CPOS Seminar: Bottlebrush elastomers: unique properties encoded in polymer architecture.
Speaker: Intanon Lapkriengkri (PK), PhD Student, Materials Department, Bates Lab, UC Santa Barbara
Abstract: Bottlebrush elastomers, a unique network made from crosslinked densely grafted polymers, exhibit exceptional mechanical properties and versatility. The bottlebrush polymers which make up the network provide a distinctive architecture that imparts remarkable resilience and adaptability to the material. This special architecture enables precise control over physical properties, making it well-suited for applications in soft robotics, biomedical devices, and smart materials. The controlled synthesis of bottlebrush polymers allows further modifications at the brush chain-end, introducing additional properties such as self-healing and ionic bonding. The distinct molecular structure and customizable properties of bottlebrush elastomers present a promising avenue for the development of materials with diverse functionalities. The ability to fine-tune these polymers opens up opportunities for creating materials with applicational potential spanning a wide range of technological domains.
