Potential applications for:

1. Smart Polymers Exhibit Shape-Shifting AbilitiesEric Baer, Case Western Reserve University, DMR 0423914 Shape memory polymers are a class of smart polymeric materials that can be temporarily compressed or stretched into shapes that are much larger or smaller than they originally started out. When exposed to a stimulus such as heat, light, or a magnetic field, these materials rapidly return to their original shape. Researchers at CLiPS (the NSF Center for Layered Polymeric Systems) have developed a way to produce polymeric shape memory materials using a solventless, continuous process. The elimination of solvents makes the materials less expensive and safer to produce. Because the polymers are low density and can be biocompatible or biodegradable, they are ideal candidates for the fields of medicine and aerospace. The process combines two different polymers, layered together by an extrusion system equipped with multiplier dies. The material created has many layers, each of which may be only nanometers in scale. One of the polymers is semicrystalline - the crystals in the polymer provide the switch that will lock the material into its temporary shape until the stimulus is introduced. The other polymer, a flexible elastomer, provides the memory. Elastomers try to return to their original shape after being twisted or otherwise deformed – like a sheet of rubber. Shape memory may make it easier to package a medical device into a very small space. The device can be introduced into the body through a catheter and then expanded when it reaches its target. The same is true for packing devices into the limited cargo area of a spacecraft and then expanding them when they arrive in orbit. Potential applications for: Industry Healthcare Space Exploration

2. Smart Polymers Exhibit Shape-Shifting AbilitiesEric Baer, Case Western Reserve University, DMR 0423914 Shannon and Eric illustrate the CLiPS Layered Research Team at work. Shannon is a senior level graduate student and an experienced mentor in the Polymer Envoys program. This program matches one graduate student with one high school student who work together over during the years the Envoy is in the program. At CWRU, the Envoys are generally from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). High School students enter the program during the summer as sophomores or juniors. In addition to research, the 6-week long summer session includes lab safety and ethics training, as well as tutoring in math, chemistry, and presentation skills. During the school year, Envoys work in the lab 5 hours per week after school. The graduate student carves out a portion of his or her research that becomes the Envoy’s project. Strong relationships are formed between the Envoy and Graduate Student yielding benefits that go beyond the academic. By serving as role models, the graduate students show their young colleagues how to begin on a pathway toward a STEM career. • Graduate Student Mentor • Shannon Armstrong – CWRU • Has mentored 3 Envoys (sequentially) • Taught Envoy summer polymer courses • Polymer Envoy Student • Eric Beard • Currently a Junior at CMSD East Technical High School • 2-year participant in Envoy program