51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Dr. Kevin Cavicchi

Dr. Kevin Cavicchi

Title: Professor
Dept/Program: School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering
Office: PEAC 217
Phone: 330-972-8368
Fax: 330-972-3406
Email: kac58@uakron.edu


Biography

Kevin Cavicchi joined the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø in January 2006 after completing a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Massachusetts- Amherst in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering. He has been recognized with a number of awards including Polymer Networks Group Young Investigator Award (2014), Top 10 Reviewer for Soft Matter (2016), William C. Zekan Memorial Award, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers (2017), Distinguished Service Award, Polymer Chemistry Division (POLY) American Chemical Society (ACS) (2019), American Chemical Society Fellow (2019), POLY Fellow (2020), Sparks-Thomas Award, Rubber Division, ACS (2021).


Research

Cavicchi’s research interests are in the structure-propertyrelationships of nanostructured soft materials. Specific research areas are in the thermodynamics of small molecule organogelators; the synthesis and characterization shape memory polymers; and the synthesis of supramolecular polymers through ionic interactions including block copolymers, ionically crosslinked elastomers, and polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes. A range of synthetic techniques employed include controlled free radical polymerization, anionic polymerization, and postpolymerization modification are used to prepare well-defined polymer materials. Characterization includes morphology (optical and atomic force microscropy, X-ray scattering) and mechanical testing and rheology.

Publications

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  • Peng, B.; Yang, Y; Gu, K.; Amis, E. J.; Cavicchi, K.A. Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of Triple Shape Memory Polymer for Sequential Shape Shifting ACS Materials Letters, 2019, 1, 410-217. DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.9b00262 
  • Pantoja, M.; Boynton, N.; Cavicchi, K.A.; Dosa, B. Cashman, J.L.; Meador, M.B. Increased Flexibility in Polyimide Aerogels Using Aliphatic Spacers in the Polymer Backbone ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2019, 11, 9425-9437.DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b20420
  • Pantoja, M.; Jian, P.-Z,; Cakmak, M. Cavicchi, K.A. Shape Memory Properties of Polystyrene-block-Poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-block-Polystyrene (SEBS) ABA Triblock Copolymer Thermoplastic Elastomers ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2019, 1, 414-424. DOI:10.1021/acsapm.8b00139
  • Zhang, X.; Zhao, J.; Ye, C.; Lai, T.-Y.; Synder, C.R.; Karim, A.; Cavicchi, K.A.; Simmons, D.A. Dynamical Correlations for Statistical Copolymers from High-Throughput Broad-Band Dielectric Spectroscopy ACS Combinatorial Science2019, 21, 276-299. DOI: 10.1021/acscombsci.8b00160
  • Öztürk, T.; Cavicchi, K.A. Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(epichlorohydring-g-e-caprolactone) Graft Copolymers by “Click” Chemistry Journal of Polymer Materials 2018, 35, 209-220. DOI:10.32381/JPM.2018.35.02.6
  • Pantoja, M.; Alvarado, T.; Cakmak, M.; Cavicchi, K.A. Stearic Acid Infused Polyurethane Shape Memory Polymer Foams Polymer 2018, 153, 131-138. DOI:10.1016/j.polymer.2018.08.002
  • Zhang, C.; Cavicchi, K.A.; Li, R.; Yager, K.G.; Fukuto, M.; Vogt, B.D. Thickness Limit for Alignment of Block Copolymer Films Using Solvent Vapor Annealing with Shear. Macromolecules 2018, 51, 4213-4219. DOI:10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00539
  • Pantoja, M.; Lin, Z.; Cakmak, M.; Cavicchi, K.A. Structure-Property Relationships of Fatty Acid Swollen, Crosslinked Natural Rubber Shape Memory Polymers. Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics 2018, 56, 673-688. DOI:10.1002/polb.24578
  • Deng, G.; Cavicchi, K.A. Tuning the Viscoelastic Properties of Poly(n-butyl acrylate) Ionomers Networks through the Use of Ion-Pair Comonomers. Macromolecules2017, 50, 9473–9481. DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b01529
  • Zhao, Z.; Peng, F.; Cavicchi, K. A.; Cakmak, M. M.; Weiss, R. A.; Vogt, B. D. 3D Printed Shape Memory Objects Based on Olefin Ionomer of Zinc-Neutralized Poly (ethylene-co-methacrylic acid). ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces2017, 9, 27239-27249. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b07816


Education

  • PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota
  • B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University