Polymeric and Composite Materials
Research in polymeric and composite materials to enable novel sensors, advanced manufacturing, functional 3D parts.
Innovation in polymeric and composite materials can enable novel sensors, advanced manufacturing methods, and functional parts. We develop multi-material composites and interfacial materials to enable new combinations of material properties in highly manufacturable ways. The interfaces of these materials enable unique sets of properties.
For example, by leveraging chemical techniques, we make polymeric aerogels with monodisperse pore sizes that are controllable between 5 nanometers to 100 nanometers. This enables the tuning of chemical, thermal, and optical properties, and is currently being investigated for use in applications ranging from passive chemical sensing to transparent insulation for low-cost single-pane windows.
Download our Information Sheets on SHIELD and Metamaterials-Enabled Passive Radiative Cooling Films to learn more.
Another example of our polymeric and composite materials work is covalently linked networks of polymers and graphene to create durable, robust materials. This composite material enables 3D printed parts whose mechanical properties render them usable products, rather than merely rapid prototypes. The interfacial properties our team has engineered allow these materials to break the common relationship between stiffness, brittleness, and strength.