Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

We request a tensile testing system for our materials research. This equipment is a basic tool for measuring the mechanical properties of our polymer-based soft materials. We have been working on two types of smart polymers that may impact the future of our economy and society. The first is named shape-memory polymers (SMPs) and the second is self- or stimuli-healable polymers (SHPs). SMPs can change their shape upon heating or exposure to light or ultrasound. These materials have many applications such as medical implant devices. As for SHPs, they can repair damage (crack or fracture) themself or with the help of light. By having this function, they have prolonged service lifetime, enhanced safety and reduced cost. Our research aims at developing new SMP and SHP materials and discovering new applications. The realization of our research requires the use of tensile testing equipment that basically measures the force needed for deforming a given polymer, providing important data about the mechanical properties such as modulus, resistance, stress and deformation at the breaking point.