A Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer for Assessing Thermomechanical Characteristics of Advanced Functional Materials

用于评估先进功能材料热机械特性的动态机械分析仪

• 批准号: RTI-2022-00496
• 负责人: Fatehi, Pedram
• 金额: $ 10.84万
• 依托单位: Lakehead University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=741748
• 关键词: Dynamic; Mechanical; Analyzer; Assessing; Thermomechanical

The use of petroleum-based plastics, composites, and aerogels (i.e., foams) has been increased globally, but these products have significant environmental footprints. To tackle this issue, the production of bioplastics, biocomposites, and bioaerogels has been studied in the past few years. Despite the progress, the properties (e.g., thermomechanical, water/gas barrier, and UV absorption) of the produced bioproducts do not meet the requirement of the industry, and hence there exists room for generating functional bioplastics, biocomposites, and bioaerogels with more acceptable properties. On the other hand, lignin, the byproduct of the pulping industry, can be produced at commercial scales in Canada. Despite its tremendous potential, lignin has not been utilized in high-value material productions. In applicant's research group, several research programs have been developed to valorize lignin in biomaterial generations. These programs include 1) the production of lignin-derived plastics for food wrapping applications, 2) the creation of lignin nano- and micro- particle-based composites, and 3) the development of lignin-based aerogels for food packaging and insulation applications. To meet the objectives of the stated programs, 17 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows (PDF)s are researching 1) the chemical modification of lignin to induce functionalized lignin derivatives, 2) the incorporation of lignin derivatives in plastic, composite, and aerogel formulas and 3) the assessment of physicochemical, surface, and structural properties and performance of the induced products. Despite the critical importance of the thermomechanical performance of such products, a thermomechanical analyzer is not available at Lakehead University, or in Thunder Bay, to assess the thermomechanical performance of the created products. Therefore, the research objectives of the developed programs cannot be met, and the graduate students/researchers will not have complete training on biomaterial development and characterization. A dynamic thermomechanical analyzer is an analytical instrument used for assessing the thermomechanical behavior of plastics and polymeric materials. It is capable of determining glass transition and melting points of polymeric materials, and mechanical properties, such as modulus, damping, creep, and stress relaxation, of plastics, composites, and aerogels. It is expected that, with the help of this instrument, the thermomechanical properties of lignin-based plastics, composites, and aerogels be determined and correlated with other properties of the induced biomaterials. Furthermore, the use of lignin-derived biomaterials will remarkably reduce the use of traditional oil-based polymeric materials and thus contribute to reducing their environmental footprints. The creation of value-added lignin-based materials will also help the overall financial profits of the pulping industry, which is one of the major contributors to GDP in Canada.

全球范围内增加了基于石油的塑料，复合材料和气凝胶（即泡沫），但这些产品具有明显的环境足迹。为了解决这个问题，在过去的几年中已经研究了生物塑料，生物复合材料和生物凝胶的生产。尽管取得了进展，但生产的生物产品的特性（例如，热力学，水/气壁和紫外线吸收）不符合该行业的需求，因此存在产生功能性生物塑料，生物复合物和生物凝胶具有更多可接受性能的功能性生物塑料，生物复合物和生物凝胶的空间。 另一方面，木质素是制浆行业的副产品，可以在加拿大的商业规模生产。尽管具有巨大的潜力，但木质素尚未用于高价值材料生产。在申请人的研究小组中，已经制定了几项研究计划，以使生物材料中的木质素价值。这些程序包括1）生产用于食品包装应用的木质素衍生的塑料，2）创建木质素纳米和微颗粒的复合材料，以及3）3）开发用于食品包装和绝缘应用的基于木质素的气凝胶。为了满足陈述计划的目标，17名研究生和博士后研究员（PDF）S正在研究1）木质素的化学修饰以诱导功能化的木质素衍生物，2）将木质素衍生物掺入塑性，复合，复合，复合和气胶配方和3）物理学，表面和结构性质量和结构性能和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构和结构及其表演的评估。尽管此类产品的热力学性能至关重要，但在莱克黑德大学或雷霆湾没有用于评估创建产品的热机械性能的热机械分析仪。因此，无法满足开发计划的研究目标，研究生/研究人员将无法就生物材料开发和表征进行完整的培训。 动态热机械分析仪是一种用于评估塑料和聚合物材料的热机械行为的分析仪器。它能够确定聚合物材料的玻璃过渡和熔点以及机械性能，例如塑料，复合材料和气凝胶的模量，阻尼，蠕变和应力松弛。 可以预期的是，借助该仪器，基于木质素的塑料，复合材料和气凝胶的热机械性能应与诱导的生物材料的其他特性确定并相关。此外，使用木质素衍生的生物材料将显着减少传统的油基聚合材料的使用，从而有助于减少其环境足迹。基于增值的木质素材料的创建还将有助于制浆行业的整体财务利润，这是加拿大GDP的主要贡献者之一。