CBE Research Report Spring 2016 | Page 40

Poster Presentation 29 The Development of Well-Disperse-Polymer Composites Exhibiting Tuned Mechanical and Electrical Properties Faheem Muhammed1. Parth Vakil2, Julian Montoya1, Golda C. Louis1, Subramanian Ramakrishnan1, Tarik Dickens3 1 FAMU/FSU College of Engineering – Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, 2FSU – Chemistry 3 FAMU/FSU College of Engineering – Industrial Engineering The development of ligand-stabilized nanoparticles is critical to advancements in additive manufacturing, high density magnetic memory, electromagnetic interference shielding, and medicinal purposes. This study focused on incorporating mono-dispersed magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles in various polymers (polystyrene, polyimide, and lower molecular weight varieties) with the goal of increasing the physical, magnetic, and dielectric properties of the matrix. Magnetite was chosen primarily for its ease of synthesis, extensive literature presence, negligible hysteresis, and low magnetic moment. In conjunction with fatty-acid-surface-modification, the magnetite exhibited stability in both solution and the dried powder form. This property made it possible for even distributions in polymer media when thin films and composite filaments were manufactured. The magnetic properties of this composite system allowed for soft magnetic behavior that is influe