Chair for Materials Science and Engineering

On the influence of chemical and mechanical effects on the functional performance of shape memory polymers. Hakan Dumlu continues the work on shape memory polymers, which was previously started by Axel Marquardt. His research project is part of a DFG-funded priority program dealing with the interaction between mechanical, thermal and chemical elementary mechanisms. The shape memory polymers are made from granulate produced with the aid of an injection molding machine. Afterwards the polymer is characterized regarding its functional properties (one-way effect after programming). For this purpose, they are exposed to environments in which small molecules can diffuse into the polymer. In his doctoral thesis, Hakan Dumlu explores how different loads affect the actuator performance of a shape memory polymer that has been exposed to chemical environments and explores the mechansims of chemomechanical coupling.