Progress 03/15/16 to 03/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this research are targeted to be disseminated to: (1) the academic and scientific community through presentations and publications in technical conferences and scientific journals and; (2) the industrial community, by leveraging the partnership that Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) has with over 100+ industries which includes OEMs, and tiered suppliers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided significant opportunities for training and personal development at multiple levels. Mainly, the mechanisms and science developed were seamlessly integrated into the curriculum developed by the PD, which expanded the training opportunity for the entire class that he taught, i.e. Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. It also provided advanced training for a postdoctoral fellow in terms of devising new chemistries for designing the proposed nanoarchitectures. In summary, the project provided different levels of training and professional development ranging from an entire class of graduate students (through the curriculum developed by the PI), Ph.D. students (2), three visiting scholars (3), and three postdoctoral fellows (2). PhD students (2): Zhan Zhang, Kavan Sheth Visiting scholars (3): Srishti Shukla, Shubh Agnihotri, Jithin Joy, Post doctors (2): Ting Zheng, Sreeprasad T Sreenivasan How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated in multiple ways. The first path was through publication in refereed journals. The novel findings developed through the USDA funding lead to seven articles in journals, two invited lectures, seven conference presentations, and two poster presentations of large readership. PAPER IN JOURNALS 1. Joy, Jithin, et al. "Preparation and characterization of poly (butylene succinate) bionanocomposites reinforced with cellulose nanofiber extracted from Helicteres isora plant." Journal of Renewable Materials 4.5 (2016): 351-364. 2. Joy, Jithin, et al. "The influence of nanocellulosic fiber, extracted from Helicteres isora, on thermal, wetting and viscoelastic properties of poly (butylene succinate) composites." Cellulose 24.10 (2017): 4313-4323. 3. Zheng, Ting, et al. "PHBV-graft-GMA via reactive extrusion and its use in PHBV/nanocellulose crystal composites." Carbohydrate polymers 205 (2019): 27-34. 4. Zheng, Ting, Craig M. Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "Comparative study of direct compounding, coupling agent-aided and initiator-aided reactive extrusion to prepare cellulose nanocrystal/PHBV (CNC/PHBV) nanocomposite." ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 8.2 (2019): 814-822. 5. Zheng, Ting, and Srikanth Pilla. "Melt processing of cellulose nanocrystal-filled composites: Toward reinforcement and foam nucleation." Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 59.18 (2020): 8511-8531 6. Zheng, Ting, Craig M. Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "Grafting PEG on cellulose nanocrystals via polydopamine chemistry and the effects of PEG graft length on the mechanical performance of composite film." Carbohydrate Polymers 271 (2021): 118405 7. Zheng, Ting, Seyed Morteza Sabet, and Srikanth Pilla. "Polydopamine coating improves electromagnetic interference shielding of delignified wood-derived carbon scaffold." Journal of Materials Science 56.18 (2021): 10915-10925. INVITED LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS 1. Pilla S., "CNC reinforced PHBV nanocomposites by melt extrusion: A comparative study of compatibilization strategies via coupling agent and in-situ grafting" at the 25th annual meeting of the Bio-Environmental Polymer Society (BEPS) on Aug 15, 2018 in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY 2. Pilla, S., "Interfacial Engineering of Cellulose Nanocrystals via Bioinspired Catechol Chemistry", 4th International Symposium on Materials from Renewables, October 2019, Athens, GA CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Clemons, C., "Towards Commercial Preparation of Composites from Cellulose Nanocrystals and Polypropylene: Drying, Dispersion, and Thermal Stability" at the 2017 Advancements in Fiber-Polymer Composites Conference on May 16-18, 2017 in Madison, WI Zheng, T., "Development of PP-cellulose nanocrystal (PP-CNC) composite foams using injection molding" at the Fiber Society Fall 2017 Conference on November 8-10, 2017 in Athens, GA Zheng, T., Pradeep, S.A., Clemons, C., Pilla, S., "Microcellular Foaming of Polypropylene- Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites," Fiber-reinforced Composites, International Symposium on Materials from Renewables, The Fiber Society's Fall 2017 Technical Meeting and Conference, on November 8-10, 2017 in Athens, GA Clemons, C., "Towards CNC-Enabled Lightweighting of Automotive Components," 2018 International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials, June 11 - 14, 2018, Madison, WI Clemons, C., "Cellulose Nanocrystals in Melt-Processed Composites: Lessons Learned, Recent Progress, and Remaining Needs," 15th International Symposium on Bioplastics, Biocomposites and Biorefining (ISBBB 2018): the Circular Economy for Bioproducts Innovation, July 24 - 27, 2018, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Pilla S., "Towards CNC-Enabled Lightweighting of Automotive Components" at 2018 International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials, June 