Polymer Chemistry Research Experience.Support: NSF Polymer Program NSF-1308617 (PI: Chang

Ryu)/RPI Polymer Center

• Student Name: Keegan Vannier

• Clifton Park, New York

Pictured Right: Winged beast (top) and 3D printed bust (bottom)

The winged beast from above. Notice the bat wings above the butterfly wings.

Another winged beast spawned from creativity and an abundance of scraps. The 3D printed bust makes a second appearance below it.

Baby picture

Now For the More Serious Stuff

Believe it or not, more was accomplished at this program than doodling in 3D and eating lunch. I learned quite a bit and refreshed my memory on some topics long forgotten. Most of my learning came from the FTIR and DSC machines. I learned to understand what all those squiggly lines on the graphs meant. Now when I look at them, some actual thought process occurs.

Polymer Chemistry Research Experience.Support: NSF Polymer Program NSF-1308617 (PI: Chang Ryu)/RPI Polymer Center

• FTIR Results of ABS and PLA plastics

Blue ABS Clear Blue PLA

The two plastic types show clear differences in composition when their IFR results are reviewed side by side. (Major differences Circled)

C=O

C=O

Differences in IFR spectra can be seen among plastics of the same

type. Mostly differences in ketone group size. This is likely due to differences in the color

additives. Central characteristics of ABS still appear on both scans

Pink ABS

Yellow ABS

C=O

C=O

FTIR provides evidence that C=O is from dye/additives(different color)

Polymer Chemistry Research Experience.Support: NSF Polymer Program NSF-1308617 (PI: Chang Ryu)/RPI Polymer Center

• DSC Results of ABS and PLAYellow ABS

Blue PLA

Glass transition temperatures (Tg)

Melting Point(Tm)

Large differences can be seen once again through the DSC data.

Based on the data from the Yellow (bottom) and

blue (top) ABS plastic samples, it does not

appear that the color additives have too much

of an effect on the results. The same cannot be said

about the PLA plastics.

Outreach Program: Plastics are all around us.Support: NSF Polymer Program NSF-1308617 (PI: Chang Ryu)/RPI Polymer Center

• DSC Results of my sample (My sample plastic item was a Stewart’s Iced coffee refresher bottle cap.)

Melting Temperature of around 135 degrees Celsius

Instrumental Error lump?

Outreach Program: Plastics are all around us.Support: NSF Polymer Program NSF-1308617 (PI: Chang Ryu)/RPI Polymer Center

SUMMARY• The polymer this bottle cap is made out of is called High-Density

Polyethylene

• This is the chemical structure of HDPE:

• HDPE’s recycling code looks like this:

Polymer Chemistry Research Experience.Support: NSF Polymer Program NSF-1308617 (PI: Chang Ryu)/RPI Polymer Center

Program Summary

Keegan Vannier (Clifton Park, New York)

• Lab safety and basics of bonds and how to draw and name them• Introduction to FTIR and DSC machines and how to read their data• Differentiating plastics and their properties and uses• Mini me 3D printed busts• Samples of plastics scanned with DSC• LOTS of 3D doodle pen work• Polymerization, Vacuum Distillation, Liquid Nitrogen, and UV

curing stations• Working on this very presentation