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Material Measurement Laboratory /Materials Science and Engineering Division

Polymers Processing Group

The Polymers Processing Group studies the processing and characterization of materials at dimensions where internal and external interfaces substantially impact their properties, with the intent of advancing measurement science, standards, and technology needed by U.S. industry.

Group Scope

Polymers are processed into films and other useful shapes through liquid → solid transitions. The structure that forms is always non-equilibrium and the processing parameter space is typically vast. We develop measurements to characterize the structure that forms during polymer processing, and to characterize how that structure forms. By applying these approaches, we aim to accelerate materials development and process development across applications including microelectronics, biosensing, and structural materials.

 

Polymers Processing Cartoon

News and Updates

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Projects and Programs

CDSAXS instrument

Metrology for Nanolithography

Ongoing
Our goal is to develop measurements that quantify the shape, size, orientation, and fidelity of nanoscale patterns as a platform to quantitatively evaluate

Flexible and Printed Electronics

Ongoing
This project is focused on the measurements needed to accelerate the innovation cycle for semiconducting-inks for sheet-to-sheet and roll-to-roll printing, to
Polymer-grafted nanoparticle measured by RSoXS

Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering (RSoXS)

Ongoing
Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) is an emerging characterization technique that derives contrast from features in soft X-ray spectroscopy. RSoXS is a
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Publications

Suppression of filament defects in embedded 3D printing

Author(s)
Leanne Friedrich, Ross Gunther, Jonathan Seppala
Embedded 3D printing enables the manufacture of soft, intricate structures. In the technique, a nozzle is embedded into a viscoelastic support bath and extrudes

Time-gated Raman spectroscopy of recovered plastics

Author(s)
Anthony Kotula, Sara Orski, Kayla Brignac, Jennifer Lynch, Bryan Heilala
Raman spectroscopy is a powerful non-destructive technique for the identification and characterization of plastics. The technique often has limited use due to

Awards

Kline

2019 - Arthur S. Flemming Award---R. Joseph Kline

For his interdisciplinary research of methods to determine the complex, three-dimensional structure of state-of-the-art microelectronic devices and the molecular structure and orientation of organic electronics materials for flexible electronics.

Contacts

Materials Science and Engineering Division - Polymers Processing Group