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Results for “Polymethyl Methacrylate”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Breakdown front dynamics of streamer-like discharge in electron-charged polymethyl methacrylate

We present the results of an experimental study of fast breakdown in electron-charged polymethyl methacrylate. We irradiate bulk polymethyl methacrylate disks with diameters up to one meter at different implanted charge densities and measure the discharge current during the forced electrical breakdown of the material. We infer the breakdown dynamics from these current waveforms, including the velocity and time dependence of the electric field driving the breakdown, and compare these results with the physical electrical tree patterns left behind in the material. We find that the dynamics and physical characteristics of the breakdown channels in electron-irradiated solids depart from typical expectations of electrical treeing behavior in solid materials. Thus, we interpret these results as an expression of streamer discharges in dense gases motivated by the existence of trapped gases in the solid due to radiation damage. We show that the dynamics of the breakdown channels in the electron-charged solid dielectric material is well described by applying standard streamer physics to this physical system. The results show that the dynamics of breakdown channels in solid dielectric material is a promising avenue to further understand streamer discharges in different media under extreme conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Shock Response of Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Under Explosive Loading

Abstract The dynamic response of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is well understood for one-dimensional planar impact shocks, but limited research has been performed on the response of PMMA under spherical shock loading. In this work, the shock decay of an explosively-driven shock wave into PMMA was experimentally measured. PMMA cubes of various geometries were explosively loaded with an RP-80 detonator to produce the explosive shock wave. High-speed schlieren imaging was implemented to measure the explosively-driven shock wave velocity throughout the PMMA cubes. Photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV) was used to measure the particle velocity imparted by the shock wave at the surface of the cubes. The material shock response was studied at distances from 21.91 to 133.3 mm from the explosive source. The particle velocity history measured by PDV was compared to the wave profile visualized in the high-speed images. The shock wave pulse amplitude decreased with increased distance from the source. The conducted experiments extend the PMMA shock Hugoniot relating to the lower shock and particle velocity regime.

Torres, S. M. (ORCID:0009000287177206)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Interaction of Polymethyl Methacrylate with Boehmite-Filmed Aluminum Cladding Under Gamma Irradiation

This paper presents an overview of ongoing work to qualify the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) driver fuel elements that have been affected by irradiation-degraded polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) flux wands. Irradiation testing was performed on PMMA material in contact with aluminum clad material. The cladding was prefilmed with a boehmite oxide layer, an important feature of the ATR driver fuel. The effects on the boehmite layer due to gamma irradiation of the PMMA-aluminum clad system were investigated. PMMA embrittlement, followed by softening and degradation, occurred at high radiation levels. Adhesion between the cladding and irradiated PMMA was observed. Flow testing at prototypic ATR flow rates demonstrated the effective removal of the adhered material. Measurements of the boehmite layer thickness were performed, and Raman spectroscopy was utilized to detect the presence of boehmite in the irradiated PMMA material.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Optical and Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposite Films Based on Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) and Fumed Silica Nanoparticles

Nanocomposite polymer films are prepared by using ultrasonic spray deposition (USD) technique through mixing polymethyl methacrylate as matrix and fumed silica nanoparticles as second phase in dimethyl carbonate solvent. Annealing procedure improves the film uniformity and optical transmission. The addition of fumed silica nanoparticles impedes the transmission of the electrolyte films due to agglomeration of fumed silica nanoparticles. Adding surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, disperses the fumed silica nanoparticles and retrieves the optical transmission of nanocomposite polymer films to around 90%. The hardness and elastic modulus of the nanocomposite polymer films are better than the commercial bulk. The USD deposited nanocomposite polymer film comprises of PMMA and fumed silica nanoparticles is a promising candidate of solid-state electrolyte for EC windows application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

A study of explosive-induced fracture in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

The fracture response of geologic materials is of interest for applications, including geothermal energy harnessing and containment of underground explosions. To better understand the explosively induced fracture response of geomaterials, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used as a transparent rock surrogate to allow imaging of internal shock propagation and fracture growth processes. Experiments were conducted using high-speed shadowgraphy and photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV), which were compared to numerical simulations. Experiments measured fractures produced in 304.8mm × 304.8mm × 304.8mm PMMA cubes with two simultaneously initiated detonators. The cubes were subjected to varying amounts and directions of externally applied uniaxial stresses, including no stress, 2 MPa stress, and 20 MPa stress. The fracture radius as a function of time was extracted from the high-speed videos. Post-test images of the PMMA cubes aided in the determination of three-dimensional effects not directly imaged by the cameras. The surface velocity history and the shock response captured in PDV and the high-speed videos were compared to the simulated explosive-induced shock response. The simulation results indicate that the shock drives the fracture for the first 20 μs corresponding to a fracture radius of approximately 15 mm in the experiments. The gas-driven fracture extent was estimated analytically using an equilibrium stress distribution calculated after the shock wave propagation through the sample. Reduction in the gas pressure due to the leakage of the explosive products through the crack as a function of time was accounted for. In conclusion, the estimated fracture lengths were in agreement with the experimentally observed fracture lengths.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mechanics of pore array collapse and interaction in shock-compressed polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

