Novel Complex Architecture Polymers via a Combination of RAFT Chemistry and Pericyclic Reactions: Synthesis and Characterization. The project aims at advancing the synthetic limits and broadening the synthetic scope of living free radical polymerization and thus enhancing the library of polymer structures available for applications ranging from drug delivery to opto-electronics. Current material design for these applications is yet to reach its full potential through innovative synthetic approac ....Novel Complex Architecture Polymers via a Combination of RAFT Chemistry and Pericyclic Reactions: Synthesis and Characterization. The project aims at advancing the synthetic limits and broadening the synthetic scope of living free radical polymerization and thus enhancing the library of polymer structures available for applications ranging from drug delivery to opto-electronics. Current material design for these applications is yet to reach its full potential through innovative synthetic approaches. The proposal critically underpins and further advances Australia's leading position in both breakthrough science as well as advanced materials. Due to its significant scientific breadth and large coverage of both synthetic and physical aspects of polymer science, the project also provides a significant platform for research training at both honours and PhD level.Read moreRead less
Pro-Fluorescent Aryl Nitroxides: New Probes for Polymer Lifetime and Kinetics Research. Internal aryl rings present in novel probes developed for this project impart fluorescence which is efficiently and internally quenched by the presence of a paramagnetic nitroxide group. Scavenging of radicals by the nitroxide however "switches on" the fluorescence and this enables powerful new fluorescence-based detection levels for the technique of nitroxide free radical scavenging. Such sensitivity is a ....Pro-Fluorescent Aryl Nitroxides: New Probes for Polymer Lifetime and Kinetics Research. Internal aryl rings present in novel probes developed for this project impart fluorescence which is efficiently and internally quenched by the presence of a paramagnetic nitroxide group. Scavenging of radicals by the nitroxide however "switches on" the fluorescence and this enables powerful new fluorescence-based detection levels for the technique of nitroxide free radical scavenging. Such sensitivity is applicable to polymerization kinetics studies, as well as providing new means for the determination of materials lifetimes. The development of pro-fluorescent markers as indicators for polymer degradation would be a significant outcome for materials where component failure has a major negative impact.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms in Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization. The aim of the proposed research is to gain more insight into the mechanisms underlying catalytic chain transfer polymerization, a relatively recent controlled radical polymerization technique which is finding an increasing number of industrial applications, especially in the paint and coatings industry. An improved understanding of the catalytic chain transfer process, of which some very important features are still poorly understood, will ....Mechanisms in Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization. The aim of the proposed research is to gain more insight into the mechanisms underlying catalytic chain transfer polymerization, a relatively recent controlled radical polymerization technique which is finding an increasing number of industrial applications, especially in the paint and coatings industry. An improved understanding of the catalytic chain transfer process, of which some very important features are still poorly understood, will ultimately lead to better catalyst design and improved process and product control. This in turn will lead to novel polymeric materials.Read moreRead less
Defining Polymer Structures in Radical Polymerization Systems: Chain Birth, Chain Growth and Complex Macromolecular Architectures. The project underpins and extends Australia's leading position in the development and application of novel methods to generate advanced polymeric materials. By carefully studying the reaction pathways underpinning the polymerization processes, an in-depth picture of the polymerization is obtained. The research outcomes will strongly benefit the preparation of the com ....Defining Polymer Structures in Radical Polymerization Systems: Chain Birth, Chain Growth and Complex Macromolecular Architectures. The project underpins and extends Australia's leading position in the development and application of novel methods to generate advanced polymeric materials. By carefully studying the reaction pathways underpinning the polymerization processes, an in-depth picture of the polymerization is obtained. The research outcomes will strongly benefit the preparation of the coming generations of intelligent polymer materials of a highly controlled structure, responsive to their environment, with an even broader range of applications than existing polymers. In addition, the project has a substantial educational component providing training embedded in cutting polymer science for several honours and 1 PhD student.Read moreRead less
Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) Free Radical Copolymerizations of Various Monomers. The proposed project will investigate the structure and properties of statistical copolymers prepared via living free radical polymerization. We will study the characteristics of a wide variety of Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) copolymerizations using a range of monomers, including those interesting for biomedical and material science applications. We expect to gai ....Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) Free Radical Copolymerizations of Various Monomers. The proposed project will investigate the structure and properties of statistical copolymers prepared via living free radical polymerization. We will study the characteristics of a wide variety of Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) copolymerizations using a range of monomers, including those interesting for biomedical and material science applications. We expect to gain a deeper understanding of the influence of the RAFT process on the kinetics and mechanism of copolymerization and the properties of the resulting polymers in order to tailor specific polymer materials for biomedial applications.Read moreRead less
