Thursday  |  Conference Center A  |  02:30 PM–02:50 PM

#13902, Interdependence of Large Deformation Mechanical Behavior of Hydrogen-Bonded Polymer Nanofibers on the Fiber Diameter and H-bond Concentration

Hydrogen bonding mechanisms have been exploited in many synthetic polymers and composites at the bulk-scale, to simultaneously enhance their strength and toughness. However, the effectiveness of hydrogen bonding in improving the strength and toughness of polymer nanostructures (which often are much stronger and tougher than their bulk-scale counterparts), has not been systematically studied. This presentation will discuss our recent experiments aimed at understanding the intertwined effects of hydrogen bonding and fiber diameter/size. Using unique microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based submicron scale tensile experiments, we investigated the elasto-plastic mechanical response of individual polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers, having varying concentrations of a hydrogen bond promoting small molecule, Tannic Acid (TA), and with fiber diameters ranging from 100 - 900 nm. This presentation will provide a detailed discussion of the complex interdependence of the mechanical properties of PVP-TA nanofibers on the extent of hydrogen bonding and fiber diameter, which could offer new insights into the informed design of novel hydrogen bonding polymeric nanomaterials using small molecule organic additives.

Adwait Gaikwad   Texas A&M University
Pavan Kolluru   Texas A&M University