Recent studies on dynamic pore collapse have revealed significant development of shear localization, which can lead to material failure in porous structures and hot spot generation in energetic materials. These findings have dramatically improved the understanding of failure mechanisms during pore collapse but also prompt further investigation of realistic porous materials. In particular, porous media consist of many pores and porous networks. Even in low-porosity materials, pores can form in close proximity during the manufacturing process, leading to the critical question of pore–pore interaction during collapse under dynamic loading conditions. This study investigates, via plate impact experiments coupled with high-speed internal digital image correlation and shadowgraphy techniques, the collapse of two pores in shock-compressed PMMA at stresses between 0.4 and 1 GPa. The results of these experiments provide new insights into shear localization in pore collapse, in addition to distinct interactions between pores. Shadowgraphy measurements reveal novel, direct visualization of shear band development and crack evolution from pore surfaces. Spacing between adiabatic shear bands is measured over a range of impact stresses and is predicted accurately by the Grady–Kipp model. Pore interactions are found to effect a transition in the impact stress threshold at which different failure mechanisms initiate and are also found to possibly influence preferential sites for shear cracking. Throughout the study, numerical and theoretical models are leveraged to understand shear localization behavior. The role of baroclinicity and wave interactions between the pores is used to elucidate interaction mechanisms between pores.

Lawlor, Barry P. [California Institute of Technolo↗
DOE OSTI2018

Photoluminescence of ZnS:Cu in a Polymethyl Methacrylate Matrix

The method of agents arising directly in the (poly)methyl methacrylate medium is used to synthesize ZnS:Cu quantum dots fixed in an optically transparent polymer matrix. The optical transmittance of the polymer composites in the visible spectral region reaches 92% (at the thickness 5 mm). The photoluminescence of the (poly)methyl methacrylate/ZnS:Cu composite is defined by defects in the crystal structure of ZnS and by the system of energy levels in the band gap of ZnS. The photoluminescence signal depends on the Cu-ion concentration, the reabsorption of radiation in ZnS and (poly)methyl methacrylate, and other factors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Phototunable Lignin Plastics to Enable Recyclability

The accumulation of non-degradable petrochemical plastics imposes a significant threat to the environment and ecosystems. We addressed this challenge by designing a new type of phototunable plastics based on the unique lignin chemistry to enable readily end-life recycling. The advanced material design leveraged the efficient photocatalytic lignin depolymerization by ZnO nanoparticles to build lignin-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-ZnO blends. We first demonstrated the highly effective phototunable lignin depolymerization in the complex polymer blend matrix and explored the molecular mechanisms. The technical barriers of mechanical property and recycling processing were then addressed by a new blend design with lignin core grafted with PMMA polymer. The new process has resulted in a new type of PMMA-g-lignin blend, which significantly improved the mechanical properties, making it comparable to PMMA alone. More importantly, the mechanical properties of the UV-treated blend decreased drastically in the new design, whereas the properties did not reduce in the non-grafted blends upon UV exposure. The results highlighted that the new blend design based on graftization maximized the impact of lignin depolymerization on blend structure and recyclability. Based on the results, we developed a process integrating UV and alkaline treatments to recycle PMMA for plastics and fractionated lignin for bioconversion or other applications in the new phototunable plastics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Viscoelastic Damping and Wave Cutoff of Titanium Alloy and Lattices

Here, the 3D-printed titanium alloy Ti5553 solid and octet truss lattice specimens are studied via resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, free decay of vibration and quasi-static methods to determine viscoelastic damping. Damping in solid alloy and a lattice is between 10 -4 and 10 -3 . Much of the damping at high sonic frequency is attributed to stress-induced heat flow between heterogeneities due to 3D printing. Pulsed wave ultrasound experiments disclose reverberation in the cell structure of the lattice. Continuous wave ultrasound experiments show that the transmissibility in the lattice rolls off beginning at about 50 kHz and becomes negligible above 110 kHz. By contrast, the polymer polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), though it is viscoelastic, readily transmits waves up to 1 MHz. The cutoff frequency in the lattice is associated with the structure size, not intrinsic damping in the alloy. The octet truss lattice, in addition to providing good mechanical performance, is also an ultrasonic metamaterial.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Transparent and Conductive Inorganic/Polymer‐Composite Encapsulants for Long‐Term Perovskite Solar Cells Operation