Accessing Chain Length Dependent Rate Coefficients in Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) Polymerisations. The proposed project combines two exciting research areas, namely the chain length dependencies of kinetic coefficients and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisations. The starting point of the project will be a novel technique recently invented by our team for termination rate measurement utilizing the RAFT process. Detailed knowledge of cha ....Accessing Chain Length Dependent Rate Coefficients in Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) Polymerisations. The proposed project combines two exciting research areas, namely the chain length dependencies of kinetic coefficients and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisations. The starting point of the project will be a novel technique recently invented by our team for termination rate measurement utilizing the RAFT process. Detailed knowledge of chain length dependent rate coefficients in both homo- and copolymerisations is essential from both an academic and industrial perspective, because polymerisation kinetics not only govern the reaction rates but influence directly the polymeric material properties.Read moreRead less
Nanostructure Design and Toughening Mechanisms of Novel Thermosets. The research will enable a new technology to manufacture a class of novel nanostructured thermosets that will impact many application areas in Australia, such as protective surface coatings, structural adhesives and composite matrix materials for aerospace and automotive, and microelectronic devices, etc. The intellectual properties and patents generated will contribute to the overall competitiveness and productivity of Australi ....Nanostructure Design and Toughening Mechanisms of Novel Thermosets. The research will enable a new technology to manufacture a class of novel nanostructured thermosets that will impact many application areas in Australia, such as protective surface coatings, structural adhesives and composite matrix materials for aerospace and automotive, and microelectronic devices, etc. The intellectual properties and patents generated will contribute to the overall competitiveness and productivity of Australia~{!/~}s R&D. They will also provide business opportunities to develop niche markets for these new and high-value added materials on a large scale in Australia so as to maximise return and create jobs. Read moreRead less
Synthesis of oligomers in dense carbon dioxide. The aim of the project is to develop a novel technique for the synthesis of low molecular weight polymers (oligomers) using dense carbon dioxide as a polymerisation solvent. The use of elevated pressure is the major impediment to the commercialisation of such technology. The technique proposed in this project will enable oligomers to be produced at greatly reduced operating pressures and may lead to a more general procedure for conducting other t ....Synthesis of oligomers in dense carbon dioxide. The aim of the project is to develop a novel technique for the synthesis of low molecular weight polymers (oligomers) using dense carbon dioxide as a polymerisation solvent. The use of elevated pressure is the major impediment to the commercialisation of such technology. The technique proposed in this project will enable oligomers to be produced at greatly reduced operating pressures and may lead to a more general procedure for conducting other types of polymer synthesis in dense carbon dioxide.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0211003
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$125,000.00
Summary
A Facility for Probing Nanostructure in Polymers. The properties of a polymer are only partly determined by its molecular structure. It is now clear that the organization of molecular structure and phase morphology on a nano-scale has an equally important role in determining material behaviour. Increasingly this can be manipulated by judicious choice of formulation and processing variables. The polymer Nano-Structure Facility will bring together Australia's principal polymer experts in this a ....A Facility for Probing Nanostructure in Polymers. The properties of a polymer are only partly determined by its molecular structure. It is now clear that the organization of molecular structure and phase morphology on a nano-scale has an equally important role in determining material behaviour. Increasingly this can be manipulated by judicious choice of formulation and processing variables. The polymer Nano-Structure Facility will bring together Australia's principal polymer experts in this area of structure-property relations and provide them with shared access to the appropriate, modern analytical tools required to probe the nano-structure of such new materials with enhanced properties.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668517
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$220,000.00
Summary
Hyphenated techniques in polymer science and engineering. The collaborator's research capabilities will be greatly enhanced because the equipment will allow simultaneous measurements of various properties which can provide much more information than sequential experiments. Students will be able to undertake research with state-of-the-art equipment which will enhance their research careers and employment prospects. The resulting information will be invaluable to the development of polymer blends ....Hyphenated techniques in polymer science and engineering. The collaborator's research capabilities will be greatly enhanced because the equipment will allow simultaneous measurements of various properties which can provide much more information than sequential experiments. Students will be able to undertake research with state-of-the-art equipment which will enhance their research careers and employment prospects. The resulting information will be invaluable to the development of polymer blends with optimized morphology and mechanical properties; improved polymer processing techniques linked to how the structure and orientation develops; the development of new materials, including novel human tissue implants, from studies of the rheology and phase structure of a polymer during photopolymerization.Read moreRead less