Composition Gradient High-Throughput Polymer Libraries Enabled by Passive Mixing and Elevated Temperature

High-throughput   experimentation   (HTE)   methods   are   key   to enabling  informatics-driven  workflows  to  accelerate  discovery  of high-performance  multicomponent  materials.  Here,  we  designed  a solution coating system able to operate at temperatures over 110 °C to deposit composition gradient polymer libraries. The methodology provides  an  avenue  for  efficiently screening  multiparameter  spaces of a wide range of materials relevant to today’s applications.

The   system   is   equipped   with   a   custom,   solvent-resistant, metallic  passive  mixer  module  for  high-temperature  mixing  of polymer solutions. •Residence  time  distribution  (RTD)  models  were  generated  and tested using poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) – poly(styrene) (PS) blends   for   prediction   of   coating   conditions   necessary   to generate composition gradient films. •High temperature  gradient film coating was demonstrated using poly(propylene) (PP) and poly(styrene) (PS) blends.

Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF)