Deaf and Hard of Hearing Undergraduate Interns Investigate Smart Polymeric Materials

Smart Materials are those which can undergo a reversible property change in response to an external influence. An important polymeric Smart Material is poly(vinylidene fluoride), or PVF2, which is piezoelectric. The structure of PVF2 determines which crystal phases will be electrically active. Recent research has shown that the electrically active beta phase of PVF2 grows preferentially in nanocomposites of PVF2 mixed with organically modified silicates (OMS) ‘1-4’. These nanocomposite Smart Materials offer a new processing strategy for PVF2 piezo-films. Using PVF2 nanocomposites as the research focal point, a summer internship program was developed for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) undergraduate students [5,6]. This paper describes the program and presents research results achieved by the interns. It is written from the perspective of the Principal Investigator, Cebe, on behalf of all the co-authors.