CAREER: Fast-Rate Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Polymer Composites with Tailored Microstructure and Performance

职业：快速制造具有定制微观结构和性能的热塑性聚合物复合材料

基本信息

批准号：
2143286
负责人：
Amir Asadi
金额：
$ 57.84万
依托单位：
Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2022-09-01 至 2027-08-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2143286&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
CAREER Fast Rate Manufacturing Thermoplastic

项目摘要

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will support research that contributes to the development of fast-rate manufacturing of high-performance thermoplastic composites with enhanced properties, promoting the US manufacturing science and technology. High-performance thermoplastic composites are emerging in industries to replace metals as these composites offer light weighting, outstanding mechanical properties, chemical stability, and manufacturability within few minutes via thermoforming. However, in fast-rate processes with high cooling rates, there is not sufficient time for the polymer to form long chain orders (crystals) that in turn reduces the crystallinity level. High crystallinity is required for improved stiffness and strength; however, lower crystallinity is desirable to improve toughness. These competing properties can be optimized by control of the detailed structure of the polymer. This grant supports fundamental research that fills the knowledge gap needed to engineer the thermoplastic composite crystallinity during processing to achieve concurrently high stiffness, strength and toughness. Nanomaterials (NMs) are used to control the crystallinity without the use of hazardous solvents, promoting the scalability. The research accelerates the manufacturing of next generation of composites with reduced weight and increased strength and toughness that benefits the US economy and national security by equipping U.S. automotive, aerospace and marine industries with a scalable and fast-rate manufacturing technique. The interdisciplinary nature of this research provides unique opportunities to train the next generation of highly skilled engineers and scientists in STEM fields especially from women and underrepresented minority groups that further enhances the diversification of the US manufacturing workforce.Optimized composite mechanical properties achieved during fast-rate manufacturing of semicrystalline polymer composites require engineering the crystalline morphology. This research will enable alternative capabilities in tailoring the microstructure of semicrystalline composites at multiple length scales during composite processing. Nanomaterials consisting of cellulose nanocrystals-graphene nanoplatelets are used to synergistically reinforce and create a hierarchical crystalline architecture. This project will generate new information by bridging the knowledge gap in the evolution of crystalline-amorphous domains from molecular bonds and forces, their translation to interfacial and interlaminar properties, and their deformation under service load. The research uses in-operando X-ray scattering and in-situ microscopy complemented by density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations to establish the molecular interactions-semicrystalline microstructure-property relationship. The research also addresses the damage transformation from molecular bonds dissociation to delamination.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该学院的早期职业发展（CAREER）补助金将支持有助于开发具有增强性能的高性能热塑性复合材料的快速制造的研究，从而促进美国制造科学和技术的发展。高性能热塑性复合材料正在行业中兴起，以取代金属，因为这些复合材料具有重量轻、出色的机械性能、化学稳定性以及通过热成型在几分钟内即可制造的特点。然而，在具有高冷却速率的快速过程中，聚合物没有足够的时间形成长链有序（晶体），从而降低了结晶度水平。提高刚度和强度需要高结晶度；然而，为了提高韧性，需要较低的结晶度。这些相互竞争的性能可以通过控制聚合物的详细结构来优化。该拨款支持基础研究，填补加工过程中设计热塑性复合材料结晶度所需的知识空白，以同时实现高刚度、强度和韧性。纳米材料（NM）用于在不使用有害溶剂的情况下控制结晶度，从而提高可扩展性。该研究加速了下一代复合材料的制造，重量减轻，强度和韧性提高，通过为美国汽车、航空航天和海洋工业配备可扩展和快速的制造技术，有利于美国经济和国家安全。这项研究的跨学科性质为培训 STEM 领域的下一代高技能工程师和科学家（特别是女性和代表性不足的少数群体）提供了独特的机会，这进一步增强了美国制造业劳动力的多元化。在快速生产过程中实现了优化的复合材料机械性能半结晶聚合物复合材料的制造需要设计结晶形态。这项研究将实现在复合材料加工过程中在多个长度尺度上定制半晶复合材料微观结构的替代能力。由纤维素纳米晶体-石墨烯纳米片组成的纳米材料用于协同增强和创建分层晶体结构。该项目将通过弥合晶体-非晶域从分子键和力的演化、它们向界面和层间特性的转化以及它们在使用负载下的变形的知识差距来产生新的信息。该研究利用现场X射线散射和原位显微镜，辅以密度泛函理论和分子动力学模拟，建立了分子相互作用-半晶微观结构-性能关系。该研究还解决了从分子键解离到分层的损伤转变。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。