PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Many industrial applications rely upon strong and stable polymer thin films. Examples of applications include flexible (bendable) electronic devices, very thin plastic membranes for separation, or multilayer plastic films for protection. Such related technologies are critical for diverse uses in improving health monitoring and diagnosis, cleaning air and water, and increasing food shelf life and solar cell stability through barrier protection. Designing mechanically stable and thinner polymer films for these applications will lower the cost of materials, reduce the energy requirements for filtration, and decrease the amount of plastic ending up in landfills. However, when polymer materials are processed into thinner films, mechanical strength is known to change, but how those changes depend on temperature and how they attach to different substrates remains unclear. Using recently developed techniques, the PI will directly study the mechanical properties of ultrathin polymer films and provide new fundamental data and knowledge to guide the production of polymer materials for better adhesives, membranes, coatings, and many other technologies. The proposed research will provide a strong foundation for the education and training of graduate and undergraduate researchers. In addition to research efforts, new curriculum will be designed to inspire high school students across Colorado and Hawaiʻi to explore and pursue advanced degrees and careers in