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project samples
Structural Adhesives
Product concept: Develop a structural adhesive that bonds thin substrates, or different materials, without warping or fracturing.
Stress develops between substrate and adhesive materials when cured at high temperature and cooled to application conditions. Copolymers with several classes of chemical bonds were synthesized and formulated into adhesives that are thermoplastic at high temperature and cure to a thermoset only when cooled to application temperatures. The reversal of curing strategy circumvents the development of stress with standard materials and processes. These materials can still carry higher network densities of thermosets for stiffness and strength.
Product Development
Experiment with and apply new surface active chemistries to formulate coatings and adhesives that protect architectural structures, bond plastic pipes, or bond fabrics and elastomers in apparel applications without the use of VOC.
New chemistries that are activated on contact with surfaces were used to bond substrate surfaces in these applications, including both high and low surface energy materials. Adhesive and coating materials that are more compatible with plastic or apparel materials were selected. Properties were adjusted by blending various monomers that polymerize on activation to the required specifications.
Biomaterial Uses
Select a biomaterial that could serve in a corneal implant application.
Several fluorinated polymers served as candidates for the implant, each exhibiting various microstructures. Intraocular pressure applied within the curved corneal radius was used to convert pressure to stress in the cornea, and these stresses were applied to the biomaterials in creep experiments. By minimizing creep, the biomaterial with the appropriate microstructure for the implant was selected.
Medical Device
Product concept: Develop implantable medical devices that are safe, bioresorbable, and promote healthy tissue ingrowth. Propose mechanisms that might successfully address healing of chronic wounds.
Polymers were synthesized and fashioned into non-woven webs. Treatment of these webs with proprietary methods stored reactive species in the polymer. Analytical techniques were used to ascertain these stored species. Pholasin assays indicated that immersion of treated webs in physiological fluids released these species over time and reduced oxygen in the fluids to superoxide. This reduced state of oxygen was shown to signal fibroblasts to produce proteins that vascularize the wound, leading to mechanisms that heal the wound.
Solving Quality Problems
Solve quality problems with physical properties of an expandable structural adhesive
Through experimentation, identify key material components that impact properties and work with suppliers to augment the chemical structure of these key components. Furthermore, adjust processing protocols to properly distribute and disperse this augmented component, bringing the adhesive back into specification.
Pultruded Products
Product concept: Develop thermoplastic polymers for high temperature pultrusion and high temperature bonding applications.
Synthesized and developed several new thermoplastic materials in the epoxy and acrylate families with low monomer viscosity, rapid wetting of fibers, very rapid polymerization kinetics, and a high glass transition temperature. Manufacture of these materials was scaled in reactive extrusion or favorably applied in pultrusion processes.