Conventional microelectronic and power electronic packages based on Si devices usually work below 150°C. The emergence of wide-bandgap devices, which potentially operate above a junction temperature of 250°C, results in growing research interest in high-density and high-temperature packaging. There are high-temperature materials such as encapsulants on the market that are claimed for capability of continuous operation at or above 250°C. With an objective of identifying encapsulants suitable for packaging wide-bandgap devices, some of commercial high-temperature encapsulants were obtained and evaluated at the beginning of this study. The evaluation revealed that silicone elastomers are processable for various types of package structure and exhibit excellent dielectric performance in a wide temperature range (25 - 250°C) but are insufficiently stable against long-term aging (used by some manufacturers, e.g., P²SI, to evaluate polymer stability) at 250°C. These materials cracked during aging, causing their dielectric strength to decrease quickly (as soon as 3 days) and significantly (60 - 70%) to approximately 5 kV/mm, which is below the value required by semiconductor packaging. The results of this evaluation clearly suggested that silicone needs higher thermal stability to reliably encapsulate wide-bandgap devices. Literature survey then investigated possible methods to improve silicone stability. Adding fillers is reported to be effective possibly due to the interaction between filler surface and polymer chains. However, the interaction mechanism is not clearly documented. In this study, the effect of Al₂O₃ filler on thermal stability was first investigated by comparing the performance of unfilled and Al₂O₃-filled silicones in weight-loss measurements and dielectric characterization. All test results on composites filed with Al₂O₃ micro-rods indicated that thermal stability increased with increasing filler loading. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) test demonstrated that the temperature of degradation onset increased from 330 to 379°C with a 30 wt% loading of Al₂O₃ rods. In isothermal soak test, unfilled and 30-wt%-filled silicones lost 10% of polymer weight in 700 and 1800 hours, respectively. The dielectric characterization found that both Weibull parameters, characteristic dielectric strength (E₀, representing the electric field at which 62.3% of samples are electrically broken down) and shape parameter (β, representing the spread of data. The larger the β, the narrower the distribution) can reflect the thermal stability of polymers. Both of them were influenced by microstructure evolution, to which β was found to be more sensitive than E₀. The characteristic dielectric strength of unfilled silicone decreased significantly after 240 hours of aging at 250°C, whereas that of Al₂O₃/silicone composites exhibited no significant change within 560 hours. The shape parameter of Al₂O₃-filled silicone decreased slower than that of unfilled silicone, also indicating the positive effect of Al₂O₃ micro-rods on thermal stability. Improved thermal stability can be explained by restrained chain mobility caused by interfacial hydrogen bonds, which are formed between hydroxyl groups on Al₂O₃ surface and silicone backbone. In this study, the effect of hydrogen bonds was investigated by dehydrating Al₂O₃ micro-rods at high temperature in N₂ to partially destroy the bonds. Removal of hydrogen bonds impaired thermal stability by increasing the initial weight-loss rate from 0.025 to 0.036 wt%/hour. The results explained the importance of interfacial hydrogen bond, which effectively reduced the average chain mobility, hindered the formation of degradation products, and led to higher thermal stability. The main discoveries of this study are listed below: 1. Al₂O₃ micro-rods were found to efficiently improve the thermal stability of silicone elastomer used for high-temperature encapsulation. 2. Characteristic dielectric strength and shape parameter obtained from Weibull distribution reflected the change of material microstructure caused by thermal aging. The shape parameter was found to be more sensitive to microscale defects, which were responsible for dielectric breakdown at low electric field. 3. Hydrogen bonds existing at filler/matrix interface were proven to be responsible for the improvement of thermal stability because they effectively restrained the average chain mobility of the silicone matrix. / Ph. D.

