Following a new program, the interns from 2009-2011 investigated "Polymers for Fuel Cell Technologies." This represents a collaborative project between the Cebe research group at Tufts and Prof. Thomas Smith of the Chemistry Department at Rochester Institute of Technology. Prof. Smith is synthesizing novel materials that are candidates for use as proton exchange membranes in hydrogen fuel cells. The interns fabricated and characterized polymer blends, comprising a semicrystalline polymer, poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, with an amorphous polymer, poly(4,5-vinyl imidizole), PVIm. The PVIm was protonated with a liquid ionic salt, which assists the conduction of protons through the film. They characterized the structure and properties of the resulting materials using X-ray scattering, infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Their research will contribute to a fundamental understanding of the effects of blend composition and thermal treatment on crystal structure of PVDF, and ultimately on the potential of these blends to serve as proton exchange membranes for fuel cell technologies.

Interns from the 2009 class are shown below. Ashley Speranza (from RIT) operates the argon gas tank supply to the inert atmosphere glove box (upper left). Joshua Wilson (RIT) uses the thermal gravimetric analyzer to determine the temperature stability of the films (upper right). Christopher Sloan (from Gallaudet University) places a sample into the compartment of the infrared spectrometer (lower left). At the completion of the internship, Roman "Rusty" Nawrocki (Gallaudet) gave a poster presentation of the group's work at the American Chemical Society meeting in Washington, DC (lower right). Rusty, shown on the right, was interpreted by ASL interpreter Anne Leahy.

The 2010 interns Tina Lovato (RIT) and Kelly McNabb (RIT) are shown below in the X-ray lab (upper left). Jason Meyers (RIT) is shown (upper right) making a sample dilution in the fume hood. Gaber Rupnik (Gallaudet)middle left uses the infrared spectrometer. All the interns are shown in the student office (middle right) working on their data analysis. The students had the opportunity to present their work at the American Chemical Society Meeting in Boston, in August 2010. Tina and Kelly are shown with Prof. Cebe and our collaborator, Prof. Tom Smith of RIT, at the lower left. At the lower right, the interns are shown with their instructors and ASL interpreters.

The 2011 class of interns took on the difficult task of electrospinning solutions to form nanoscale fibers. They compared solution cast films with fibers using scanning electron microscopy. To avoid moisture absorption and oxidative degradation, the films were heat treated inside an inert atmosphere glove box. James Macisco (RIT) and Lorne Farovitch (Gallaudet) are shown below (upper left and right, respectively) working in the glove box. Below left, Parisa Haghighi (RIT) checks the syringe placement in the electrospinning set up. Below right, Tyler Swob (RIT) uses his mathematics background to analyze data with the MatlabTM technical computing program.