11 - 14, 2018, Madison, WI Pilla S., "Understanding the Photo Cure Kinetics and Mechanical Performance of Natural Fiber Reinforced Epoxidized Vegetable Oil" at 15th International Symposium on Bioplastics, Biocomposites and Biorefining (ISBBB 2018): the Circular Economy for Bioproducts Innovation, July 24 - 27, 2018, Guelph, Ontario, Canada POSTER PRESENTATIONS 1. Zheng. T., Clemons, C.M., Pilla, S., "Melt Extrusion of CNC/PHBV Nanocomposites" at Workshop of Emerging Pathways: Exploring Frontiers in Biobased Chemicals and Materials organized and hosted by the Renewable Bioproducts Institute, Georgia Tech, on October 04, 2018 in Atlanta, GA 2. Zheng T., Clemons, C.M., Pilla, S., "Melt Extrusion of CNC/PHBV Nanocomposites" at the 2018 Clemson University Society of Plastics Engineers Networking Event and Poster Competition, at Clemson University on October 24, 2018 in Greenville, SC The second path was conducted through the curriculum that the PI developed as part of his course, Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. The course curriculum was expanded by incorporating the novel mechanisms and science developed through the project and was disseminated to the class benefitting various graduate students. The third path is through popular media. The Clemson University media group developed a video that manifested the proposed mechanism and how it influenced the performance of the composites. The video is undergoing post production. The published video and article, leading to further dissemination of project results and its benefits. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Summary of deliverables over the entire project duration: Our objective was to develop a new cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-based filler to improve the performance of plastics. The pathway to achieving this innovation included modifying the CNC surface by grafting polymer molecules with rationally designed architecture. This strategy endowed CNCs and CNC nanocomposites with unprecedented properties. We investigated six types of CNC composites and designed two classes of fillers, about which we published seven peer-reviewed journal papers. We improved the tensile properties of PHBV composites by up to 13% and achieved simultaneous enhancement in toughness and strength, which are usually mutually exclusive. By systematic experimental design, we revealed an understanding of underlying mechanisms and provided guidance for the future design of a multifunctional CNC-based filler. We started with improving the dispersion of CNCs in the PHBV matrix (Task 1), which is the foremost challenge for CNC composites manufacturing. We adopted a conventional strategy first and investigated how the molecular structure of PHBV affected the properties of the CNC nanocomposites. Then: · We modified the structure of PHBV by introducing the reactive moiety glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to improve the compatibility between hydrophilic CNC and hydrophobic PHBV. · We investigated the effect of GMA grafting percentage on the properties of PHBV and PHBV/CNC nanocomposites. · We found that GMA-g-PHBV improved the dispersion of CNC. · However, enhanced CNC dispersion did not lead to an enhanced CNC reinforcing performance. Task 1 raised questions regarding whether the CNC-PHBV interfacial interaction played a more critical role in composite reinforcement than the filler dispersion, and whether merely improving the dispersion necessarily leads to better performance. These questions led to our subsequent focus on the CNC-PHBV interface. In Task 2, we focused on the CNC-PHBV interface to find the key features to improve composite perfromance. Consequently, we manufactured PHBV/CNC composites by three methods and interrogated the CNC-PHBV interface and investigated the effects of the polymer graft on it. We determined that: In situ grafting is the most efficient way to prepare the PHBV/CNC. The amount of grafting is as important as the conformation of the graft polymer. Stiff and perpendicularly protruding grafts, which can be achieved by in situ grafting, are more efficient and lead to high composite performance even if the amount of grafts is limited. Even with high coverage, flexible grafts have very limited effect on the mechanical properties. Task 2 helps answer two controversial questions regarding CNC reinforcement with uncertain and sometimes conflicting conclusions in the current literature: (1) why some coupling agents can compatibilize CNCs with plastic matrices but fail to reinforce them and (2) whether dicumyl peroxide (DCP) grafting can induce sufficient surface interaction and, if so, how does it compare with its competing matrix crosslinking reaction? Knowledge obtained from this section helped to deepen the current understanding regarding the CNC reinforcing mechanism. Building on the previous task, Task 3 intentionally focused on designing the PHBV-CNC interface by manipulating a single parameter: the length of the graft. We found that: · Shorter grafts improved strength and stiffness, which is attributable to the high efficiency of the stress transfer resulting from high interface adhesion. · Longer PEG graft length yielded high graft-matrix entanglement, forming a thicker, rubbery coating layer that enhances toughness. · Simultaneous improvements in stiffness and toughness were achieved by fine-tuning the interface thickness. Encouraged by the simultaneous improvement of toughness and strength through graft design (Task 3), we further investigated the effects of interfacial molecular architecture by designing a new class of CNC-based filler, seeking to leverage the respective merits of CNCs and a hyperbranched polymer (HBP). In addition to improving strength and toughness (Task 4), we also investigated its ability to nucleate microcellular foam (Task 5), conferring lightweight and fuel economy when applied to automotive manufacturing.