Supramolecular polymers represent a family of polymeric materials that are held together with dynamic, noncovalent interactions. In contrast to conventional functional polymers that usually have high melt-viscosity due to their covalent nature and chain entanglement, supramolecular polymers combine excellent physical properties with low melt-viscosity, allowing for less energy-intensive processability and recyclability. Dynamic bonding with multiple binding sites, such as multiple hydrogen bonding or multiple ionic bonding, exhibits much stronger binding strength compared to the counterparts containing only a single binding site, thereby allowing for enhanced mechanical integrity to the polymers and facilitate self-assembly. This dissertation focuses on the design of novel supramolecular polymers building from the doubly-charged or quadruple hydrogen bonding (QHB) scaffolds utilizing chain-growth polymerization or step-growth polymerization, as well as elucidate the structure-property-morphology relationships of the polymers. A 2-step nucleophilic substitution reaction afforded a series of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO)-based styrenic monomers with two pairs of charged groups. An optimized 2-step reversible-addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization synthesized ABA triblock thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) with a low Tg poly (n-butyl acrylate) central block and a high Tg external charged blocks. Strong ionic interactions between doubly-charged units drove molecular self-assembly to form densely packed, hierarchical microstructures, which contributed to a robust, crosslinked physical network that allows the polymer to retain thermomechanical integrity until degradation. High-resolution single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) coupled with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) further disclosed a detailed 3-D structural information of molecular arrangement and ion distribution within the charged phase through comparing DABCO-salt monomer single-crystal structure and the corresponding homopolymer XRD pattern. It was found that the physical properties of the DABCO-salt copolymers not only relied on their charge content and architectures but also dependent on their electrostatically-bonded counterions. The size and structure of the counterion determined the strength of dipole-dipole interaction, which significantly impact on thermal property, (thermo)mechanical performance, water affinity, and microstructure. A cytosine-functionalized monomer, cytosine acrylate (CyA), allowed the synthesis of acrylic ABA triblock TPEs with pendant nucleobase moieties in the external blocks and a low Tg central polymer matrix through RAFT polymerization. Post-functionalization of cytosine (Cyt) bidentate hydrogen bonding sites with alkyl isocyanate, allowed the formation of ureido-cytosine (UCyt) groups in the external block that were readily dimerized through QHB interactions. The UCyt units in the external block enhanced mechanical strength and induced stronger phase-separation of the block copolymers compared to the corresponding Cyt-containing TPE analogs. Facile conventional free-radical polymerization using CyA and subsequent post-functionalization enabled accessibility to random copolymers containing pendant UCyt QHB moieties in the soft polymer matrix. The synergy of the flexible polymer matrix and the dynamic character of QHB groups contributed to the ultra-high elasticity of the polymer and rapid self-healing properties. QHB interactions enabled efficient mechanical recovery upon deformation by facilitating elastic chain retraction to regenerate the original physical network. Finally, one-pot step-growth polymerization through chain extending a novel bis-Cyt monomer and a commercially available polyether diamine using a di-isocyanate extender afforded segmented polyurea series for extrusion additive manufacturing. The molecular design of the polyureas featured soft segments containing flexible polyether chain and a relatively weak urea hydrogen bonding sites in the soft segment and rigid UCyt hydrogen bonding groups in the hard segment. The reversible characteristics of QHB enabled low viscosity at the processing temperature while providing mechanical integrity after processing and reinforced bonding between the interlayers, which contributed to the remarkable strength, elasticity, toughness, and interlayer adhesion of the printed parts. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation focuses on designing supramolecular thermoplastic elastomers containing strong noncovalent interactions, i.e., quadruple hydrogen bonds or double ionic bonds. Inspired from noncovalent interactions in our mother nature, a series of bio-inspired monomers functionalized with nucleobase or ionic units were synthesized through scalable reactions with minimal purification steps. Polymerization of the functional monomers through step-growth or chain-growth polymerization techniques affords a variety of supramolecular thermoplastic elastomers with well-defined structures and architectures. These thermoplastic elastomers comprise soft and hard constituents; the former contains low glass transition polymer chains that provide elasticity while the latter contains strong noncovalent units to impart mechanical strength. Varying the soft/hard component ratios enables polymers with tunable physical properties to address different needs. Systematic characterizations of these supramolecular polymers revealed their distinct properties from the polymers containing the covalent or weak noncovalent interactions and facilitate molecular-level understanding of the polymers. Generally, incorporating strong noncovalent interactions increases the temperature for polymer segmental motion and extends thermomechanical plateau windows. Additionally, the strong association strength of those non-covalent interactions promotes microphase separation and self-assembly, contributing to a high degree of structural ordering of the polymers. Moreover, the dynamic characteristics of the noncovalent interactions offer the polymers with reversible properties, which not only enables melt-processability and recyclability of the polymer but also contributes to a series of smart properties, including self-healing, shape-memory, and recoverability. Thus, the molecular design using supramolecular chemistry provides promising avenues to developing functional materials with enhanced mechanical properties, processability, and stimuli-responsiveness for emerging applications.

