Cellular Materials

"Soft Cellular Materials", such as closed-cell polymer foams and high internal phase emulsions, are a versatile class of materials that are familiar in a wide variety of applications including barrier coatings, insulators, structural materials, super-absorbents, lotions and creams, processed foods, and advanced tissue scaffolds.

The recent availability of many new types of polymeric surfactants (e.g. block and graft copolymers) and functional nanoparticles creates exciting opportunities for novel structures, properties, and functions within this important class of materials. IRG-3 seeks to understand the interactions of surface-modified nanoparticles and new interfacially-active copolymers with polymeric interfaces and thin films, both in and out of equilibrium, and to apply this understanding to the development of innovative polymer-based, cellular materials.

The soft cellular materials relevant to our research include:

Closed-cell polymer foams

High internal phase polymeric emulsions (poly-HIPE)

Fluid precursors to the above

Compositions containing tunable nanoparticles and structured colloids