Title:
An Investigation into the Glass Transition Temperature of Vapor Phase Infiltrated Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials

dc.contributor.advisor Losego, Mark D.
dc.contributor.author Bamford, James
dc.contributor.committeeMember Gutekunst, Will R.
dc.contributor.department Materials Science and Engineering
dc.date.accessioned 2022-05-27T14:36:50Z
dc.date.available 2022-05-27T14:36:50Z
dc.date.created 2021-05
dc.date.issued 2021-05
dc.date.submitted May 2021
dc.date.updated 2022-05-27T14:36:50Z
dc.description.abstract Glass transition temperature (Tg) is a fundamental property of a polymer that defines its upper service temperature for structural applications and is reflective of its physicochemical features. We are interested in how vapor phase infiltration (VPI), which infuses polymers with inorganic species to create hybrid materials, affects the glass transition temperature of a material. We examine Al2O3 VPI into poly(styrene-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PS-r-PHEMA) using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water precursors. Our VPI precursors are selected to be unreactive towards the styrene monomer units and highly reactive towards the HEMA monomer units. Experiments were conducted on PS-r-PHEMA thin films (200 nm) spun-cast onto silicon wafers and infiltrated at 100°C with 4 hr. exposure times. Copolymers with varying fractions of HEMA units were investigated, from 0 mole % to 20.2 mole % HEMA. Volumetric swelling of the films after VPI and aluminum oxide film thicknesses after pyrolysis both confirmed higher metal oxide loading with higher fraction HEMA units. Tg was measured using a spectroscopic ellipsometer with a heating unit. We find that the glass transition temperature increases significantly with metal oxide loading. Copolymers with 0.0%, 3.0%, 7.7%, 11.5%, and 20.2% HEMA units experienced 6°C, 8°C, 22°C, 37°C, and 46°C increases in Tg respectively. Changes in Tg at low HEMA composition fit the Fox-Loshaek model for crosslinking phenomena which, along with a dissolution study on these materials, suggests that VPI alumina crosslinks PS-r-PHEMA. We conclude that VPI may be useful as a crosslinking process for designing the thermophysical and thermochemical properties of polymer thin films, fibers, and fabrics.
dc.description.degree Undergraduate
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/66689
dc.language.iso en_US
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology
dc.subject Polymers
dc.subject Vapor phase infiltration
dc.subject Glass transition
dc.subject Organic inorganic hybrids
dc.subject Thin films
dc.subject Ellipsometry
dc.subject Metalorganic chemistry
dc.subject Crosslinking
dc.title An Investigation into the Glass Transition Temperature of Vapor Phase Infiltrated Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Undergraduate Thesis
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.advisor Losego, Mark D.
local.contributor.corporatename School of Materials Science and Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename College of Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
local.relation.ispartofseries Undergraduate Research Option Theses
relation.isAdvisorOfPublication 4af44683-a657-4c41-9f28-12972d5ca1c1
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 21b5a45b-0b8a-4b69-a36b-6556f8426a35
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 7c022d60-21d5-497c-b552-95e489a06569
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relation.isSeriesOfPublication e1a827bd-cf25-4b83-ba24-70848b7036ac
thesis.degree.level Undergraduate
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