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Multiphase systems provide an opportunity to develop both novel processing methods and create advanced materials through combining the properties of dissimilar phases in a synergistic manner. In this work, we detail the halogenation of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) through both solution-state and gel-state functionalization methods. The multiphase gel-state chemistry restricts functionalization to the amorphous regions of the semi-crystalline parent homopolymer and generates a copolymer with a blocky microstructure. Solution-state functionalization yields random copolymers which provide matched sets to the blocky analogs for fundamental investigations into the effects of polymer microstructure on material properties. Halogenating PEEK using N-halosuccinimides allows for direct installation of pendant halogens along the polymer backbone with facile control of halogen identity. For both bromination and iodination, blocky halogenation of PEEK provides faster crystallization kinetics, higher glass transition (Tg) and melting temperatures as well as superior crystallizability than random halogenation. When comparing halogen identity, increasing halogen size results in increased Tgs, decreased backbone planarity, and for copolymers with blocky microstructures, an earlier onset of phase separation. Increasing halogen size also results in decreased crystallizability and crystallization kinetics, however, these deleterious effects are mitigated in blocky microstructures due to colocalization of the pristine repeat units. Iodination also results in greater flame resistance than bromination for PEEK-based copolymers, and preserved crystallizability allows for the generation of flame retardant aerogels. Direct halogenation of PEEK in the gel-state also provided a reactive microstructural template for subsequent functionalization. Through the use of copper mediated cross-coupling chemistries, the aryl halide functionalities were leveraged to decorate the polymer backbone with pendant perfluoroalkyl chains. The blocky perfluoro alkyl PEEK demonstrated preserved crystallizability and serves as a candidate for compatibilization of poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-PEEK polymer blends. Superacid-modified PEEK was synthesized through a similar methodology and demonstrated over 50,000% increased hygroscopicity relative to the parent homopolymer, and exhibited preserved crystallizability. Multiphase systems were also designed to additively manufacture reinforced elastomers through vat photopolymerization using a degradable scaffold approach that challenged the current paradigm that the scaffold only serves as a geometrical template in vat photopolymerization. The scaffold crosslinks were cleaved through a reactive extraction process that liberated the glassy photopolymer backbone and resulted in over 200% increased ultimate strain and 50% increased ultimate stress relative to a control that was subjected to a neutral extraction. Lastly, thermoresponsive micellar ligands were synthesized as a multiphase approach to environmental remediation of metal-contaminated aqueous systems. / Doctor of Philosophy / Multiphase systems, such as a mixture of oil and water, are of great interest due to their ability to exhibit a multitude of properties from one material. Minimizing the size of the phases, through a technique called compatibilization, often improves the properties of the material. A common example is salad dressing, where the oil phase is compartmentalized into microscopic particles using surface-active molecules known as surfactants. Surfactants, also known as amphiphiles, partition to the interface between different phases due to the surfactants being comprised of dissimilar molecular constituents. One way to generate polymeric amphiphiles, where a polymer is a large molecule comprised of a molecular chain of repeating units, is through synthesizing block copolymers. Block copolymers have blocks of different constituents that are colocalized through covalent bonds in the polymer backbone and often exhibit phase separated structures, allowing for enhanced transport properties such as is seen in membranes. Using semi-crystalline polymers in membranes allows for enhanced mechanical integrity, as the crystallites act as physical crosslinks, or tie points, similar to the knots in a 3D rope ladder. These molecular knots limit the distance that the linear segments of the rope ladder can stretch, which in membranes leads to reduced swelling and increased mechanical performance. In this work we use semi-crystalline polymers to generate blocky copolymers through the use of halogenation. Halogenation installs halogen moieties as pendant groups on the polymer backbone, which can then by used as a chemical handle for subsequent reactions to further incorporate functionality into the copolymer and achieve desired properties such as proton (hydrogen nuclei) transport in fuel cell membranes. Halogenation also allows for the generation of blocky semi-crystalline copolymers for compatibilizing polymer blends of materials like poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and poly(ether ether ketone). Also in this work, we discuss the additive manufacturing of mechanically reinforced elastomers. An elastomer is another type of crosslinked network, and a mechanically reinforced elastomer can be through of as a 3D rope ladder where some of the linear segments of rope are replaced with steel bars, thus increasing the amount of work required to deform the network. The last multiphase systems discussed are similar to salad dressing, where there is a continuous water phase and a microscopic particle phase. The microscopic particles in this work are amphiphilic block copolymers that change their solubility in water with temperature and also have functionalities that should allow for the binding of metals from water-based systems.

