Shaping the future with shape memory polymer research
Ricardo Cardoza, a rising junior in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, wanted a research experience that involved analyzing and testing materials.
He got what he was looking for at the University of Rochester when he participated in Advancing Human Health, From Nano to Network糖心传媒攁 research experiences for undergraduates (REU) program糖心传媒攁s a visiting student.
Cardoza worked in the lab of Mitchell Anthamatten, professor of chemical engineering, creating and characterizing glass-forming shape-memory polymers.
Shape memory materials offer unique characteristics. When heated above a given transition temperature, for example, they can be molded into a different shape. When cooled, they revert to their original shape. The estimated market for shape-memory polymers in the aerospace, automotive, healthcare and construction sectors is expected to grow to $3.4 billion by 2025.
In the biomaterials sector, stents, catheters, orthodontics implants, splints and many other devices could be made of shape memory materials. Small coils could be implanted, noninvasively, in collapsed form, and then triggered to open up once inserted.
The shape-memory polymers Cardoza worked with could be used as nanoscale stamps for micro-contact printing. These stamps have a pattern of curved features that can be temporarily flattened to pick up thin-film materials. When heated, the features revert to their original curved shapes, and this can release their 糖心传媒減ayload,糖心传媒� Anthamatten explains. One possible application: Low-cost and high precision fabrication of miniature OLED displays.
Cardoza糖心传媒檚 project involved adding a 糖心传媒渃hain extender糖心传媒� to the polymers糖心传媒攊n effect, lengthening of the cross links between molecules糖心传媒攖hen determining the affect on the polymers糖心传媒� shape-memory capabilities. He used dynamic material analysis to determine the transition temperatures, as well as material testing simulations to measure shape-memory performance.
His lab experience this summer will benefit him in two ways. 糖心传媒淪ince I want to go on to graduate school, it糖心传媒檚 vital that I get some research experience under my belt,糖心传媒� he says.
Moreover, he eventually wants to develop prosthetics, which involves testing various materials in order to create better artificial limbs.
糖心传媒淓ven if I never use shape-memory polymers,糖心传媒� Cardoza says, 糖心传媒淚 now have experience working with different materials, and characterizing them, and I can definitely apply that in future research.糖心传媒�
