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Polymer Engineering

Polymer Engineering Research

OVERVIEW

Our research in Polymer Engineering is dedicated to providing leadership technologies involving a broad base of commercially viable polymer-related materials, processes and products through the development and application of our core competencies. We focus on the practical applications of scientific and engineering principles to generate new materials and processing concepts and enhance technical problem solving capabilities related to the production and use of polymers. The school is also home to the National Polymer Innovation Center (NPIC), which houses facility at the leading edge of polymer advanced manufacturing specializing in functional multilayer film processing and advanced materials development.

Faculty expertise spans the polymer technology spectrum from new designs of functional polymers, conventional polymer processing, rheology, coatings, porous materials fabrication, to advanced micro/nanofabrication, additive manufacturing, and multiscale modeling.

POLYMER ENGINEERING FACULTY

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Research News

Recent Publications

  • Liu, S.; Kasbe, P. S.; Yang, M.; Shen, N.; Duan, L.; Mao, Y.; Xu, W. Intimately Bonded 2D Materials and Responsive Polymer Brushes for Adaptive Nanocomposites. Polymer 2020, 210, 123033.
  • Liu, S.; Xu, W. Engineered Living Materials-Based Sensing and Actuation. Front. Sens. 2020, 1, 586300.
  • Perego, A.; Khabaz, F. Volumetric and Rheological Properties of Vitrimers: A Hybrid Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo Simulation Study. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 8406-8416.
  • Perego, A.; Khabaz, F. Thermodynamics, Dynamics, and Rheology of Fuel Surrogates: Application of the Time-Temperature Superposition Principle in Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Energy Fuels, 2020, 34, 10631-10640.
  • Peng, B.; Yang, Y; Gu, K.; Amis, E. J.; Cavicchi, K.A. Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of Triple Shape Memory Polymer for Sequential Shape Shifting. ACS Materials Lett. 2019, 1, 410-217.
  • Pantoja, M.; Jian, P.-Z,; Cakmak, M. Cavicchi, K.A. Shape Memory Properties of Polystyrene-block-Poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-block-Polystyrene (SEBS) ABA Triblock Copolymer Thermoplastic Elastomers ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2019, 1, 414-424.
  • Javadi, A.; Cobaj, A.; Soucek, M. D. Commercial waterborne coatings. In Handbook of Waterborne Coatings (pp. 303-344). Elsevier, 2020.
  • Alrashed, M. M.; Jana, S.; Soucek, M. D. Corrosion performance of polyurethane hybrid coatings with encapsulated inhibitor. Prog. Org. Coat. 2019, 130, 235-243.
  • Piedrahita, C. R.; Yue, P.; Cao, J.; Lee, H.; Rajapaksha, C. P.; Feng, C.; Jákli, A.; Kyu, T. Flexoelectricity in Flexoionic Polymer Electrolyte Membranes: Effect of Thiosiloxane Modification on Poly (ethylene glycol) Diacrylate and Ionic Liquid Electrolyte Composites. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12, 16978–16986
  • Cao, J.; Rendon Piedrahita, C.; Zhao, Z.; Vogt, B. D.; Kyu, T. Tuning Flexoelectric Effect in Polymer Electrolyte Membranes via Cation Selection for Potential Energy Harvesting Applications. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2020, 3, 328–335.
  • Raut, P.; Yuan, S.; Miyoshi, T.; Jana, S. C. Effects of Surface Area and Porosity on Behavior of IL Molecules in Meso and Macroporous Polymeric Networks. Polymer 2020, 211, 123081.
  • Teo, N.; Jin, C.; Kulkarni, A.; Jana, S. C. Continuous fabrication of core-shell aerogel microparticles using microfluidic flows. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2020, 561, 772-781.
  • Zhu, T.; Yang, Y.; Liu, Y.; Lopez-Hallman, R.; Ma, Z.; Liu, L.; Gong, X. Wireless portable light-weight self-charging power packs by perovskite-organic tandem solar cells integrated with solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors. Nano Energy 2020, 78, 105397.
  • Xu, W.; Zhu, T.; Yang, Y.; Zheng, L.; Liu, L.; Gong, X. Enhanced Device Performance of Perovskite Photovoltaics by Magnetic Field‐Aligned Perovskites‐Magnetic Nanoparticles Composite Thin Film. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 2002808.
  • Wang, S.-Q.: Cheng, S.W.; Liu, P.P.; Li, X. A phenomenological molecular model for brittle-ductile transition and yielding of polymer glasses J. Chem. Phys., 2014, 141, 094905. DOI: 10.1063/1.4893765
  • Wang, S.-Q Nonlinear Polymer Rheology: macroscopic phenomenology and molecular foundation, Wiley (2018). ISBN 9781119029052.

CONTACT US

Dr. Kevin Cavicchi
Phone: 330-972-8368
Email: kac58@uakron.edu

Dr. Mark D. Soucek
Phone: 330-972-2583
Email: msoucek@uakron.edu