This study of adaptable vibration isolating mounts sets out to capture the uniqueness of magnetorheological (MR) fluid's variable viscosity rate, and to physically alter the damping and stiffness when used inside an elastomeric mount. Apparent variable viscosity or rheology of the MR fluid has dependency on the application of a magnetic field. Therefore, this study also intends to look at the design of a compact magnetic field generator which magnetizes the MR fluid to activate different stiffness and damping levels within the isolator to create an adaptable and tunable feature. To achieve this adaptable isolator mount, a mold will be fabricated to construct the mounts. A process will then be devised to manufacture the mounts and place MR fluid inside the mount for later compatibility with the magnetic field generator. This process will then produce an MR fluid-elastic mount. Additionally for comparative purposes, passive mounts will be manufactured with a soft rubber casing and an assortment of metal and non-metal inserts. Next, the design of the magnetic field generator will be modeled using FEA magnetic software and then constructed. Stiffness or force/displacement measurements will then be analyzed from testing the isolator mount and magnetic field generator on a state-of-the-art vibration dynamometer. To vary the magnetic flux through the mount, an electro-magnet is used. To analyze the results, a frequency method of the stiffness will be used to show the isolators adaptation to various increments of magnetic flux over the sinusoidal input displacement frequencies. This frequency response of the stiffness will then be converted into a modeling technique to capture the essence of the dynamics from activating the MR fluid within the isolator mount. With this methodology for studying the adaptability of an MR fluid-elastic mount, the stiffness increases are dependent on the level of magnetic field intensity provided from the supplied electro-magnet. When the electro-magnet current supply is increased from 0.0 to 2.0 Amps, the mount stiffness magnitude increase is 78% in one of the MR fluid-elastic mounts. Through comparison, this MR fluid-elastic mount at off-state with zero magnetic field is similar to a mount made of solid rubber with a hardness of 30 Shore A. With 2 Amps of current, however, the MR fluid-elastic mount has a higher stiffness magnitude than a rubber mount and resembles a rubber casing with a steel insert. Moreover, when the current in the electro-magnet is increased from 0.0 to 2.0 Amps the equivalent damping coefficient in a MR fluid-elastic mount increases over 500% of the value at 0 Amps at low frequency. Through damping comparisons, the MR fluid-elastic mount with no current is similar to that of a mount made of solid rubber with a hardness of 30 Shore A. At full current in the electromagnet, however, the damping in the MR fluid-elastic mount is greater than any of the comparative mounts in this study. Therefore, the results show that the MR fluid-elastic mount can provide a wide range of stiffness and damping variation for real-time embedded applications. Since many aerospace and automotive applications use passive isolators as engine mounts in secondary suspensions to reduce transmitted forces at cruise speed, the MR fluid-elastic mount could be substituted to reduce transmitted forces over a wider range of speeds. Additionally, this compact MR fluid-elastic mount system could be easily adapted to many packaging constraints in those applications. / Master of Science

L’objectif de ce travail est une approche pluridisciplinaire dans le but de comprendre l’impact des phénomènes microscopiques, l’interaction charge-matrice avec ou sans agent de couplage et la dispersion des charges sur les propriétés macroscopiques. La caractérisation de l’impact de la stratégie de mélange avec ou sans un agent de couplage, la cinétique, l’état final et les différents scénarii de dispersion possibles sont ainsi étudiés. L’incorporation de microperles de silice dans une matrice SBR est réalisée dans un mélangeur interne. Finalement, la silice est dispersée à l’échelle nanométrique (10-100 nm). Les nanocomposites obtenus sont alors caractérisés par des techniques complémentaires (spectroscopie mécanique, MET, mesure du taux d’élastomère lié à la charge) dans le but de caractériser quantitativement les interactions charge-matrice et charge-charge. L’outil rhéologique est un outil très sensible pour caractériser l’évolution de la dispersion de charges dans une matrice élastomère. En particulier, le module de conservation G’ montre un plateau significatif pour les faibles fréquences de déformation. Ce plateau est très sensible à l’état de dispersion ainsi qu’à la nature des interactions entre les charges. En couplant les mesures rhéologiques, l'analyse d'image faite sur des photos MET et la mesure du taux d’élastomère lié, il est possible d’établir un scénario de dispersion de la silice dans l'élastomère en fonction des conditions de mélange et de mettre en évidence les paramètres élémentaires de la dispersion impliqués. En complément, la modélisation de certains modules montre toute sa pertinence dans la caractérisation de la rupture des agglomérats ou de l’évolution des interactions charge-charge au cours du mélangeage. Enfin, la dimension fractale des réseaux de charges obtenus est déterminée à partir de nos descripteurs de la dispersion / Filler dispersion in an elastomeric matrix, states and mechanisms of dispersion had to be investigated throughout the mixing process. This work focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to understand how microscopic phenomena, like rubber-filler interaction or filler dispersions, affect macroscopic properties such as rheological behavior. The incorporation of silica is realized in an internal mixer under temperature control. Finally, silica is dispersed at the nanoscale (10-100 nm). Afterwards, nanocomposites are characterized using complementary techniques in order to discuss quantitatively the nature of rubber-filler and filler-filler interactions and their effect on rheological properties. Thus, the global evolution of dispersion during the mixing is understood through these various tests. Different mechanisms in the dispersion have been observed. First, intense particle size reduction occurs at the earliest mixing times. Then, the aggregate size does not change while the amount of physically bound rubber at the surface of aggregate increases and levels off. For some silica, a second dispersion stage has been observed after the diffusion of the elastomer to the core of the aggregates. Rheology has showed to be a very sensitive tool to characterize the evolution of the dispersion in the system. Particularly, the complex shear modulus exhibits a significant plateau (Ge), at low frequency, which is very sensitive to the dispersion state and the nature of the interaction between the fillers. There is a striking correlation between the value of plateau Ge and the bound rubber content. Finally, a dispersion scenario has been established and fundamental interaction parameters have been identified