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8th Edition of

International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering

March 10-12, 2025 | Rome, Italy

Materials 2025

On the versatility of charged thermoplastic elastomers in the environment, energy and healthcare sectors

Speaker at International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering 2025 - Richard J Spontak
North Carolina State University, United States
Title : On the versatility of charged thermoplastic elastomers in the environment, energy and healthcare sectors

Abstract:

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are segmented macromolecules that effectively combine the processability of thermoplastics with the elasticity of elastomers, and  charged TPEs (cTPEs) incorporate a segment that is either anionic or cationic. The cTPEs examined in this presentation derive from styrenic pentablock polymers with an anionic midblock that imparts hydrophilicity to an otherwise nonpolar polymer. We first examine the effect of a charged segment on self-assembly in solution and demonstrate that, due to their enormous thermodynamic incompatibility, they are amenble to solvent templating and solvent-vapor/hydrothermal annealing. As a consequence of their amphiphilicity, these cTPEs display tremendous promise in contemporary technologies comprising diverse sectors:
    Environment: as gas-selective polymer membranes for ammonia and carbon capture
    Energy: as electroactive media, organic photovoltaics, Li-ion batteries, electrolyser membranes
    Healthcare: as rapid, broad-spectrum, high-efficiency, self-cleaning antimicrobial surfaces 

The distinguishing feature of these cTPEs relative to conventional TPEs is their ability to absorb and tran-sport polar liquids (e.g., water) that expedite the transmission of charged particles and polar penetrant molecules. A brief background will be presented on each topic to frame the capabilities of the cTPEs. 

Biography:

Richard Spontak, a Distinguished Professor at NC State University, received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and pursued post-doctoral research at Cambridge University before joining P&G in 1990 and NC State in 1992. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal papers and 40 book chapters, and delivered over 400 invited presentations worldwide. He has received numerous research awards including the NC State Holladay Medal for Excellence, the ACS-PMSE Tess Award, the SPSJ International Award, the IChemE Underwood Medal, the ACS-RUBB Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award, and the IOM3 Colwyn Medal. He is a fellow of IOM3, ACS-PMSE, APS and RSC, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences.           

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