Nanostructured Polymers
 Prototype cyclist's night-time safety helmet using UTS-developed flexible light piping
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Polymer-in-polymer composites have interesting optical properties, when the scale of the microstructure is shrunk towards the nanoscale domain. Such composites can be tailored, for example, to scatter light sideways and thereby produce a light-pipe. This idea has been explored by Prof. Geoff Smith and Mr Jim Franklin, and has led to the filing of patents and the production, with an industrial partner, of several prototype products. An example of one of these flexible light pipes, in this case in the form of a safety helmet for cyclists, is illustrated here. Related work recently attracted a Commercial Ready grant.
 Islands of PS in a matrix of PMMA (40% PS/60% PMMA)
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In other research, the ability to reliably produce patterned polymer thin films with controlled micro/nano-scale features is being explored by Dr Cuong Ton-That. There is a major consumer market in surfaces with reflective or diffractive functionality and a project has been initiated to investigate whether such materials can be prepared by self-organisation, as opposed other current techniques such as embossing.
 Duplex microstructure of 50% PS/50% PMMA
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The new project is concerned with the development of a simple approach to patterning polymer films of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) on the micrometer and nanometer scale. It exploits the natural tendency of polymer blends to phase separate, and uses this to produce thin film microstructures with nanoscale patterning. The polymer blends are spun cast on a substrate, which may also be pre-patterned, and the resulting microstructures characterised using AFM and SEM. The ultimate aim of this project is to demonstrate the ability to prepare a functional device or material using these techniques.