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, Craig M. Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "Grafting PEG on cellulose nanocrystals via polydopamine chemistry and the effects of PEG graft length on the mechanical performance of composite film." Carbohydrate Polymers 271 (2021): 118405
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, Seyed Morteza Sabet, and Srikanth Pilla. "Polydopamine coating improves electromagnetic interference shielding of delignified wood-derived carbon scaffold." Journal of Materials Science 56.18 (2021): 10915-10925
|
Progress 03/15/21 to 03/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this research are targeted to be disseminated to: (1) the academic and scientific community through presentations and publications in technical conferences and scientific journals and; (2) the industrial community, by leveraging the partnership that Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) has with over 100+ industries which includes OEMs, and tiered suppliers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Reported in the final report.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, Craig M. Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "Grafting PEG on cellulose nanocrystals via polydopamine chemistry and the effects of PEG graft length on the mechanical performance of composite film." Carbohydrate Polymers 271 (2021): 118405
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, Seyed Morteza Sabet, and Srikanth Pilla. "Polydopamine coating improves electromagnetic interference shielding of delignified wood-derived carbon scaffold." Journal of Materials Science 56.18 (2021): 10915-10925
|
Progress 03/15/20 to 03/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:COVID delay, nothing to report. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
COVID delay, nothing to report.
Publications
|
Progress 03/15/19 to 03/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:?The results of this research were disseminated to: (1) the academic and scientific community through presentations and publications in technical conferences and scientific journals and; (2) the industrial community (through conferences). Additionally, the project and its results were introduced to CUICAR's students' working on its flagship vehicle prototyping program, DEEP ORANGE (DO). DO is a concept vehicle development program that immerses graduate automotive engineering students at CUICAR, PD Pilla's primary department, into the world of a future OEM and/or supplier. Working collaboratively, students, multi-disciplinary faculty, and participating industry partners focus on producing a new vehicle prototype each year. In this budget year, the project facilitated such dissemination methods and delivered projects' results to wide variety of audience including high school intern, graduate students, postdocs, etc. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project, in the fourth budget period itself, provided significant opportunities for training and personal development at multiple levels. Mainly, the mechanisms and science developed as part of the project's third year goals, were seamlessly integrated into the curriculum developed by the PD which expanded the training opportunity for the entire class that he taught, i.e. Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. It also provided advanced training for a postdoctoral fellow in terms of devising new chemistries for designing the proposed "roding" architectures. In summary, the project provided different levels of training and professional development ranging from an entire class of graduate students (through the curriculum developed by the PI), and a postdoctoral fellow (1). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via peer-reviewed technical journals and presentations in scientific conferences. Journal publications: Zheng, Ting, Craig Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "A comparative study of direct compounding, coupling agent-aided and initiator-aided reactive extrusion to prepare cellulose nanocrystal/PHBV (CNC/PHBV) nanocomposite."ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering(2020), 8(2). 