Semicrystalline Polymers under Confinement as Thin FilmsPeggy Cebe, Tufts University, DMR-0100646

Polymers that contain crystals are used in advanced applications including the automotive, aerospace and electronic industries. The total amount of the crystals depends upon the temperature at which the crystals are grown. Examination by infrared analysis shows several absorption peaks, as shown for example in the accompanying figure by the peaks marked 981cm-1 and 1026 cm-1. Results are shown for isotactic polystyrene polymer, for a non-crystalline sample (nc) and for four samples grown at different temperatures from 150C to 165C. By measuring the height of the 981 peak compared to the 1026 peak, we determine how many crystals have grown at different temperatures. This approach is especially useful when examining very thin films.

The figure above is based on work published by Hui Xu and Peggy Cebe, “Transitions from Solid to Liquid in Isotactic Polystyrene Studied by Thermal Analysis and X-ray Scattering ” Polymer, Special Issue doi:10:1016/j.polymer.2005.01.105

165160155150 nc

Semicrystalline Polymers under Confinement as Thin FilmsPeggy Cebe, Tufts University, DMR-0100646

Education and Outreach to the Deaf and Hard of Hearinga b cProf. Cebe and student interns participated in the Undergraduate Research Symposium of

the American Chemical Society’s Northeast Regional Meeting in Oct. 2004. Intern Jingjing Pan (Fig. a), a chemistry major from Rochester Institute of Technology, gives her presentation in American Sign Language. Prof. Cebe visited Gallaudet University (Fig. b,c) the nation’s only liberal arts university for the deaf. At Gallaudet, Prof. Cebe met with past and present interns (Fig. b, left to right) Jennifer Berrigan (2003), Niesha Washington (2004) and Debeshu Amare (2005). Prof. Cebe, on behalf of the ACS, presents a certificate

to Niesha, a biology major, acknowledging her co-authorship of the 2005 interns’ poster at the San Diego ACS meeting. They are joined by Ann Powell, chair of the biology department (left).

a b c