To enable the use of novel materials in fiber reinforced composites, an unprecedented effort must be launched to develop the fundamental structure-property and processing-property relations that will enable these materials to provide the necessary performance in the wide spectrum of applications envisioned. For example, quantitative measurement methods need to be developed to evaluate the filler/nanoparticle polymer interface. The rich interfacial functionality present in new nanofibers based on cellulose and chitin, provide for stress transfer, templating, and nucleation, this interface has the potential to enable polymers to outperform conventional polymer composites. New methods to characterize the interface are of interest, including advancement of our ongoing work on the use of mechano-responcive fluorophores, optical methods such as FLIM, SHG, and FRET of fluorescent nanoparticles and fluorescent polymers. Because of the large material parameter space new high throughput methods are also attractive both for the preparation and characterization of composite libraries, and also for the investigation of their performance properties.

 

key words

Sustainability; Interface; Composites; Fluorescence; Nanocomposite; Bio-based polymer;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants