Title:
Dependence of mechanical properties of partially oriented polymeric systems on chemical structure and molecular architecture
Dependence of mechanical properties of partially oriented polymeric systems on chemical structure and molecular architecture
Author(s)
Dong, Xin
Advisor(s)
Jacob, Karl I.
McDowell, David L.
McDowell, David L.
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Abstract
Partially oriented polymeric structures such as semi-crystalline polymers and liquid crystalline polymers/elastomer cover a wide range of synthetic and natural polymeric materials. Owing to the significant differences between the molecular structure and properties of ordered and amorphous regions, semi-crystalline polymers show complex patterns of behavior, although the molecular level mechanisms for deformation are still not well-understood. Molecular dynamics simulation based on a united atom method were performed, to study the crystallization behavior and molecular response of semi-crystalline polyethylene structures under external stresses in a time scale of nanoseconds to capture the molecular details. Using the data from molecular dynamics simulations, the effect of lamellae orientation on the stress-strain behavior was evaluated to understand the morphological evolution during deformation. The stress-induced morphological changes of free-standing and supported thin films with strong interacting surfaces were also investigated. Process-structure-property relationships are also investigated for liquid crystalline elastomers, with experimental approaches for validation. Structures and properties of a series of azobenzene containing liquid crystalline elastomeric films were characterized in detail.
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Date Issued
2015-05-15
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Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Dissertation