Project Grant 1934438

The National Science Foundation awarded a $337,108 Project Grant to the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to conduct research integrating molecular modeling and nanomechanical experiments. The award aims to test the hypothesis that a combination of high strength and low stiffness in polymer nanocomposites results from their unique microstructure containing spherical nanoparticles weakly interacting with a soft polymer matrix. The research will...

This $578,437 National Science Foundation project grant supports research at Texas A&M University to develop fast manufacturing techniques for high-performance thermoplastic polymer composites. The research aims to engineer the crystallinity of these composites during fast processing to achieve high stiffness, strength and toughness concurrently. Nanomaterials consisting of cellulose nanocrystals and graphene nanoplatelets will be used to control crystallinity without hazardous solvents...

This Project Grant award of $267,524 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research to enable the manufacture of high-performance thermoplastic composite structures through faster and less energy-intensive processes. The research, conducted by an international team from the University of California-San Diego, Michigan Technological University, NASA, and the University of Wuppertal in Germany, aims to develop a physics-based, multiscale modeling...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) provides $299,431 to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to develop characterization techniques for determining the rate and temperature-dependent properties of polymer matrix composite (PMC) materials. The goal is to enable accurate simulations of PMC behavior under dynamic loading conditions, such as vehicle crashes and aircraft impacts, to support the widespread...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) Project Grant award for $450,000 will support research on the rheology, or flow behavior, of polymer melts containing designed "hairy" nanoparticles. The project aims to: (1) experimentally investigate the rheology of polymer nanocomposites with different nanoparticle shapes, (2) develop and validate computational models to simulate these suspensions, and (3)...

This $187,220 National Science Foundation project grant supports research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to establish an optimal design framework for multi-functional composite structures. Leveraging kirigami cutting principles and snap-through multi-stability, the framework will expand performance capabilities for composites in aerospace, automotive, and robotics applications. Under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), which supports innovation and excellence in...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to develop a new class of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs) based on vitrimers. Vitrimers are polymers that can reverse fatigue-induced damage when exposed to heat, improving the durability, safety, and lifecycle performance of FRPs in high-performance applications such as aerospace, automotive, and medical devices. The $150,027 award to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will systematically...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a 4-year, $400,000 Project Grant under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to Trustees of Boston University for their research project titled "COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DMREF: CLOSED-LOOP DESIGN OF POLYMERS WITH ADAPTIVE NETWORKS FOR EXTREME MECHANICS." The project aims to develop an integrated experimental and computational platform for accelerated discovery and design of novel polymers exhibiting unprecedented...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award under CFDA 47.041 - Engineering program provides $328,133 to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to conduct research aimed at enabling the manufacture of high-performance thermoplastic composite structures through faster and less energy-intensive processes. The research project, which is a collaboration between UCSD, Michigan Technological University, NASA, and the University of Wuppertal in Germany, seeks to develop a...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research to improve the modeling and prediction of long-term performance for polymer glasses, a class of non-equilibrium materials with applications in electronics, aerospace composites, and other areas. The $372,323 award, effective April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2027, is funding collaborative work between researchers at North Carolina State University (NC State) and the...