Measurement and Modeling of Polymerization Kinetics for Product and Process Development

用于产品和工艺开发的聚合动力学测量和建模

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-04441
• 负责人: Hutchinson, Robin
• 金额: $ 4.15万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=612968
• 关键词: Measurement; Modeling; Polymerization; Kinetics; Product

The need to increase production rates and produce new polymeric materials with existing equipment as well as the ability to replace processes with cost-effective and environmentally-friendly versions are key drivers in the polymers industry. On the other hand, academic research is often focused on the synthesis of new polymers from bio-renewable feedstock, or the development of materials with controlled microstructures for high value product applications. The fundamental knowledge of polymerization kinetics and mechanisms required to guide polymer synthesis conditions for both process and product development efforts is often lacking in both academia and industry. My research fills this gap by applying specialized kinetic pulsed-laser techniques to measure key rate coefficients not accessible through standard experimentation, capturing that knowledge in detailed mechanistic models formulated to represent polymerizing systems, and undertaking targeted experimental studies at relevant conditions to test and validate the models. I will use my NSERC Discovery funding to apply my expertise to the development of promising new materials, reducing the development time for environmental and biomedical applications. Specific target materials are a new water-soluble copolymer produced from the biosourced monomer Tulipalin-A, and biodegradable nanoparticles synthesized from novel poly(caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactide) (PLA) based macromonomers that have application for targeted drug delivery. In both cases, improved knowledge of the kinetics is needed to better understand and control the radical copolymerization process used to synthesize these materials. The third project will develop continuous aqueous-phase controlled-radical polymerization processes to provide a more precise control of polymer chain microstructure, if needed for material application. As well as enabling the development of new materials with environmental and biomedical applications to complement my industrially-sponsored research on existing radical polymerization processes, the research will provide further insight into the role of hydrogen bonding on polymerization kinetics, a subject I am systematically investigating for non-biodegradable acrylic monomers. In addition, it will train new graduate students in expertise important to the Canadian polymers industries, and expose undergraduate students to practical material development and reaction engineering issues.

提高生产率和利用现有设备生产新型聚合物材料的需求以及用经济高效且环保的版本替代工艺的能力是聚合物行业的关键驱动力。另一方面，学术研究通常侧重于从生物可再生原料合成新聚合物，或开发具有受控微观结构的材料以用于高价值产品应用。学术界和工业界往往缺乏指导工艺和产品开发工作的聚合物合成条件所需的聚合动力学和机制的基础知识。我的研究填补了这一空白，通过应用专门的动能脉冲激光技术来测量通过标准实验无法获得的关键速率系数，在代表聚合系统的详细机械模型中捕获这些知识，并在相关条件下进行有针对性的实验研究，以测试和验证模型。我将利用我的 NSERC 发现资金将我的专业知识应用于开发有前景的新材料，从而缩短环境和生物医学应用的开发时间。 具体的目标材料是由生物源单体Tulipalin-A生产的新型水溶性共聚物，以及由新型聚己内酯（PCL）和聚丙交酯（PLA）基大分子单体合成的可生物降解纳米颗粒，可用于靶向药物输送。在这两种情况下，都需要提高动力学知识，以更好地理解和控制用于合成这些材料的自由基共聚过程。第三个项目将开发连续水相受控自由基聚合工艺，以便在材料应用需要时更精确地控制聚合物链微观结构。除了能够开发具有环境和生物医学应用的新材料，以补充我对现有自由基聚合过程的工业资助研究之外，该研究还将进一步深入了解氢键对聚合动力学的作用，这是我正在系统研究的一个主题不可生物降解的丙烯酸单体。此外，它将培训新的研究生掌握对加拿大聚合物行业重要的专业知识，并使本科生接触实际的材料开发和反应工程问题。