity of cellulose nanocrystals

Water molecules near cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs; produced via the sulfuric acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of wood pulp) are believed to relax slower than those in the bulk liquid, which may result in unique properties of CNC aqueous dispersions. Herein this study analyzed the polarization behavior of water molecules in CNC aqueous dispersions and other reference samples using a dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) technique in the microwave frequency range (0.2–20 GHz). As the CNC concentration increases, two slow relaxation components become prominent. The comparison with DRS data of aqueous dispersions of nanoporous silica, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and hairy CNC (HCNC) with amorphous chains protruding from both ends suggested that these slow relaxation modes of water near CNC surfaces cannot be attributed to direct hydrogen bonding interactions with the hydroxyl (OH) groups exposed and immobilized at the solid surface. Instead, they are similar to the water molecules interacting with OH groups attached to flexible polymer chains. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the polarization behavior of water near the (110) facet of cellulose Iβ crystals confirmed that the interactions of water molecules with the cellulose crystal surface do not cause slower relaxations in the frequency range studied via the DRS. These results indicated that the CNC surface cannot be depicted with the crystallographic facets of cellulose Iβ; instead, it resembles a polymer-brush surface on which the short glucan residues or fragments of the strong acid-catalyzed hydrolysis process are swollen and extended into the aqueous phase.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Crystallization kinetics and nanoparticle ordering in semicrystalline polymer nanocomposites

There has been considerable interest in the nucleation and crystallization of polymers in the presence of nanoparticles (NPs, or nanofillers in general, NFs). Most of the extensive work in this area has focused on anisotropic, non-Brownian NFs (e.g., clay sheets, carbon nanotubes) whose spatial dispersion state in these nanocomposites is controlled by the process by which they are formed. Hence, NF spatial dispersion is generally limited and often remains poorly characterized. Thermodynamic handles that can be used to control NF dispersion state in the polymer melt include (a) favorable interactions between the polymer chains and the bare NP surfaces, or (b) the density and length of the chains, with the same chemistry as the matrix, grafted to the NP surface. These relatively large NFs merely act as stationary objects that affect the kinetics of nucleation by providing heterogeneous sites, and the crystallization rate by confining the polymer in the melt state. The dispersion state of the NFs can dramatically affect the nucleation and crystallization of the matrix, but in most cases reported, the NFs increase nucleation efficiency relative to the neat polymer. At higher NF loadings, the effect of polymer confinement by the NFs dominates, leading to a decrease in crystal growth rates. This review describes the most important lessons learned from these commonly studied systems and then extends to polymer composite systems containing small, mobile spherical NPs (typically smaller than 100 nm in size). The role of NP mobility, which provides for dynamic confinement of the polymer melt, on the kinetics of polymer crystallization (nucleation, growth, and overall crystallization) and how this behavior is mostly consistent with the case of immobile NF is a second important focus of this review. In addition to the role of NFs on crystallization kinetics, recently reported nanoparticle ordering phenomena such as the effect of matrix crystallization on the organization of small spherical NPs within the amorphous regions of the semicrystalline morphology are discussed. In conclusion, such phenomena are clearly not observed for large NFs and hence provide a point of departure from past works in this area.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Material properties and applications of mechanically interlocked polymers

Mechanically interlocked polymers (MIPs), such as polyrotaxanes and polycatenanes, are polymer architectures that incorporate a mechanical bond. In a polyrotaxane, the mechanical bond is the result of a linear dumbbell component threaded through a ring, while in a polycatenane, it is the consequence of interlocked ring components. Furthermore, the interlocked nature of these architectures can result in high degrees of conformational freedom and mobility of their components, which can give rise to unique property profiles. In recent years the synthesis and studies of a range of MIPs has allowed researchers to build an initial understanding of how incorporating mechanical bonds within a polymer structure impacts its material properties. This review focuses on the understanding of these structure-property relationships with an outlook toward their applications, specifically focusing on four main classes of MIPs: polyrotaxanes, slide-ring gels, daisy-chain polymers, and polycatenanes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