Nanostructured Materials

The objective of this work is the synthesis of new thermoplastic and thermosetting nanocomposite materials for the study of fundamental properties and phenomena. When the program began, only limited physical, mechanical, and surface property characterization data was available in polymer and composite technologies. This is important because, by controlling polymer composites at the nano-level, ideal property improvements were envisioned. During the program, new materials were produced and new methods for nanoparticle incorporation were developed. These advancements led to numerous property enhancements, particularly in the area of surface properties. This report summarizes only a portion of the results obtained during this program with a particular focus on the non-wetting materials research.