Polymer under confinement
Héloïse Thérien-Aubin
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
10:30 a.m.
In-person: QNC-1501
Abstract: Polymer chains can be confined within, on, or around nanocolloids, and the confinement effect generated by nanocolloidal systems can influence polymer materials at different stages, from their synthesis to their final behavior. We have used the confinement of polymer precursors to promote the synthesis of polymer materials in miniemulsion. Confinement increases the reaction kinetics and forms polymer with higher degrees of polymerization in common monomer systems. We used this increase in reactivity to convert industrial wastes, such as sulfur produced during crude oil processing, to prepare a family of new functional polymers. Furthermore, using model systems of polymer-functionalized polymer nanoparticles, we developed a deeper understanding of how the degree of confinement and the chemical composition affects the local behavior (dynamics, conformation) of the polymers and how this relates to the global material properties. Our results demonstrate that exploiting nanoconfinement in polymer systems allows for controlling interactions, conformations, and reactivities within the confined systems. This provides a new approach to fine-tune polymer behavior, enabling the development of colloidal systems with improved properties and new design rules for creating functional polymer/nanocolloid hybrid materials. This was demonstrated with the preparation of hybrid systems for application in water reclamation or as functional coatings.