An innovative inorganic/polymer-composite encapsulation scheme comprising a polymer-based transparent conductive composite (TCC) coupled with a transparent conductive oxide is introduced to extend the lifetime of moisture-sensitive devices such as perovskite solar cells (PSC). The TCC comprises conductive silver-coated polymethyl methacrylate (Ag-PMMA) microsphere fillers protruding from a transparent non-conductive polymer matrix. TCC samples (5% Ag-PMMA by area) demonstrate high optical transparencies (%T approx. 85% in the 370–1200 nm region), low out-of-plane electrical resistivities (R < 0.2 Ω cm 2 ), and equilibrium permeabilities of less than 1 g mm/m 2 /day, all of which are well-maintained after 1,000 hours of environmental exposure. In practice, the TCC is employed between two indium zinc oxide (IZO) thin films, with the in-plane conductivity of IZO and the out-of-plane conductivity of TCC working collectively to function as a single encapsulating electrode. This encapsulation scheme is exemplified by benchmarking performances of PSCs subjected to accelerated aging conditions of quasi-maximum power point tracking under light soaking in air at 50 °C, 40% R.H. to 60% R.H. Notable improvements in operational lifetimes are observed, with a champion encapsulated PSC maintaining over 90% of its initial efficiency of 21.65% for up to 1,430 hours, compare to less than 300 hours for an unencapsulated control.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Super-Large-Scale Hierarchically Porous Films Based on Self-Assembled Eye-Like Air Pores for High-Performance Daytime Radiative Cooling

Metal-free polymer daytime radiative cooling coatings with hierarchical eye-like air pores are proposed and fabricated with a super-large-scale film-stretching method. The hierarchically porous film (HPF) can be further coated with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) micro-hemispheres, forming coated HPF (cHPF), which do not dramatically change the optical or thermal properties. The cHPF is slightly better with a lower solar absorptivity (2.4%) and a higher thermal emissivity over the atmospheric transparency window (90.1%). The low solar absorptivity is due to the strong scattering of the hierarchical eye-like air pores, while the molecular vibrations and the focusing effect of the PMMA micro-hemispheres contribute to the high emissivity. Further, an average mid-day temperature reduction of 7.92 °C is achieved relative to the air temperature, and the average cooling power reaches 116.0 W m -2 , which are much better than the cooling performances of the commercial cooling cushion. During the day, the cHPF-covered simulated building is up to 6.47 and 4.84 °C cooler than the ambient and the white painted counterpart, respectively. The film is durable and resistant to chemical etching, and very promising to use globally, especially in warm and tropical regions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Numerical Modeling Describing the Effects of Heterogeneous Distributions of Asperities on the Quasi-static Evolution of Frictional Slip

A better understanding of how slip accumulates along faults and its relation to the breakdown of shear stress is beneficial to many engineering disciplines, such as, hydraulic fracture and understanding induced seismicity (among others). Asperities forming along a preexisting fault resist the relative motion of the two sides of the interface and occur due to the interaction of the surface topographies. We employ a finite element model to simulate circular partial slip asperities along a nominally flat frictional interface. Shear behavior of our partial slip asperity model closely matched the theory described by Cattaneo. The asperity model was employed to simulate a small section of an experimental fault formed between two bodies of polymethyl methacrylate, which consisted of multiple asperities whose location and sizes were directly measured using a pressure sensitive film. The quasi-static shear behavior of the interface was modeled for cyclical loading conditions, and the frictional dissipation (hysteresis) was normal stress dependent. We further our understanding by synthetically modeling lognormal size distributions of asperities that were randomly distributed in space. Synthetic distributions conserved the real contact area and aspects of the size distributions from the experimental case, allowing us to compare the constitutive behaviors based solely on spacing effects. Traction-slip behavior of the experimental interface appears to be considerably affected by spatial clustering of asperities that was not present in the randomly spaced, synthetic asperity distributions. Finally, estimates of bulk interfacial shear stiffness were determined from the constitutive traction-slip behavior and were comparable to the theoretical estimates of multi-contact interfaces with non-interacting asperities.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electrospun ZnO Nanoparticles Doped Core–Sheath Nanofibers: Characterization and Antimicrobial Properties

Coaxial electrospinning technique was used to fabricate the core–sheath composite nanofibers of ZnO nanoparticle (Nps) (10%, 20% w/w) doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (as sheath) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (as core). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra were confirmed the weak forces arise between ZnO Nps, PMMA and PVA matrixes. The hexagonal (wurtzite) structure of ZnO Nps with ~ 30.8 nm of diameter was confirmed from the X-ray diffraction pattern. The morphology and microstructure of core–sheath composite nanofibers were confirmed from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is clearly seen from the TEM images that the PMMA encapsulate the PVA core. Core–sheath composite nanofibers were assessed against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) bacteria through quantitative, disk diffusion and viable cell count methods. It was found that ZnO Nps doped core–sheath nanofibers were effectively inhibit the growth of gram positive bacteria, B. subtilis.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