Multi-scale composite functional materials innovation team of Ministry of Education

Team Profile:

The team was selected in innovation team development plan of the Ministry of Education in 2011. The team leader is Professor Fang Shaoming. The team owns 17 members including 8 professors, 4 doctoral tutors, and 15 Doctors. The team members are mainly engaged in design, synthesis and application exploration of multi-scale composite materials. Concretestudy contents include three aspects. There are build and structure-performance regulation of multifunctional molecule matrix materials, design, synthesis and application of polymer matrix composites, preparation and structure-activity studies of micro-nano functional materials. The team features are that rare earth coordination chemistry and polymer materials science are organically integrated, and the rare earth metals are creatively bonded to the polymer chain. New rare earth transparent organic polymer materials, which combine luminescence, antibacterial, magnetic, invisible and other functions, have been studied and developed.

Team (team leader, number of team members, list and constitute):

Team Leader: Professor Fang Shaoming

Research Field:

The team members are mainly engaged in design, synthesis and application exploration of multi-scale composite materials. Concrete study contents include three aspects. There are build and structure-performance regulation of multifunctional molecule matrix materials, design, synthesis and application of polymer matrix composites, preparation and structure-activity studies of micro-nano functional materials.

Research Results:

1.    Exploring a series of internal and external factors systematically which may have the influence for the synthesis and assembly processes of coordination polymers , summarized the structure-activity relationship and developed the theoretical foundation of new molecular-based materials and its further applications.

In view of the different reaction systems, we have examined the differences in the areas of structure and properties associated with the formation of crystalline materials  under the conditions of  room temperature and water /solvent thermal reaction, which has the enlightenment function for the study of hydrothermal reaction mechanism and formation process for the related coordination polymers. We also found the aromatic stacking interactions have a significant effect  on  the formation of the final network structures and properties of the crystal products. This study was introduced by Nature China as the highlight article. At the same time, we found that the weak interaction 0f C–H∙∙∙Ag play a important role in building coordination supramolecular system from both the experimentally and theoretically methods, which has the important roles on the structure design and prediction of related molecular-based materials. As such, we synthesis the coordination polymers with nanometer pore and clarify its solvent guide effect and systematically studied the influence of ligand substituent effects on coordination polymers construction, which were selected by CrystEngComm as the cover paper. In addition, we also studied the ligand flexibility, metal ion coordination configuration, non-coordinated ligands and solvent, pH values, reactant ratio and auxiliary ligand and other internal and external factors to influence the coordination polymer preparation and assembly process. The relevant results have been applied for national invention patent more than 10 (authorized 8), these work have been published in Chem. Commun., Inorg. Chem., Dalton Trans., CrystEngComm, Cryst. Growth Des. and other academic journals published more than 20 papers indexed by SCI. We have been invited to write Feature Article on the topic of solvent effect on coordination supramolecular assembly” for famous chemical Journal Chem. Commun. (2011, 47, 5958 - 5972), and was elected on the Cover paper, which firstly induced the solvent coordination of the coordination polymer assembly, structure regulation and transformation as well as structure-properties relations systematically.

2. Design and synthesis of macromonomer and research of its polymer functional materials

The concept of the poly (urethane-acrylate) macromonomers is first proposed. Then a new kind of polymer materials is synthesized by the poly (urethane-acrylate) macromonomers through molecular design. Its application is studied in the field of optoelectronic information, membrane separation, etc. It lays the foundation for the regulation of performance and functionality of the polymer from the scale of molecular monomers. It has important theoretical and guidance significance for the development of polymer-based functional materials.

Based on research of the structure-activity relationship of polymeric materials, a kind of functional macromonomers is designed and synthesized. Then a series of new transparent polymer materials, which own high mechanical properties, high heat resistance, have been prepared by graft polymerization, copolymerization, homopolymerization and other technical means. The synthesized new high transparent materials have high transmittance (over 90%). And the applicable temperature range of the synthesized materials is -80～200 °C. Furthermore the heat distortion temperature of the synthesized materials is higher 40 °C than that of America's current best organic transparent materials. After the retrieval of China Defense Science and TechnologyInformationCenter, There is no similar technology at home and abroad to achieve the targets of the transparent plastic materials. Related research results have won Henan Science and Technology Progress Second Award.

High heat resistance transparent polymer materials

3. The build of new rare earth transparent composites and its performance study

Design and synthesis technology of functional poly(urethane-acrylate) macromonomer as a guide, and based on macromonomer synthesis of supramolecular chemistry at the level of molecular engineering, macromonomers containing rare earth supramolecular complexes are synthesized by graft polymerization, copolymerization, coordination and other technical means. A new kind of multi-scale polymer composites, which are rare earth polymer materials, was prepared. The studied new rare earth polymer materials exhibit unique properties of rare earth elementson the basis of the excellent transparency of macromonomer matrix materials. So the materials are a kind of a new generation of functional materials with highly integrated functions. Through the effective regulation of structure and properties of materials, the functional polymer materials, which own luminescence, electricity, magnetism, heat, antibacterial and other special features, are expected to be developed and applied in the field of aerospace, military and  defense, industry and other sophisticated areas.

Rare earth/polymer composites in Uv light Certificate of Awards

4. Synthesis and industrial application of polymer masterbatch used in silicon core pipe inner layer

Design and synthesis of functional organic silicon monomer as a basis, the organosilicon materials with the extremely low frictioncoefficient are prepared through organic / inorganic compositetechnology. And the polymer masterbatch, which is used in highway laying communications cables, has been prepared and developed. The inner wall of silicon core pipe prepared with the masterbatch has a low friction coefficient (≤0.146), and it is far better than the technical requirement of the national telecommunications industry standard (≤0.25).

Polymeric silicon core masterbatch, which is prepared by the team, is applied by Henan Zongtong plastic pipe Ltd., Henan Yuantong plastic pipe Ltd., and Zhengzhou Xingya plastic pipe Ltd. Silicon core pipes used in communications cables are widely applied in highway of Zhengkai, Zhengshao, Zhengzin, Luojie, Zhoujie, Xupingnan, Shanxi and Chongqing, etc. Since 2000, more than 90% silicon core masterbatch used in silicon core pipe in the highway is produced in the technology in HenanProvince.

Functional polymer masterbatch

5．Research and industrial applications of the integrated technology for the materials synthesis and membrane separation.

Based on the design of molecular monomer and its synthesis technology, the materials for membrane separation were prepared. Guided with the thories about the design of micro-nano processes, the new membrane facilities and technologies for oil wastewater treatment were developed and industrially applied in Sen Ma Industrial Co. Ltd. by integrating with the technologies of material synthesis, device, surface and interface processing and RO separation. This integrated technology efficiently solved three problems about the content monitoring and composition analysis of exhaust fumes, demulsification process for oil wastewater and membrane separation by using the combined method of efficient fumes absorption, demulsification and reverse osmosis. The pilot-scale experiments results show that the removal rate of COD, turbidity and oil can be obtained to 99.96%, 100% and 100%,

respectively. The water quality of permeate from the combined treatment process has been consistently excellent to meet the 1st grade discharge standard set in the Chinese National Standards for Integrated Wastewater (GB 8978-1996).

                                   FESEM images of  PMMA microspheres     TiO₂ composite membrane separation device and macroporous TiO2 film

Executing Projects

The photo of group in working