Professor James Economy's Group
|
|
High
Performance
Aromatic Copolyesters [Polymer Blends] [Microelectronic Polymers]
[Liquid Crystalline
Polyesters] [Polyester Thermosetting Resins] Important background information
and concepts which will help explain the unique
properties our polyesters exhibit are described here. We
suggest that for a full understanding of the next four
research pages you take some time to read about some of
these properties first. They enable some exciting
advancements in processing and properties of polyesters. To
provide a more stable structure and lower wear loss
surface, UHMWPE and ATSP (aromatic thermosetting
polyester ) blends was developed in our group. In the
primary Dynamometer wear test, the blend system with
small amount compatibilizer showed lower wear rate
compared to UHMWPE. To
enhance mixing and improve the interface adhesion, fine
powders of ATSP were prepared by solution polymerization
of trimesic acid, hydroquinone diacetate, isophthalic
acid and acetoxybenzoic acid. It was found thermosetting
polyester could indeed stiffen and strenghthen pure PTFE,
besides, ATSP powders ( 20µm in diameter) improved the
flow property of PFPE, hence, a broad processing window
of 100°C was found , and ATSP/PFPE, ATSP/PFPE/Zonyl
fluoropolymer composites were fabricated with excellent
mechanical properties. Advances
are currently being made in the area of microelectronic
polymers. The polymer dielectrics we are developing can
be used in different levels of packaging: PCB and MCM-L
and can ben applied to chip technology. The dielectrics
have a dielectric constant of 2.3 (RT, 1MHz) and are
photoimageable. Currently we are working on optimizing
the materials and fabrication of MCM-L devices. Thermotropic
liquid crystalline polyesters (LCP) have found a wide
range of high temperature applications in areas such as
electrical connectors, high temperature adhesives, and
protective coatings. A discussion of previous
advancements in researching the effect of high
temperature annealing is discussed. Polyester Thermosetting Resins A
family of polyester resins are being researched and
developed by our group. These materials will have costs
ranging from less than $1, aimed at the broad
marketplace, to materials that will cost just under $3,
which are aimed at the high-performance and defense
industries. These materials are related to those that are
photo-sensitized for the photo-dielectric project.
Current advancements in this area include a study of the
interchain transesterification reactions which allow for
solid-state consolidation of fully cross-linked polyester
materials and also the ability to recycle these
thermosetting resins.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||