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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/T08944/01
Title: Application of Theroy and Simulation to Understanding Polymer Mixing Behaviour
Principal Investigator: Higgins, Dame JS
Other Investigators:
Jackson, Professor G
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Chemical Engineering
Organisation: Imperial College London
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 07 May 2004 Ends: 06 October 2007 Value (£): 13,556
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials Characterisation Materials Processing
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Manufacturing
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Controlling miscibility of polymers involves a delicate balance between the relevant thermodynamic parameters such as the entropy of mixing and the enthalpy of interaction. As a consequence the phase boundaries and the kinetics of phase separation of polymer blends are very rich areas of investigation, with, additionally, important technological applications. The major issue in application of modern modelling techniques is one shared by all attempts to connect experiment and theory: availability of suitable experimental data. The effective interplay between experiment and theory depends on availability of experimental data on well-defined systems, and knowledgeable application of the relevant quantitative relationships. The reality is that in most cases the data available are not as comprehensive as a theorist might wish, and that the theoretical approximations which are needed result in a more simplistic picture than an experimentalist might believe. In this project we focus on these gaps by studying partially miscible polymer blend systems for which an unusually large amount of equilibrium data are available, with scattering results being of particular interest.Controlling miscibility of polymers involves a delicate balance between the relevant thermodynamic parameters such as the entropy of mixing and the enthalpy of interaction. As a consequence the phase boundaries and the kinetics of phase separation of polymer blends are very rich areas of investigation, with, additionally, important technological applications. The major issue in application of modern modelling techniques is one shared by all attempts to connect experiment and theory: availability of suitable experimental data. The effective interplay between experiment and theory depends on availability of experimental data on well-defined systems, and knowledgeable application of the relevant quantitative relationships. The reality is that in most cases the data available are not as comprehensive as a theorist might wish, and that the theoretical approximations which are needed result in a more simplistic picture than an experimentalist might believe. In this project we focus on these gaps by studying partially miscible polymer blend systems for which an unusually large amount of equilibrium data are available, with scattering results being of particular interest.
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Organisation Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk