Evolution of Physical, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of Poly(methyl Methacrylate)-Based Elium Thermoplastic Polymer During Polymerization.

Elium-based thermoplastic composites are a key material for future use in the marine, wind energy, and automotive industries because of their recyclability and ease of manufacture. To optimize the processing of the Elium composites to yield optimal structural properties, computational process modeling can be used to relate processing parameters to residual stresses and material durability. The key ingredient for reliable and accurate process modeling is the evolution of physical, thermal, and mechanical properties during polymerization.

Wetting Simulations of High-Performance Polymer Resins on Carbon Surfaces as a Function of Temperature Using Molecular Dynamics.

Resin/reinforcement wetting is a key parameter in the manufacturing of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based composite materials. Determining the contact angle between combinations of liquid resin and reinforcement surfaces is a common method for quantifying wettability. As experimental measurement of contact angle can be difficult when screening multiple high-performance resins with CNT materials such as CNT bundles or yarns, computational approaches are necessary to facilitate CNT composite material design.