Person:
Meredith,
J. Carson
Meredith,
J. Carson
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Organizational Unit
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
School established in 1901 as the School of Chemical Engineering; in 2003, renamed School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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ItemData for Low-water-permeability foils based on bio-renewable cellulose derivatives(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-06) Hickman, Tanner J. ; Li, Tao ; Stingelin, Natalie ; Meredith, J. CarsonPackaging is one of the largest contributors to plastic waste. Hence, polymers produced from renewable sources have become attractive to substitute or fully replace petroleum-based plastics in packaging materials. However, the properties of some of the prime candidates [e.g., cellulose and its derivatives] rapidly deteriorate already at a modest relative humidity rendering them impractical for use in packaging products. Here, we show on the example of carboxymethyl cellulose that chemical crosslinking with citric acid can be exploited to precisely control the moisture sensitivity of cellulose-based structures. Specifically, we demonstrate that the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of carboxymethyl cellulose can be manipulated in a controlled fashion over three orders of magnitude. Thereby, the lowest WVTR value, obtained for an optimal crosslinker content, is one order of magnitude lower than that measured for poly(ethylene terephthalate) even at a relatively humidity of up to 65%. Our work, thus, clearly illustrates that cellulose-based materials can be made insensitive to humidity, which is not only of great importance for providing a solution towards more sustainable plastic packaging but, generally, for expanding the scope of applications of cellulose and its derivatives, allowing us to leverage their natural abundance, chemical versatility, and biodegradability. Dataset embargo expires October 1, 2024.
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ItemComparison of High-Throughput and Conventional Tensile Testing for 3D-Printed Polymers(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024) Rolle, Javaz T. ; Shoukat, Daniyal ; Park, Jay H. ; Meredith, J. Carson ; Orbey, NeseData files with ultimate tensile strength of 3D printed free standing films at various conditions using the HTMECH as the testing machine.
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ItemAdvances in Cellulose Nanomaterial Utilization in Renewable Materials(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-04-05) Meredith, J. CarsonThis talk will review several recent advances in utilizing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in commodity materials applications. The talk will focus on developments relevant to the coatings industry, particularly waterborne coatings utilized in latex paints as well as those useful as barrier coatings for packaging materials. Waterborne acrylic latexes are found in a large variety of commercial coating and paint products, but most of these products continue to contain volatile organic solvents (VOCs). I will present recent work that demonstrates who CNCs can be used as additives to waterborne acrylic formulations to displace the use of VOCs. Notably, because CNCs enable the development of hardness in otherwise soft acrylics, the VOC is no longer needed to enable film formation during the early drying stage. We have investigated two modes of addition of CNC: addition direct to the aqueous phase after the latex is produced and addition to the monomer phase prior to polymerization. In the latter case, the latex is then produced after CNC is dispersed in monomer droplets, by miniemulsion polymerization. This presentation will also feature research on the utilization of CNC dispersions as coatings on conventional polymer films such as PET and cellulose acetate, in order to impart high oxygen barrier properties to these films.
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ItemRaw Data for the Elastic Modulus of Sporopollenin(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017-10-27) Qu, Zihao ; Meredith, J. CarsonSporopollenin, the polymer comprising the exine (outer solid shell) of pollens, is recognized as one of the most chemically- and mechanically-stable naturally-occurring organic substances. The elastic modulus of sporopollenin is of great importance to understanding the adhesion, transport, and protective functions of pollen grains. In addition, this fundamental mechanical property is of significant interest in using pollen exine as materials for drug delivery, reinforcing fillers, sensors, and adhesives. Yet, the literature reports of sporopollenin modulus are very limited. We provide the first report of the elastic modulus of sporopollenin of pollen particles from three plant species: ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), pecan (Carya illinoinensis) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Modulus was determined with atomic force microscopy by using direct nanomechanical mapping of the pollen shell surface. The moduli were atypically high for noncrystalline organic biomaterials, with average values of 16 ± 2.5 GPa (ragweed), 9.5 ± 2.3 GPa (pecan) and 16 ± 4.0 GPa (Kentucky bluegrass). The amorphous pollen exine has a modulus exceeding all non-crystalline biomaterials, such as lignin (6.7 GPa) and actin (1.8 GPa). In addition to native pollens, we have investigated the effects of exposure to a common preparative acid-base chemical treatment and elevated humidity on modulus. Acid-base treatment reduced the ragweed modulus by up to 58% and water vapor exposure at 90% relative humidity reduced the modulus by 54% (pecan) and 72% (Kentucky bluegrass).
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ItemCombinatorial measurement technology for cell interactions at polymer surfaces(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-06-05) Meredith, J. Carson
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ItemEffect of substrate-polymer interactions on polymer thin film dewetting(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-06-02) Meredith, J. Carson
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ItemHigh-Throughput Screening of Advanced Polymeric Materials(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-02-12) Meredith, J. CarsonIn this talk Professor Meredith reviewed recent advances in the high-throughput screening of polymers for advanced materials. Two applications were reviewed: proton exchange membranes (PEM) and biomaterials for cell adhesion and growth. After decades of research the essential requirements of successful PEMs are understood reasonably well. But still, even with design information available, there are millions of potential candidate materials: more than can be reasonably evaluated experimentally. A new approach for searching this space of materials more efficiently would lead to PEMs with significantly better performance-to-price characteristics. This talk reviewed a combinatorial screening system that integrates synthesis of sample libraries based on composition gradients, high-throughput screening of conductivity, mechanical properties, and transport properties. A significant challenge encountered in high-throughput research and development of organic and polymeric materials is the reproducible preparation of combinatorial libraries with programmed variations in composition. A number of examples of discrete and gradient library preparation techniques have been presented in the literature, which were reviewed in this talk. The application of these novel techniques to polymeric biomaterials was also covered. The HTS protocol has been utilized to discover microphase-separated patterns that enhance cell attachment and proliferation for osteoblasts (bone). Informatics processing and models that enable optimization of large materials data sets was also discussed in reference to biomaterials screening.