Dr. La Scala is Associate for Science & Technology for Weapons and Materials Research Directorate of the Army Research Laboratory and works in the area of bio-based precursors for polymer composite materials and carbon fibers.

He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1997 and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 2002. He was a postdoctoral scientist at Drexel University before becoming an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education postdoctoral fellow at ARL in Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD in 2003.  In 2005, he was hired as a federal employee at ARL, promoted to senior scientist in 2007, and appointed branch chief of the Coatings, Corrosion, and Engineered Polymers Branch in 2009. 

Abstract

Polymer composite materials are derived from non-renewable petroleum sources, making their use unsustainable and causing their cost to be highly volatile.  Furthermore, polymer composite materials often contain toxic components or produce toxic emissions.  To address these issues, we have used plant-derived renewable resources to develop a number of polymer composite materials technologies with properties and performance similar to that of petroleum-derived composites.  We formulated and developed fatty acid-based vinyl ester resins derived from plant oils and successfully demonstrated and validated them on weapons platforms across the DoD.  We chemically modified lignin to produce lignin-based carbon fiber with the highest reported strength and modulus.  We have been addressing toxicity issues associated with bisphenol, a component used in the production of many high performance polymers.  Through use of polymers from lignin-derived chemicals, such as guaiacol, and carbohydrate-derived isosorbide and furans, we have created a number of polymers with properties similar or superior to that of commercial polymers.  Furthermore, we have shown that these bio-based chemicals and polymers have reduced toxicity relative to the baseline commercial polymers.  As a result, we are currently preparing diamines derived from carbohydrates and lignin to reduce the toxicity and improve the sustainability of polyimides and epoxies.