Project Grant 2508030
- This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) Project Grant award of $475,491 to the Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan-Dearborn) aims to uncover the mechanisms of plastic deformation and failure in elastomeric polymers under ultra-high strain-rate loading. The research leverages a novel laser-based shock technique coupled with bulk spectroscopy to study how molecular networks in these materials evolve under extreme conditions, such as...
- This $493,588 project grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to advance the fundamental understanding of how polymer networks, found in materials like tires and contact lenses, break and fracture. The research will formulate and validate a new molecular-level model to explain the intrinsic fracture energy of these polymer networks, incorporating the role of surrounding material structure and how energy is dissipated during failure....
- This $302,914 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to advance the fundamental understanding of how polymer networks, such as those used in everyday materials like tires and contact lenses, fracture and fail. The research is being conducted as a collaborative effort between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and another institution, with the goal of designing stronger and more durable polymer-based materials. The...
- This $336,240 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports fundamental research at Northeastern University to investigate the role of topological defects in regulating strain-induced crystallization in end-linked polymer networks. The research aims to enhance the understanding of the microscale mechanisms and macroscale mechanical properties, including stress-strain behavior, fracture, and fatigue resistance, of these promising...
- 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...
- This $299,385.00 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports collaborative research to develop predictive models for energy dissipation and actuation in polydomain liquid crystal elastomers. The project aims to experimentally investigate the mesogen-scale processes in these soft, rubber-like materials that can be manipulated with external forces. The research will focus on materials produced through scalable manufacturing processes,...
- This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant, funded under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), aims to develop polymers with unprecedented mechanical properties and processibility for use in advanced applications like wearable sensors, soft actuators, and energy harvesting devices. The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is leading this collaborative $350,229 research effort, which uses a systematic, data-driven approach to create adaptive polymer networks...
- The National Science Foundation (NSF), under the Engineering Program (CFDA 47.041), awarded a $369,424 project grant to Michigan State University (MSU) for collaborative research on end-linked polymer networks. This 3-year project, starting on February 1, 2025, aims to investigate the fundamental role of topological defects in regulating the strain-induced crystallization of these macromolecular materials. The research will combine experimental and modeling approaches to develop a better...
- This $455,140.00 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports collaborative research to develop predictive models for dissipation and actuation in polydomain liquid crystal elastomers. The research aims to experimentally probe mesogen-scale processes in these soft, rubber-like materials that can be manipulated with external forces, with potential applications in biomedical implants, vibration isolators, helmet liners, and soft...
- This National Science Foundation project grant of $350,000 will fund research at North Carolina State University from November 2022 to October 2025 under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041). The university will investigate the impact of heterogeneity and scale on the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of polymer glasses and their nanocomposites. Researchers will use mechanical spectral hole burning and large amplitude oscillatory shear techniques to characterize these materials at different...
This federal Project Grant award of $376,176 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Program (CFDA 47.041) supports collaborative research by the San Diego State University Research Foundation aimed at uncovering the ballistic plasticity and failure mechanisms of elastomeric polymers. The research investigates how these widely used materials, typically known for their flexibility and energy absorption, can undergo permanent plastic deformation when subjected to extremely high deformation rates, contrary to conventional understanding. The project leverages novel laser-based shock techniques and advanced characterization methods to reveal how the molecular networks in elastomeric polymers evolve under extreme conditions. These findings could inform the development of new polymer-based structures with improved impact mitigation, flexible electronics, and rapid manufacturing capabilities. The project also contributes to training students in cutting-edge experimental and computational techniques, integrating research into engineering education, and promoting an exchange program between the two collaborating research laboratories.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $376.2k | 8/15/25 |