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Linda Schadler is focusing her
research efforts on nanoparticle filled polymers. These materials
are exciting because they present an opportunity to create
materials with unique combinations of properties. For example,
by filling polymers with nanoscale fillers, the scratch resistance
of a material can improve by an order of magnitude while maintaining
optical clarity. This has application ranging from the protection
of medical films to windshields.
“This research is exciting because we are just beginning
to learn how to control the properties of nanoparticle filled
polymers, and there are significant discoveries and contributions
to be made,” Schadler said.
Schadler’s ground-breaking work has already resulted
in pending patent applications on some of the early discoveries
made by the team, comprised of RPI students at the undergraduate,
post-doctoral, and Ph.D. level.
The difference between nanoscale fillers
and traditional micron scale fillers is the extremely large
surface area of the particles. A significant fraction of the
polymer matrix is in contact with the particles. This gives
Schadler the opportunity to modify the properties of the polymer
by controlling its interaction with the particle surface.
For example, by changing the interaction of the particle and
polymer from very strong to negative, her group has been able
to either increase or decrease glass transition temperature
by 20 degrees.
Mechanical properties can also be altered. By adding 5 wt
% of nanoscale alumina to polymethylmethacrylate, the failure
mode changes from crazing and brittle failure to ductile shear
yielding and the strain-to-failure increases by an order of
magnitude. In other systems, the scratch resistance has been
improved by an order of magnitude. Schadler is currently trying
to control the polymer/particle interactions in order to design
composites with tailored properties.
 Linda
S. Schadler
Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street
Troy, N.Y. 12180-3590
(518) 276-8554
schadl@rpi.edu
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