814-822 Zheng, Ting and Srikanth Pilla. "Melt Processing of Cellulose Nanocrystal Filled Composites: Towards Reinforcement and Foam Nucleation" ACS Industrial & Chemistry Engineering, (in R2 revision) Zheng, Ting, Craig Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "Surface engineering of cellulose nanocrystals via bioinspired catechol chemistry and effect of graft length on reinforcement" (ready to submit) Conference presentations: Pilla S., "Engineering of Cellulose Nanocrystals via Bioinspired Catechol Chemistry and Effect of Graft Length on Reinforcement" at the 4th International Symposium on Materials from Renewables (ISMR) on October 9-10, 2019, University of Georgia, Athena, March 12, 2020 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? To decorate HBP nanospheres of different diameters onto the end of PEG graft to engineer the "roding" architecture of variable dimensions of "space arm" and "spring". To advance the study of "roding" structure construction by using organic solvent-free and environmentally friendly methodology. To conduct microstructure analysis tests for synthesized "Roding" architectures. Disseminate the test results at international conferences and via publication medium. Optimize aforementioned integrated, laboratory approach for PP-CNC preparation and scale-up to pilot-scale using commercially-relevant processes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Major goals of this project The proposed project provides a two-fold understanding of the nanocellulosic material. First, it provides a fundamental understanding of the performance characteristics of nanocellulose through innovative design architectures and covalent conjugate chemistries. Second, it investigates the applicability of engineered nanocellulose based roding nanostructures in high-value and superior-performance engineering applications such as those found in the automotive sector via a unique ScF-assisted manufacturing technology. The overall goal of the project is to use hyperbranched polymers to transform nanocellulose into an advanced biorenewable reinforcement. In support of this goal, the following objectives have been identified: Use novel conjugate chemistries to synthetically derive innovative design architectures that covalently couple nanocellulose, hyperbranched polymers (HBP), and polymer matrices that are relevant to the automotive industry (i.e. PP and PHBV). Employ a unique supercritical fluid (ScF) assisted processing technology to fabricate the roding nanostructure-based nanocomposites. What was accomplished under these goals? Summary of deliverables for budget period 4: Developed a bio-inspired catechol chemistry to graft PEG on the CNC surface at aqueous solution. Grafted the CNC surface with PEG of different length and correlated the PEG length to the properties of the final composites. Investigated work lead to three journal articles and one conference presentation.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, Craig Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "A comparative study of direct compounding, coupling agent-aided and initiator-aided reactive extrusion to prepare cellulose nanocrystal/PHBV (CNC/PHBV) nanocomposite." ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2020), 8(2). 814-822
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Zheng, Ting and Srikanth Pilla. Melt Processing of Cellulose Nanocrystal Filled Composites: Towards Reinforcement and Foam Nucleation ACS Industrial & Chemistry Engineering, (in R2 revision)
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, Craig Clemons, and Srikanth Pilla. "Surface engineering of cellulose nanocrystals via bioinspired catechol chemistry and effect of graft length on reinforcement
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Pilla S., Engineering of Cellulose Nanocrystals via Bioinspired Catechol
Chemistry and Effect of Graft Length on Reinforcement at the 4th International Symposium on Materials from Renewables (ISMR) on October 9-10, 2019, University of Georgia, Athena, March 12, 2020
|
Progress 03/15/18 to 03/14/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this research are targeted to be disseminated to: (1) the academic and scientific community through presentations and publications in technical conferences and scientific journals and; (2) the industrial community, by leveraging the partnership that Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) has with over 100+ industries which includes OEMs, and tiered suppliers. In the third budget year, the project facilitated such dissemination methods and delivered projects' results to wide variety of audience including high school interns, postdocs, and a few industry partners that visited PD Pilla's research lab and center. Changes/Problems:None What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project, in the third budget period itself, provided significant opportunities for training and personal development at multiple levels. Mainly, the mechanisms and science developed as part of the project's third year goals, were seamlessly integrated into the curriculum developed by the PD which expanded the training opportunity for the entire class that he taught, i.e. Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. It also provided advanced training for a postdoctoral fellow in terms of devising new chemistries for designing the proposed "roding" architectures. In summary, the project provided different levels of training and professional development ranging from an entire class of graduate students (through the curriculum developed by the PI), and a postdoctoral fellow (1). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated in multiple ways. The first pathway of result dissemination was through publications in the peer-reviewed technical journal and presentations in conferences. The novel findings developed through the USDA funding in the third budget period lead to two journal publications: Zheng, T., Zhang, Z., Shukla, S., Agnihotri, S., Clemons, C. M., & Pilla, S. (2019). "PHBV-graft-GMA via reactive extrusion and its use in PHBV/nanocellulose crystal composites".Carbohydrate polymers,205, 27-34. Zheng, T., Clemons, C. M., Pilla, S. "A comparative study of direct compounding, coupling agent-aided and initiator-aided reactive extrusion to prepare cellulose nanocrystal / PHBV (CNC/PHBV) nanocomposite" (Submitted) Conference presentations: Pilla S., "CNC reinforced PHBV nanocomposites by melt extrusion: A comparative study of compatibilization strategies via coupling agent and in-situ grafting" at the 25th annual meeting of the Bio-Environmental Polymer Society (BEPS)on Aug 15, 2018 in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY Clemons, C., Reiner, R., Walsh, P., Pilla, S., Zheng, T., "Towards CNC-Enabled Lightweight- ing of Automotive Components," International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials, Madison, WI (June 2018) Poster presentations: Zheng. T. "Melt Extrusion of CNC/PHBV Nanocomposites" at workshop of Emerging Pathways: Exploring Frontiers in Biobased Chemicals and Materials on October 04, 2018 in Atlanta, GA Zheng T., "Melt Extrusion of CNC/PHBV Nanocomposites" at the 2018 SPE Events at Clemson University on October 24, 2018 in Greenville, SC What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? To advance, optimize and derive the effect of spring-plastic distance on the filler/matrix interfacial interaction, and study its effect on the "Roding" filler with complex structure To advance the study of "Roding" structure construction by using organic solvent-free and environmentally friendly methodology To synthesize CNC-polymer hybrid with different arm lengths and construct HBP nanospheres To conduct microstructure analysis tests for synthesized "Roding" architectures Disseminate the test results at international conferences and via publication medium Optimize aforementioned integrated, laboratory approach for PP-CNC preparation and scale-up to pilot-scale using commercially-relevant processes
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Engineered various rod (CNC)-plastic interactions via melt processing and correlated with properties of the final composites Developed a methodology to control the distance between spring-rod by conjugating space arm for the future assembling of the "micro-spring". Investigated work lead to two journal papers and three conference presentations.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Zheng, Ting, et al. "PHBV-graft-GMA via reactive extrusion and its use in PHBV/nanocellulose crystal composites." Carbohydrate polymers 205 (2019): 27-34.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Zheng, T., Clemons, C. M., Pilla, S. A comparative study of direct compounding, coupling agent-aided and initiator-aided reactive extrusion to prepare cellulose nanocrystal / PHBV (CNC/PHBV) nanocomposite .
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Pilla, S., Cellulose Nanocrystal Reinforced PHBV Nanocomposites Prepared by Melt Ex- trusion: A Comparison of Coupling Agent and in-situ Grafting Strategies , 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Bio-Environmental Polymer Society, Troy, NY (August 2018)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Clemons, C., Reiner, R., Walsh, P., Pilla, S., Zheng, T., Towards CNC-Enabled Lightweight- ing of Automotive Components, International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials, Madison, WI (June 2018)
|
Progress 03/15/17 to 03/14/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this research are targeted to be disseminated to: (1) the academic and scientific community through presentations and publications in technical conferences and scientific journals and; (2) the industrial community, by leveraging the partnership that Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) has with over 100+ industries which includes OEMs, and tiered suppliers. Additionally, the project is anticipated to enable its results into CUICAR's vehicle prototyping program, DEEP ORANGE (DO). DO is a concept vehicle development program (http://goo.gl/6VYlfz) that immerses graduate automotive engineering students at CUICAR, PD Pilla's primary department, into the world of a future OEM and/or supplier. Working collaboratively, students, multi-disciplinary faculty, and participating industry partners focus on producing a new vehicle prototype each year. In the first budget year, the project facilitated such dissemination methods and delivered projects' results to wide variety of audience including high school intern, graduate students, postdocs, etc. Changes/Problems:The work is being carried out as planned. Changes if any may be reviewed during budget period 3 owing to the extensive chemistry involved in the synthesis of 'roding' nanostructure. At this point, no changes are proposed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Similar to first budget period, the project provided significant opportunities for training and personal development at multiple levels. Mainly, it provided opportunity for a graduate studentto conduct research as part of hisgraduate studies. In addition, the mechanisms and science developed as part of the project's secondyear goals, were seamlessly integrated into the curriculum developed by the PD which expanded the training opportunity for the entire class that he taught, i.e. Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. It also provided advanced training for a postdoctoral fellow in terms of devising new melt processing method, compatibilization techniques, chemistries for designing the proposed "roding" architectures. The versatility of the project also allowed the involvement of twovisiting scholars, who got trained on the reinforcement capabilities of renewable, bio-based fillers. In summary, the project provided different levels of training and professional development ranging from twovisiting scholars (2), an entire class of graduate students (through the curriculum developed by the PI), graduate student(1), and a postdoctoral fellow (1). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated through multiple pathways. The first pathway of result dissemination was through publication in a refereed journal: Joy, J., Jose, C., Yu, X., Mathew, L., Thomas, S., Pilla, S., "The Influence of Nanocellulosic Fiber, Extracted From Helicteres isora, on Thermal, Wetting And Viscoelastic Properties of Poly(Butylene Succinate) Composites," Cellulose, 24(10), 4313-4323 (2017) The research results were also disseminated through two conference presentations: Clemons, C., "Towards Commercial Preparation of Composites from Cellulose Nanocrystals and Polypropylene: Drying, Dispersion, and Thermal Stability" at the 2017 Advancements in Fiber-Polymer Composites Conference on May 16-18, 2017 in Madison, WI Zheng, T., Pradeep, S.A., Clemons, C., Pilla, S., "Microcellular Foaming of Polypropylene- Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites," Fiber-reinforced Composites, International Symposium on Materials from Renewables, The Fiber Society's Fall 2017 Technical Meeting and Confer- ence, Athens, GA, USA (November 2017) The second pathway of result dissemination was conducted through the curriculum that the PI developed as part of his course, Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. The course curriculum was expanded by incorporating the novel mechanisms and science developed through the project and was disseminated to the class benefitting various graduate students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Planned work for budget period 3: Optimize aforementioned integrated, laboratory approach for PP-CNC preparation and scale-up to pilot-scale using commercially-relevant processes. To advance, optimize and derive the effect of matrix and process on the filler/matrix interfacial interaction, and study its effect on the "Roding" filler with complex structure. To translate the developed compatibilizer/chain extender-facilitated study to polypropylene (PP) and conduct detailed study on its structure-property relationships including PP-CNC nanocomposites To advance the study of "Roding" structure construction by using organic solvent-free and environmental friendly methodology. To synthesize CNC-polymer hybrid with different arm lengths and construct HBP nanospheres To conduct microstructure analysis tests for synthesized "Roding" architectures. Disseminate the test results at international conferences and via publication medium
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Summary of deliverables for budget period 2: Developed an integrated, laboratory approach to treat and dewater cellulose nanocrystals and incorporate them into polypropylene with appropriate additives. The resulting compound can be used in conventional and microcellular injection molding.? Developed a methodology to prepare the PHBV/CNC by adding the compatibilizer. Developed a single-step melt processing method viain-situ grafting through the reactive extrusion. Investigated work lead to one journal paper andtwo conference presentations.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Zheng, T., Pradeep, S.A., Clemons, C., Pilla, S., Microcellular Foaming of Polypropylene- Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites, Fiber-reinforced Composites, International Symposium on Materials from Renewables, The Fiber Societys Fall 2017 Technical Meeting and Confer- ence, Athens, GA, USA (November 2017)
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Joy, J., Jose, C., Yu, X., Mathew, L., Thomas, S., Pilla, S., The Influence of Nanocellulosic Fiber, Extracted From Helicteres isora, on Thermal, Wetting And Viscoelastic Properties of Poly(Butylene Succinate) Composites, Cellulose, 24(10), 4313-4323 (2017)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Clemons, C., Towards Commercial Preparation of Composites from Cellulose Nanocrystals and Polypropylene: Drying, Dispersion, and Thermal Stability at the 2017 Advancements in Fiber-Polymer Composites Conference on May 16-18, 2017 in Madison, WI
|
Progress 03/15/16 to 03/14/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this research are targeted to be disseminated to: (1) the academic and scientific community through presentations and publications in technical conferences and scientific journals and; (2) the industrial community, by leveraging the partnership that Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) has with over 100+ industries which includes OEMs, and tiered suppliers. Additionally, the project is anticipated to enable its results into CUICAR's vehicle prototyping program, DEEP ORANGE (DO). DO is a concept vehicle development program (http://goo.gl/6VYlfz) that immerses graduate automotive engineering students at CUICAR, PD Pilla's primary department, into the world of a future OEM and/or supplier. Working collaboratively, students, multi-disciplinary faculty, and participating industry partners focus on producing a new vehicle prototype each year. In the first budget year, the project facilitated such dissemination methods and delivered projects' results to wide variety of audience including high school intern, graduate students, postdocs, etc. Changes/Problems:The work is being carried out as planned. No challenges have been found that could not be overcome and, therefore, no changes are planned. