Engineering Research Equipment Grant: Automatic Light Scattering Goniometer and Photon Correlator for Colloidal Polymer Biochemical and Pharmaceutical Research

该工程设备项目提供了一种准弹性光散射(QELS)装置，用于由四名教员在胶体、聚合物、生物化学和制药研究领域进行的五个正在进行的研究项目。第一个(由能源部支持)涉及区域供暖和区域冷却系统中使用的表面活性剂系统的减阻。第二项研究(由美国国家科学基金会通过俄亥俄州立大学工程研究中心和私营企业提供支持)涉及非均质交联聚合中微结构的形成。第三个项目(由俄亥俄州托马斯·爱迪生项目和私营企业支持)涉及反应加工中的扩散控制聚合。第四项(目前正得到俄亥俄州立大学的内部支持)涉及发酵过程中生物多聚体和生物微粒的形成。第五项(由私营企业支持)涉及各种药物输送系统。这些体系的行为强烈地依赖于亚微米范围内的分子质量、颗粒大小和颗粒形状。QELS测量将准确而有效地提供这一信息，从而导致对潜在现象的更基本的分析。QELS仪器可以测量胶束的大小和形状，因此可以制定有效减阻所需的胶束大小和形状的标准，以及提供这些胶束结构的表面活性剂化学结构和溶剂环境的标准。这将允许为低温(40-55华氏度)区域供暖系统和高温(80摄氏度及以上)区域供暖系统选择新的、有用的减阻表面活性剂添加剂。这些系统节约能源，减少对小型低效供暖或制冷机组的投资，减少污染，并减少炎热夏日的高峰电力负荷。微结构材料、先进聚合物、复合材料等正在重塑我们的社会，并为提高生活水平做出贡献。了解材料中微结构是如何形成的，并学习如何控制其形成过程，将对材料设计和制造做出重要贡献。不饱和聚酯树脂在汽车、住宅、船舶和电气/电子行业显示出显著的增长，是使用最广泛的热固性树脂。本研究开发的技术也可应用于其他微结构材料。

This engineering equipment project provides a quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) device needed for five on-going research projects conducted by four faculty members in the areas of colloidal, polymer, biochemical and pharmaceutical research. The first (supported by DOE), deals with drag reduction in surfactant systems for use in district heating and district cooling systems. The second (supported by NSF through the Engineering Research Center at Ohio State and private industries) deals with microstructure formation in inhomogeneous crosslinking polymerizations. The third (supported by the State of Ohio Thomas Edison Program and private industries) deals with diffusion-controlled polymerizations in reactive processing. The fourth (which is currently being supported internally by Ohio State) deals with the formation of bioploymers and bioparticles in fermentation. The fifth (supported by private industries) deals with various drug delivery systems. The behavior of these systems strongly depends on molecular weight, particle size and particle shape in the submicron range. QELS measurements would provide this information accurately and efficiently, leading to more fundamental analyses of the underlying phenomena. The QELS apparatus allows the measurement of micellar size and shape and, therefore, the development of criteria of micelle size and shape needed for effective drag reduction along with criteria for surfactant chemical structures and solvent environments which provide these micellar structures. This will permit the selection of new, useful, drag reducing surfactant additives for both low temperature (40-55 degrees Fahrenheit) district cooling and high temperature (80 degrees Celsius and above) district heating systems. These systems conserve energy, reduce investment in small inefficient heating or cooling units, reduce pollution and reduce peak electricity loads on hot summer days. Microstructural materials, advanced polymers, composites, etc., are reshaping our society and are contributing to an improved standard of living. Understanding how microstructures are formed in materials and learning how to control the processes involved in their formation will make important contributions to materials design and manufacturing. Unsaturated polyester resins have shown remarkable growth in the automotive, housing, marine and electric/electronics industries and are the most widely used thermosets. The technology developed in this study could also be applied to other microstructures materials.