Mission Statement
The design of materials with a tailored set of properties is an age-old endeavor, yet one in which new challenges emerge with each new application one can envision. Today, polymeric materials pervade all areas of technology, from medicine to electronics. Most polymeric materials introduced into commerce today contain multiple components or phases, with supramolecular structures ranging from nanometers to microns. Such materials offer the potential for synergistic property combinations, and even entirely new applications where the polymer structure is used as a template, but their complex behavior makes tapping this potential a true challenge. By elucidating the connections between materials synthesis, processing, morphology, and physical properties, our work aims to provide key ideas in the design of materials with tailored properties, and show how these materials may be used in new areas of technology. Our current work in four general areas is elaborated below, along with links to descriptions of some now-completed research projects.
Current Research Areas
- Synthesis of New Polymers, Including Random and Block Copolymers
- Block Copolymers in Bulk
- Block Copolymer Thin Films
- Polymers for Butanol Pervaporation Membranes