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project, in the first budget period itself, provided significant opportunities for training and personal development at multiple levels. Mainly, it provided opportunity for three graduate students (PhDs) to conduct research as part of their graduate studies. In addition, the mechanisms and science developed as part of the project's first year goals, were seamlessly integrated into the curriculum developed by the PD which expanded the training opportunity for the entire class that he taught, i.e. Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. It also provided advanced training for a postdoctoral fellow in terms of devising new chemistries for designing the proposed "roding" architectures. The versatility of the project also allowed the involvement of a high school student and a visiting scholar, who got trained on the reinforcement capabilities of renewable, bio-based fillers. In summary, the project provided different levels of training and professional development ranging from a high school student (1), a visiting scholar (1), an entire class of graduate students (through the curriculum developed by the PI), PhD students (3), and a postdoctoral fellow (1). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated in multiple ways. The first pathway of result dissemination was through publication in refereed journals. The novel findings developed through the USDA funding in the first budget period lead to two articles (one published and one under review) in journals of large readership. 1) Joy, J., Jose, C., Varanasi, S. B., Mathew, L. P., Thomas, S., Pilla, S., "Preparation and Characterization of Poly (Butylene Succinate) Bionanocomposites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanofiber Extracted form Helicteres Isora Plant," Journal of Renewable Materials, 4(5), 351-364 (2016). 2) Joy, J., Jose, C., Yu, X., Mathew, L. P., Thomas, S., Pilla, S., "Thermal and Viscoelastic Behavior of Poly (butylene succinate)-Cellulose Nanofibril Biocomposites," Cellulose (Under Review) (2017). The second pathway of result dissemination was conducted through the curriculum that the PI developed as part of his course, Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes. The course curriculum was expanded by incorporating the novel mechanisms and science developed through the project and was disseminated to the class benefitting various graduate students. The third pathway for result dissemination is through popular media. The Clemson University media group developed a video that manifested the proposed mechanism and how it influences the performance of the composites. The video is undergoing postproduction works. The video and article will be published soon, leading to further propagation of the project results and its benefits. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Planned work for budget period 2: To advance and optimize the functionalization and hydrophobization of CNC study To advance, optimize and derive the effect of GMA-grafting on thermophysical properties of PHBV and study its effect on chemical coupling with surface modified CNC To translate the developed PHBV surface-activation study to polypropylene (PP) and conduct detailed study on its structure-property relationships including PP-CNC nanocomposites To synthesize HBP- poly(ethylene glycol) hybrid with different arm lengths and construct HBP nanospheres To conduct molecular and microstructure analysis test results for synthesized HBP, modified CNC, and grafted polymers Initial structural and spectroscopic results of roding architectures Disseminate the test results at international conferences and via publication medium
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Summary of deliverables for budget period 1: Devised a methodology to functionalize and hydrophobize cellulose nanocrytsals (CNCs) Developed a process mechanism to activate poly(hydroxyl butyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV) using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-grafting via reactive extrusion Synthesized HBP-poly(ethylene glycol) hybrid-the first step in the development of our proposed HBP nanosphere (SPRING) structure Conducted studies on the feasibility of nanocellulose-based reinforcement agents Investigated work lead to two refereed journal articles (one published and one under review)
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Joy, J., Jose, C., Varanasi, S. B., Mathew, L. P., Thomas, S., Pilla, S., Preparation and Characterization of Poly (Butylene Succinate) Bionanocomposites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanofiber Extracted form Helicteres Isora Plant, Journal of Renewable Materials, 4(5), 351-364 (2016).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Joy, J., Jose, C., Yu, X., Mathew, L. P., Thomas, S., Pilla, S., Thermal and Viscoelastic Behavior of Poly (butylene succinate)-Cellulose Nanofibril Biocomposites, Cellulose (Under Review) (2017).
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