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Fabrication of polymer/metal oxide composites through polymerization-induced phase separation and characterization of their mechanical and electrochemical properties

Lee, Jeongwoo
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1446217264

Abstract Details

, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Polymer Engineering.
Polymerization-induced phase separation of nanoparticle-filled solution is demonstrated as a simple approach to control the structure of polymer composites. Therefore, polymer/metal oxide nanocomposites are fabricated by the polymerization-induced phase separation and the composites are characterized their mechanical and electrochemical properties. The first work was conducted on fabrication and characterization of poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/aluminium oxide (Al2O3) composite to confirm the effect of their morphologies on mechanical properties. The dispersion state of Al2O3 in the PEA/PMMA blend matrix has a decisive effect on mechanical properties of PEA/PMMA/Al2O3 composite materials. Since the interactions between the PEA/PMMA chains and Al2O3 nanoparticles are at work, the small-sized clusters and individual clusters of Al2O3 into the composites improve the tensile strength as compared with neat PEA/PMMA blend. On the contrary, the larger and interconnected clusters of Al2O3 bring several partial failures because of the severe modulus mismatch between polymer and Al2O3 nanoparticles. When the polymer composite materials are pyrolyzed and then carbon composite materials are obtain, the carbon composites can be used for battery electrodes. Especially, the morphology of composite materials used in battery electrodes is critical to provide the requisite transport paths for ions and electrons to enable high performance. Therefore, polymer nanocomposites are demonstrated as the active component for sodium ion battery anode. For fabrication of the composites, poly(hydroxybutyl methacrylate) (PHBMA) is dissolved in furfuryl alcohol (carbon precursor) containing a photoacid generator (PAG), and then titanium oxide (anatase, TiO2) nanoparticles are dispersed in the solution. When the PAG exposes to UV, it turns into a strong acid that catalyzes the furfuryl alcohol polymerization. Carbonization of this polymer composite yields a porous nanocomposite. This nanocomposite exhibits nearly 3-fold greater gravimetric capacity in Na-ion batteries than the same titanium oxide nanoparticles that have been coated with carbon. In addition, a simple and scalable method to tune the morphology of carbon/TiO2 composite is described using polymerization-induced phase separation of a mixture containing commercial TiO2 nanoparticles, poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), and photoacid generator (PAG) dissolved in furfuryl alcohol (FA). The morphology is controlled by the molecular weight of PHEMA and FA concentration that impact the miscibility and mobility. The polymerized composite is carbonized to yield porous carbon/TiO2 electrodes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis illustrates that subtle changes in synthetic conditions can dramatically impact the electrical or ion conductance, primarily through modulation in the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). A careful investigation of the SEI layer on the porous carbon/TiO2 composites demonstrates a clear correlation between the SEI and the surface area of the porous anode as determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
Bryan Vogt (Advisor)
Alamgir Karim (Committee Member)
Sadhan Jana (Committee Member)
Yu Zhu (Committee Member)
Homero Castaneda-Lopez (Committee Member)
Engineering; Materials Science; Polymers

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lee, J. (n.d.). Fabrication of polymer/metal oxide composites through polymerization-induced phase separation and characterization of their mechanical and electrochemical properties [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1446217264

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lee, Jeongwoo . Fabrication of polymer/metal oxide composites through polymerization-induced phase separation and characterization of their mechanical and electrochemical properties. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1446217264.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lee, Jeongwoo . "Fabrication of polymer/metal oxide composites through polymerization-induced phase separation and characterization of their mechanical and electrochemical properties." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron. Accessed APRIL 28, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1446217264

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.