“Regenerative Energy-Efficient Manufacturing of Thermoset Polymeric Materials”

With Nancy R. Sottos, Ph.D., Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

SEMINAR ABSTRACT

Energy efficient manufacturing of thermoset polymers and polymer-based composites with realistic end-of-life strategies presents one of the most significant scientific and societal challenges for this century. Thermoset polymers and composites possess the necessary chemical and mechanical properties critical for achieving lightweight, durable structures in the energy (wind turbine blades), aerospace (aircraft and drones), and transportation industries (electric vehicles and trains), but the vast energy input required for initial manufacture (Gigajoules), long cure times to develop desired structural properties (hrs), and lack of end-of-life strategies render these materials unsustainable. Given increasing environmental concerns surrounding both the production and disposal of thermoset polymers, transformative strategies are required for sustainable low-energy manufacturing and end-of-life management. This talk will describe research into thermoset resin formulations that enable controlled, energy-efficient additive manufacturing via frontal polymerization and programmed end-of-life upcycling and multifunctionality for (re)use in structural materials. 

BIOGRAPHY

Nancy Sottos holds the Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair and is Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She is leader of the Autonomous Materials Systems (AMS) group at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, director of the EFRC on Regenerative Energy Efficient Manufacturing of Thermoset Polymeric Materials (REMAT), and director of the University of Illinois spoke of the BP International Center for Advanced Materials (ICAM). Sottos is also a co-founder of the start-up companies Autonomous Materials Inc. (AMI) and RapiCure Solutions. The Sottos group develops polymers and composites capable of self-healing and regeneration, self-reporting, and self-protection to improve reliability and extend material lifetime. Her current research interests focus on circular additive and morphogenic manufacturing strategies for polymeric and composite materials with programmed end of life.  

She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  She is a Fellow of the Society for Experimental Mechanics, the Society for Engineering Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Sottos is also the recipient of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Nadai Medal and the Society of Engineering Science Medal.