Sticky business under the microscope

The non-stick coating on a frying pan, the coat of paint on a car bumper and the multiple layers of fibres and polymers in a tyre. What keeps them together is the interface region or interphase - the area where the molecules of two materials interact with each other.

The interphase is vital to the durability and performance of nanocomposites, particle-filled materials, paints on plastics and metals, and fibre-reinforced polymer composites.

To understand the nature of the interphase better, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and several industry partners have established a Consortium on Characterisation and Modelling of the Interface and Interphases of Polymeric Materials and Systems.

The consortium will conduct a three-year investigation of the chemical, physical and morphological characteristics of the interface/interphase region.

With computer models, as well as with laboratory tests of both polymer blends and polymer films on various substrates, the consortium expect to learn how properties at or near the interphase region change with processing conditions and diverse external stresses (such as different temperatures and humidities). Such information could help manufacturers reduce costs for products and increase their international competitiveness.

Three NIST laboratories—Building and Fire Research, Chemical Science and Technology, and Materials Science and Engineering—are participating in the consortium, along with manufacturers from the plastics, paint and automotive parts sectors.

The consortium is open to new industrial members until May 15, 2001.

For more information, contact Tinh Nguyen, (301) 975-6718, or Charles Han, (301) 975-6772.