Recent Highlights
Podcast of Prof. Winey about Polymer Nanocomposites
Prof. Winey is now an Associate Editor for Macromolecules
DOE grant renewed to study ion conduction
New grant to study diffusion in polymer nanocomposites
Former Group Members Win Awards!
Selected Recent Publications
Electrcal Properties in Polymer Nanocomposites
- S. I. White, P. M. Vora, J. M. Kikkawa, K. I. Winey*, Advanced Functional Materials, 21, 233-240, 2011.
“Resistive switching in bulk silver nanowire-polymer composites.”
- S. I. White, P. M. Vora, J. M. Kikkawa, J. E. Fischer, K. I. Winey*, Journal of Physical Chemistry B , 114, 22106-22112, 2010.
“Temperature-dependent resistive switching in bulk silver nanowire-polystyrene composites.”
- S. I. White, R. M. Mutiso, P. M. Vora, D. Jahnke, S. Hsu, J. M. Kikkawa, Ju Li, John E. Fischer, K. I. Winey*, Advanced Functional Materials, 20, 2709-2716, 2010.
“Electrical percolation behavior in silver nanowire-polystyrene composites: Simulation and experiment.”
- S. I. White, B. A. DiDonna, M. Mu, T. C. Lubensky, K. I. Winey*, Physical Review B, 79, 024301, 2009.
“Simulations and electrical conductivity of percolated networks of finite rods with various degrees of axial alignment.”
Morphology and Ion Conduction in Ion-Containing Polymers
- A. M. Castagna, W. Wang, K. I. Winey*, J. Runt*, Macromolecules, 43, 10498-10504, 2010.
“Influence of the degree of sulfonation on the structure and dynamics of sulfonated polystyrene copolymers.”
- B. Dong, G. Liang, D. Salas de la Cruz, K. I. Winey, Y. A. Elabd*, Nanoletters, 10, 3785-3790, 2010.
“Super proton conductive high purity Nafion nanofibers."
- M. E. Seitz, C. D. Chan, K. L. Opper, T. W. Baughman, K. B. Wagener, K. I. Winey*, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132, 8165-8174, 2010.
“Nanoscale morphology in precisely-sequenced poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) zinc ionomers.”
- W. Wang, W. Liu, G. J. Tudryn, R. H. Colby, K. I. Winey*, Macromolecules, 43, 4223-4229, 2010.
“Multi-length scale morphology of poly(ethylene oxide)-based sulfonate ionomers with alkali cations at room temperature.”
- W. Wang, T.-T. Chan, A. J. Perkowski, S. Schlick, K. I. Winey*, Polymer, 50, 1281-1287, 2009.
“Local structure and composition of the ionic aggregates in Cu(II)-neutralized poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomers depend on acid content and neutralization level.”
Polymer Diffusion in Polymer Nanocomposites
- M. Mu, M. E. Seitz, N. Clarke, R. J. Composto, K. I. Winey*, Macromolecules, 44, 191-193, 2011.
“Polymer tracer diffusion exhibits a minimum in nanocomposites containing spherical nanoparticles.”
- M. Mu, R. J. Composto, N. Clarke, K. I. Winey*, Macromolecules, 42, 8365-8369, 2009.
“Minimum in diffusion coefficient with increasing MWCNT concentration requires tracer molecules to be larger than nanotubes.”
- M. Mu, N. Clarke, R. J. Composto, K. I. Winey*, Macromolecules, 42, 7091-7097, 2009.
“Polymer diffusion exhibits a minimum with increasing single-walled carbon nanotube concentration.”
Macromoleucles, Associate Editor
On July 1, 2010, Karen Winey became an Associate Editor for Macromolecules, a publication of the American Chemical Society. This journal is the premier journal in polymer science.
DOE Grant Renewed
The Department of Energy renewed the grant entitled, "Conduction Mechanisms and Structure in Single-Ion Polymer Conductors." This project is a collaboration with Profs. Ralph Colby, Janna Marans, Karl Mueller and Jim Runt of the Pennsylvania State University. New polymers are being designed and synthesized in an effort to understand what is necessary for the ions to conduct effeciently. A driving force for our work is polymer electrolytes for light weight batteries.
New Grant to Study Diffusion in Polymer Nanocomposites!
The National Science Foundation has recently awarded Karen Winey (PI) and several collaborators (Russ Composto, Nigel Clarke and Tom McLeish) a Materials World Network grant to study polymer dynamics in the presence of nanoparticles. We recently found that polymers behave difference in the presence of nanoparticles, where the polymer diffusion first slowed and then recovered with the addition of cylindrical nanoparticles, namely carbon nanotubes. This research will allow for the fundamental understanding of this observed behavior by further studying the polymer dynamics in these nanocomposite systems using a coordinated experimental and theoretical approach.
Former Group Members Win Awards! Well Done!!
Dr. M. Moniruzzaman was been recognized as a 2009 Most Valuable Players at SABIC Innovative Plastics.
Dr. Dan Polis has received a 2009 NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal for Materials Engineering Excellence in the Implementation of Composites for Primary Structure in NASA Human Spacecraft