The innovation engine for new materials

Jessica Cash

Jessica Cash

Major: 

Chemistry

University: 

University of California Santa Barbara

Mentor(s): 

Ashley M. Piekarski

Faculty Sponsor(s): 

Professor Craig Hawker

Faculty Sponsor's Department(s): 

Materials

Project Title: 

ROBUST, EFFICIENT AND ORTHOGONAL CHEMISTRY FOR THE PREPARATION OF HYBRID INORGANIC-ORGANIC NANOCOMPOSITE FILMS

Project Description: 

There has been great interest in the past few decades in hybrid inorganic-organic nanocomposite films given that inorganic nanoparticles dispersed in a neat matrix have shown to enhance physical, thermomechanical and processing properties of the matrix.1 Incorporation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles within a matrix would allow for the development of tunable and responsive materials which may be useful for a variety of applications such as memory devices, dry adhesives, and anti-fouling surfaces to name a few. Therefore, in the present study, monodisperse MnFe2O4 nanoparticles were incorporated into a thiol-ene matrix increasing the nanoparticle concentration to achieve the highest loading while maintaining good thermal and mechanical properties. These films were tested for their thermal and mechanical properties by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and Instron tensile testing instrument. In order to determine the effect of increasing nanoparticle concentration on the thermal stability of the magnetic films, TGA was employed to give the thermal decomposition temperatures of each sample. The glass transition temperatures were determined by DMA to assess trends that correlate the concentration of magnetic nanoparticles within the thiol-ene matrix with the glass transition temperatures. Likewise, Instron was used to measure the Young’s moduli of the materials exemplifying the mechanical properties of the magnetic films with increasing nanoparticle concentration. We successfully incorporated a higher weight percent of magnetic nanoparticles than had been previously obtained. Furthermore, the dispersion of these particles within the thiol-ene matrix will be explored by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). [1] Vaia, R. A., Maguire, J. F., Chem. Mater., 2007, 19, 2736.