Stereocomplex poly (methyl methacrylate) fibers and self-reinforced composites, and, Structural color of butterflies and beetles - characterization, replication and mimicry

This thesis is divided into two parts. Part A describes our efforts in producing stereocomplex PMMA fibers for the purpose of reinforcing PMMA materials. These kinds of composites are known as "self-reinforced" composites. We were successful in producing stereocomplex PMMA fibers with three different methods---wet spinning, gel spinning and electrospinning. Gel spinning and electrospinning produced the most crystalline fibers. Stereocomplex PMMA fibers were further shown to be resistant to high temperature and also to hot monomer solvent during bulk polymerization.;Part B describes our efforts in characterizing, replicating and mimicking structural color features of butterflies and beetles. We have developed a simple method of characterizing the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of microscopic objects such as butterfly wing scales. We used this method to characterize structural color features resulting from the replication of butterfly Morpho rhetenor, mimicry of butterfly Papilio palinurus and also the native structural color features of Chrysina gloriosa, which were shown to be cholesteric focal conic defects lined on the surface.