About this Event
3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Seminar Announcement
James M. Eagan, PhD
University of Akron
Department of Polymer Science
Friday, February 17, 2023
9:30 AM
102 Benedum Hall
Host: Sachin Velankar
Combining Plastics:
Linear Multiblock Architectures Enhance Polymer Blend Properties
Abstract: Of all commercial plastic, nearly two-thirds consist of polyethylene (PE) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP). Recycling of these two materials is complicated and costly due to challenges in sorting polyolefins from one another as well as the physical phenomenon of phase separation and poor interfacial adhesion. In this talk, we will share our catalytic system capable of synthesizing block copolymers of iPP and PE is presented along with the properties these materials exhibit when added to PE/iPP blends. The effects of molecular weight and block copolymer architecture on interfacial adhesion and compatibilization will be discussed. For example, iPP-b-PE copolymers improve adhesive forces between Ziegler-Natta grade HDPE and iPP to the extent of cohesive PE failure, similar to the properties observed in metallocene grade LLDPE/iPP (hot-tack polyolefins). The block copolymers further improve mechanical tensile and impact performance of PE/iPP blends when added as a third component in small amounts (<1 wt%). A proposed mechanism of adhesion will be discussed along with the potential for enhancing the recyclability of plastic waste. Following on this work, a non-living polymerization method for producing polyolefin multiblocks has been discovered in our lab at the University of Akron. This synthetic method relies on linking together telechelic PE and iPP in randomly arranged “shuffled” block copolymers. These molecules also act as efficient compatibilizers, and also open the possibility of selectively tuning the crystallinity, density, and composition of the blocks while significantly improving the industrial scalability of multiblock synthesis.
Bio: James M. Eagan is an assistant professor at the University of Akron School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. His research focuses on improving the performance of recycled polymer blends and in the development of new polymers derived from sustainable feedstocks such as food wastes and carbon dioxide. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2014 under the guidance of Scott A. Snyder and completed postdoctoral studies at Cornell University under Geoffrey W. Coates. He is the recipient of the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, NSF Faculty Early Career Development award, LG Global Innovation Challenge Award, and the ACS Petroleum Research Foundation (PRF) New Investigator Grant. He serves on the advisory boards of Ascribe Bioscience, Seauciel LLC., and ACS Applied Polymer Materials.
Please let us know if you require an accommodation in order to participate in this event. Accommodations may include live captioning, ASL interpreters, and/or captioned media and accessible documents from recorded events. At least 5 days in advance is recommended.