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Functional Polymers Group

The Functional Polymers Group develops measurement methods, data, standards, and science for the functional properties (e.g., electronic, ion transport) of polymeric materials within functional devices and applications in forms that include thin films, interfaces, nanostructures, and membranes. We provide expertise in polymer phase behavior, molecular order formation, thin film mechanics, adhesion, in-situ processing measurements, nanofabrication

Projects and Programs

Polymer Membranes

Ongoing
We are developing and applying the following advanced tools to measure the structure, dynamics, and performance of polymer-based membranes and sorbents: Vibrational Spectroscopy We have developed a custom-built tandem quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), which measures total mass uptake of adsorbed

Polymer Mechanics

Ongoing
The mechanical behavior for polymers is very sensitive to the deformation rate of the impact test. Thus we are developing and applying several novel measurements that can study the mechanical response of the polymer at different deformation rates and at different material length scales. High-rate

Polymer Composites

Ongoing
Measurements of interphase properties are extremely challenging, and their effects on macroscopic properties and performance of composites are poorly quantified. The objectives of this project fall into the following four research thrusts: Fluorescence Based Probes to Sense Damage and Water in

WebFF: Force-field repository for organic and soft materials

Ongoing
WebFF is an open and extensible force-field (FF) repository, designed to support the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) for organic and related soft materials. The repository is built using the NIST Materials Data Curation System (MDCS) which supports ontology based database descriptions using XML

Awards