(34e) Multi-Scale Design of Silicone-Polyolefin Hybrid Materials

Polymer-based functional materials such as sealants, elastomers, and packaging are often complex multi-component structures, wherein a combination of physical and chemical interactions from molecular to macroscopic length scales dictate bulk properties. This talk will focus on how I have embraced this complexity along my career path from graduate school to industry by using physical polymer science and rheology to enhance my formal training in organic polymer chemistry. The talk will then highlight examples from my research at Dow, where we have developed new hybrid materials by marrying an understanding of chemical reactivity, processing, and polymer morphology to bring together otherwise incompatible polymer systems, such as polyolefins and silicones. I will discuss the chemistries we have developed and used to construct these hybrid materials and how tunable phase separation in silicone-polyolefin systems can be utilized to achieve new properties, including complex rheological behavior and thermal transitions into otherwise unresponsive silicone polymers.