University of Connecticut |
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IMS Distinguished Lecture “Ionomers: They are not just for golf balls anymore.” Thursday, April 3, 2008
Ionomers are predominantly hydrophobic polymers that contain a small amount of bonded acid or salt groups, such as carboxylate, sulfonate or phosphonate. They were first invented by DuPont de Nemours in the mid-1960’s and became intimately linked with golf balls in the late 1970’s, and still today, they are the most common cover materials for a golf ball. Yet, ionomers find application in a wide variety of applications, including other sporting goods, packaging, membranes, blend compatibilizers, coatings, adhesives, biomaterials and electrochromic devices. The desirable properties of ionomers arise from their amphiphilic nature that produces a self-assembled ion-rich nanophase within a hydrophobic continuous matrix.
This talk will discuss the structure and properties of ionomers, largely drawing on my more than 30 years experience studying the physics and applications of these materials in academe and industry.
http://www.ims.uconn.edu/faculty/rweiss.html |
