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News
& Ideas
MATERIALS SCIENCE:
Smaller is better
Linda Schadler, associate professor of materials
engineering, is working to engineer new materials that resist
scratching, stand up to twisting and stretching, survive high
temperatures, and insulate electrical current far better than
those materials in general use today.
Linda Schadler, associate professor of materials
engineering, is working to engineer new materials that resist
scratching, stand up to twisting and stretching, survive high
temperatures, and insulate electrical current far better than
those materials in general use today.
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Much of Schadler’s research revolves around
the custom design of polymer composites. Her work includes embedding
nanomaterials into polymer and ceramic matrices. In one project,
Schadler is adding alumina nanoparticles to polymethylmetha-crylate
(PMMA), a polymer that is sometimes marketed as Plexiglas.
“We have been able to increase the ductility
of PMMA by an order of magnitude,” she says.
In other composite systems, Schadler and her colleagues
have increased the scratch resistance while maintaining optical
clarity.
Such research could result, for instance, in better
plastic windshields for military aircraft.
CONTACT: Theresa Bourgeois, (518) 276-2840,
bourgt@rpi.edu
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