(617g) Transport and Optical Properties of Phase Separated Polymer Gels

Phase separated polymeric structures can lead to unique transport, mechanical, and optical properties based on the materials and length scales of phase separation. In this talk, we will discuss materials that exhibit polymerization induced phase separation during synthesis. By manipulating the temperature, solvent quality, and reactant composition for two networked polymer systems, we manipulate the porosity and length scale of phase separation. In the first system, this enables tunable control over water transport and mechanical properties, while in the photocrosslinked second system, this leads to tunable structural color. We discuss the pathways to integrating these phase separated materials into hierarchically structured additively manufactured materials.