Theiss Research

Purpose: the Purpose of This Cooperative Agreement Is to Use a Novel Technique, Solution Blow Spinning, to Develop Model Systems, Evaluate Them, and Further the Community's Understanding of Structure-property Relationships of Novel Fibrous Composite Systems. This Will Further Improve Understanding of Their Performance and Long-term Implementation Into Protective Materials.activities to Be Performed: the Researchers Will Develop Tunable, Sprayable Polymeric Nancomposites That Serve as a Model System for Implementation in Protective Systems. Once These Materials Are Developed and Prepared, They Will Be Characterized Using Spectroscopy, Microscopy, and Mechanical Performance Tests. This Information Will Be Used to Refine the Procedures for Preparing These Model Materials. This Information Will Be Disseminated to the Public to Further Understanding of the Structure-property Relationships of These Systems.expected Outcomes: the Researchers Are Developing a Method to Use Solution Blow Spinning to Prepare Model Materials That Can Be Incorporated Into Protective Systems to Optimize Specific Properties. They Will Use Analytical Techniques Developed in Materials Science: (1) to Characterize the Spaying Process and Optimize Spraying Parameters to Achieve the Most Useful Materials; (2) to Understand the Relationship Between the Structure of These Materials, Their Chemical, Physical, and Mechanical Properties to Help Refine and Improve These Materials in the Future; and (3) to Explore the Usefulness of These Materials for Protective Applications.intended Beneficiaries: the Information Generated From This Research Can Be Used by Researchers Working on Improving the Performance of Protective Materials Such as Body Armor. the Publicly Archived Data May Also Support Better Modeling and Materials Discovery for Amor Systems. Both of These Outcomes May Ultimately Result in More Comfortable, Higher Performing Protective Equipment for Use by Law Enforcement or Military Users.subrecipient Activities: the Recipient Does Not Intend to Subaward Funds.