Thermal conductivity of filled diblock copolymers and polymer blends.

• Applicant: Dr. Alexander Chervanyov
• Subject Area: Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics ; Experimental and Theoretical Physics of Polymers
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 324874376

As an extension of the research performed in the first funding period (PW), the proposed renewal project aims at quantitative understanding of the thermal conductivity of filled diblock copolymers (DBC) and polymer blends (PB). In addition, I intend to extend the electrical conductivity calculations performed in PW for filled DBC over the more complicated case of filled binary PB. PB are experimentally known to experience macro-phase separation into continuous/discontinuous (“sea-island”) or co-continuous macro-phases that impose different preferential locations of fillers. I surmise that changes in the filler distribution caused by temperature-induced morphological changes in PB and DBC result in substantial changes in the thermal conductivity of these composites. The project therefore seeks to quantitatively elucidate the relationship among: (i) the temperature-directed morphological structure of DBC microphases or PB macrophases; (ii) the preferential location of fillers in phase-separated DBC and PB determined by their affinities for polymer species and the inter-filler interactions; (iii) the thermal (for DBC and PB) and electrical (for PB) conductivities of the composites determined by the structure of the filler network formed in these composites. The described purposes will be achieved by developing a multiscale model that relies on the combination of phase field models for host polymer systems, Monte Carlo simulations and resistor network models for fillers. The obtained theoretical predictions will be verified experimentally by performing the measurements of the electrical and thermal conductivities of selected PB and DBC filled with conductive Carbon Black fillers.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr.-Ing. Petra Pötschke, Ph.D.