Design of polymer nanocomposites: Using nanoparticle attributes, polymer structure, and processing strategies to guide microstructure development

Presenter: Dr. Meisha Shofner, Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Polymer nanocomposites have been widely investigated by researchers from disparate disciplines and prepared for a range of structural and functional applications. Therefore, the impetus to study these materials can be wide-ranging as well, but from a fundamental materials science standpoint, the nature and extent of component interactions in polymer nanocomposites provide opportunities to affect material structure and in turn affect properties due to factors beyond inherent nanoparticle properties. In the Shofner group, we are investigating how to expand this capability further to facilitate the construction of microstructures that provide viscoelastic and mechanical property improvement. In this seminar, I will discuss our efforts to use nanoparticle attributes such as geometry, surface charges, polymer structure, and processing strategies to enable the construction of larger scale structures in polymer nanocomposites and explore the design space available in these materials. Specifically, I will share results from our efforts to produce tensegrity-inspired structures and nanoparticle networks in polymer nanocomposites to enhance physical properties.

About Dr. Shofner:

Dr. Meisha L. Shofner is an Associate Professor and MSE Faculty Fellow in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She joined the Georgia Tech faculty, following post-doctoral training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Rice University. Prior to graduate school, she was employed as a design engineer at FMC in the Subsea Engineering Division. Dr. Shofner’s research interests include processing strategies for polymers and nanocomposites, auxetic and tensegrity structures, bio-based polymers, polymer crystallization, and process-structure-property relationships of materials for additive manufacturing. She currently serves on the leadership team of SHAP3D, a NSF-funded Industry University Cooperative Research Center in the area of additive manufacturing, and she is an associate editor for Additive Manufacturing.