Soft Matter / Polymers

Technology Development Process improvement, Materials formulation, Prototyping, Electrospinning, Bioprocesses

Characterization Physical, Morphological, Chemical, Thermal, Mechanical, Electrochemical, Biological

Aging/ Compatibility Corrosion, Radiation (α,γ, neutron), Thermal, Simultaneous thermal & radiation

Additive Manufacturing Direct Ink Write (DIW), UV-DIW, Fused Filament Fabrication, SLA

Microscopy Imaging and particle sizing, polarized imaging capability

Chemical & Thermal Characterization FT-IR, GPC, NMR, TGA, DSC, CTE, DMA, contact angle, thermal conductivity, Mossbauer

Mechanical Testing Provides information on moduli, stress relaxation, yield behavior, and ultimate stress/strain at failure.

Rheology Viscoelastic properties as a function of time, temperature, frequency, and deformation rate

300 Ton Hydraulic Press Heated, large pressing area

3-D Printers FFF, SLA, DIW, DLP, and UV-DIW

Coy Anaerobic Chamber to grow anaerobes that are important for bioproducts and biofuels production

TA-55 Mission Support

• Design and development of bag-out bag replacements
• Glovebox gloves testing
• Diagnostic tools for probing Bi2Te3 wafers in RTGs
• Potting elastomer improvement
• Design and development of hydrophobic filters for nuclear storage applications

New Mexico Tap Water Increased silicate solubility to decrease LANL water usage

Mars-Wrigley Sugar crystallization characterization for the world's leading manufacturer of chocolate, chewing gum, and  fruity confections.

Bioprocesses & Environmental Applications

• Cell immobilization for bioprocesses
• Bioremediation of organic/inorganic contaminants
• Improvement of  plant and soil health through microbiomes
• Determination of prebiotic signatures for origins of life
• Detection of biosignatures for NNSA and astrobiology
• Irradiation of poplar tress to evaluate microbiome response to ionizing radiation
• Development of green materials for additive manufacturing
• Development of next generation biodegradable bioplastics
• Formulation, development, and applications of QD plastic scintillators
• Development of polymer electrolytes for H2 generation
• Development of biosensors to screen bacterial strains with improved performance based on an extensive mutant library

Development of Functional Materials

• Foams (hollow fillers, emulsions, H2-blown)
• Adhesives (customized designs per requirements: fast cure, easy de-bond, increased adhesion)
• Getters for gas sequestration
• Radiation shielding materials

Polymer Processing

• Formulation development of highly filled elastomer resins for direct ink write printing
• Filament development for advanced manufacturing
• Electrospinning polyimides and other high temperature stability polymers for hash environments
• Rapid prototyping shielding materials for harsh environments

• Flexible 3D Printed Silicones for Gamma and Neutron Radiation Shielding. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 188 (2021) 109616
• Rapid Custom Printing of Poroelastic Biosensor for Simultaneous Epicardial Recording and Imaging. Nature Communications, 12 (2021) 3710
• High-performance multiblock PEMs containing a highly acidic fluorinated-hydrophilic domain for water electrolysis. Journal of Membrane Science, 638 (2021) 119694
• Fused filament fabrication of polymer composites for extreme environments. Journal of Materials Research, 35 no.12 (2020) p. 1493-1503
• Impact of filler composition on mechanical and dynamic response of 3-D printed silicone-based nanocomposite elastomers. Composites Science and Technology, 198 (2020) 108258
• Molecular Interaction of Aqueous Iodine Species with Humic Acid Studied by I and C K-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. Environmental Science & Technology, 53 no.21 (2019) p. 12416-12424
• Extending the working life of toluene diisocyanate-based polyurethanes. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 136 no.33 (2019) 47865
• Effects of thermal aging and ionizing radiation on sPVC and aromatic polyether urethane used to store nuclear materials. Polymer Testing, 78 (2019) 105960
• Biogenic Manganese Oxides Facilitate Iodide Oxidation at pH <= 5. Geomicrobiology Journal, 35 no.3 (2018) p. 167-173