The Black Sheep Pub
247 S. 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
6:00pm
Zahra FakhraaiAssociate Professor of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
“Slowing Time to Make Burn-Resistant Polymers”
Most polymers, long-chain molecules, burn when exposed to heat by breaking into smaller bits and then reacting with oxygen. This process can rapidly accelerate as the chains break into shorter bits and generate fires, leaving behind a black goo of carbonized material. This is a major problem for using some commodity polymers in building materials, batteries, and other applications where the polymer can become really hot. By confining the polymers into a film of nanoparticles, we can slow-down the motion of the polymer as well as oxygen motion into the polymer. This process effectively slows down time for the system, reducing the rate at which the chain can interact with oxygen and make it impossible for the polymer to catch fire.