University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Curvature Change Analysis of SMART Fibers used for Temperature Adaptive Insulation

Latulippe A., Ripa C., Sun H., Fossey S., Drew C., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

A thermally adaptive insulation has previously been developed by the US Army. The insulation is designed to expand at lower temperatures and shrink at higher temperatures. This is accomplished using multi-component polymer fibers that are [...]

Colored Magnetic Nanoparticles to Improve the Sustainability of Textile Dyeing

Wen J., Sun Y., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Current dyeing techniques face growing environmental and economic challenges due to high consumption of water, salts, auxiliaries and energy, and production of substantial amounts of industrial polluting waste waters. This project demonstrated that colorants can [...]

The Effects of Recycling on the Structure and Properties of Carbon Nanotube-Filled Polycarbonate

Zhang J., Panwar A., Bello D., Isaacs J.A., Jozokos T., Mead J., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Sustainable manufacturing processes are becoming more important in industrial practice. A critical part of the manufacturing process is understanding the recycling behavior of nanocomposite materials, particularly as more recycled plastic nanocomposites are entering the market [...]

Continuous Preparation of Polymer Nanocomposites for Applications in Novel Substrates, Multilayered Materials, and 3D Printing

Barry C., Kazmer D., Mead J., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Polymer nanocomposites are composed of a nanofiller, such as nanoclay, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanosilver, in a polymer matrix. Depending on the choice of filler, these nanocomposites exhibit unique material properties, including improved barrier properties, [...]

Scalable Polymer Patterning (SP2)

Mead J., Barry C., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Polymeric materials are easily fabricated into a wide array of structures for numerous applications. The bulk properties can be tailored for preparing novel structures and substrates for use as substrates for 3D printing. Particularly, the [...]

High-rate Manufacturing of 3D Products with Nanostructured Surfaces

Barry C., De Jesus Vega M., Mead J., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Injection molding permits manufacturing of complex three-dimensional polymer products with nanostructured surfaces in less than 30 seconds. New work has explored the practical limits of feature size during injection molding. Surfaces with a range of [...]

Rapid Printed Tooling for High-rate Production of Microstructured Surfaces

De Jesus Vega M., Shearer J., Mead J., Barry C., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Method for production of tooling for microstructure surfaces

Surface Chemistry of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles and Attachment of Metal Nanoclusters: Sensor, Optoelectronic, and Catalytic Applications

Whitten J.E., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Metal oxide nanoparticles are surprisingly reactive, and some undergo changes in color or in their photoluminescence (PL) spectra upon reaction. In the latter case, visible emission arises from electron decay from surface related states, and [...]

Polymer Based Continuous Offset Printing

Mead J., Barry C., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Polymeric materials have tremendous potential for nano and micro-structured products because of their fabrication ease and wide property range. The fabrication processes for polymers are cost-effective and rapid. This work presents novel manufacturing approaches for [...]

Polymer Based Continuous Offset Printing

Mead J., Barry C., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Polymeric materials have tremendous potential for nano and micro-structured products because of their fabrication ease and wide property range. The fabrication processes for polymers are cost-effective and rapid. This work presents novel manufacturing approaches for [...]