Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites

Extending the size range of fillers for composite materials down to the nanoscale has the potential to produce unique properties and property combinations that can be of value to society.  Understanding how to create nanocomposites with specified local structure, and measuring the resulting properties, is critical for achieving this goal.  This talk will describe our efforts to create nanocomposites with well-dispersed nanoparticles, and the resulting properties, such as glass transition temperature, and dielectric breakdown.  The dynamics of the polymer chains within the composite are affected by the presence of obstacles and this behavior is studied using polymer Interdiffusionexperiments. Understanding how chains are influenced by particles with size on the order of the radius of gyration will be discussed.

Jeff Meth received a B.S. in Chemistry from MIT in 1984 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Stanford in 1989.  He joined DuPont as a researcher in 1989, and works primarily in creating and characterizing the properties of coatings and films.  He is currently team leader for Thermal Interface Materials, where he leads a group creating new technologies for thermal management application.  He led the OLED Solid State Lighting program, where his research involves structure-property relationships for blue emitter and host materials.  Previously, he worked extensively on nanocomposite technologies, printable electronics (TFTs, touchscreens, color filters), adhesion of coatings, heat shrink films, and nonlinear optics. He is co-inventor on 19 issued US patents, and more than 50 peer-reviewed publications.