Invited Talk 6
| Title | Continuous Polymer Nanolayer Processing by Forced Assembly |
Eric Baer is the Leonard Case Jr. Professor in the Dept. of Macromolecular Science and Engineering and Director of the Center for Layered Polymeric Systems (CliPS) NSF Science and Technology Center at Case Western Reserve University.
His honors include the Curtis W. McGraw Research Award, American Society of Engineering Education, 1968; Centennial Scholar, The Johns Hopkins University, 1976; Annual Award of the Thermoplastic Materials and Foams Division, Society of Plastics Engineers, 1979; Distinguished Alumnus Award, The Johns Hopkins University, 1979; International Award of the Society of Plastics Engineers, 1980; Borden Award in the Chemistry of Plastics and Coatings, American Chemical Society, 1981; Meritorious Service Award of the Case Alumni Association, 1982; International Education Award of the Society of Plastics Engineers, 1991; Doctor of Sciences “honoris causa” of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Chemistry) June 28, 1993; Paul J. Flory Education Award, American Chemical Society, March 27, 1996; Frank and Dorothy Humel Hovorka Prize, Case Western Reserve University, 1998; Roon Foundation Award, Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology and Coatings Industry Education Fund, 1999.
He was inducted into The Plastics Hall of Fame, June 22, 2000.
Research interests: Irreversible microdeformation mechanisms; pressure effects on morphology and mechanical properties; relationships between hierarchical structure and mechanical function; mechanical properties of soft connective tissue; polymer composites and blends; polymerization crystallization on crystalline surfaces; viscoelastic properties of polymer melts; damage and fracture analysis of polymers, and micro- and nanolayered composites. Eric Baer is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. He has edited five books and published over 550 research papers.
Abstract
A recent breakthrough in the laboratories of Professors Baer and Hiltner extends continuous coextrusion processing
technology to the nanoscale. This paper addresses recent advances in forced assembly coextrusion processing, a
technique which combines conventional coextrusion with a series of layer multiplier dies thereby making it possible to
fabricate films with many thousands of layers. Films processed in this manner can readily be created with thousands
of layers containing two or more alternating polymers. Layer thicknesses have been made in the range of several
microns down to ten nanometers by varying the number of layers and the relative layer composition. Advances in
layer uniformity, material requirements for nanolayered coextrusion, as well as the design of multilayered films with a
gradient in layer thicknesses are discussed.
Nanolayered films are of potential interest for developing high value added materials systems with novel mechanical, transport, electrical, and optical properties. A review of recent enhanced properties of multilayered films systems will be discussed as a result of reducing individual layer thicknesses to the nanoscale. Nanolayer induced confined crystallization resulting in over a 300X decrease in material oxygen permeability will be described. A nanolayered film system exhibiting synergistic improvements in electrical breakdown and hysteresis was discovered as a potential dielectric capacitor film. Enhanced optical properties of nanolayered films will also be discussed pertaining to the creation of light weight, optical reflectors and the fabrication of a new class of polymer optical gradient refractive index (GRIN) lenses for improved imaging in lightweight, low light systems.
Keywords: Coextrusion, Layer multiplication, Nanolayers, Gas barrier, Dielectrics, optics, Photonics, Gradient.
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