Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes

由北卡罗来纳大学的Joseph M. DeSimone和北卡罗来纳州立大学的Ruben G. Carbonell领导的环境责任二氧化碳过程科学技术中心支持一项多学科研究计划，以建立必要的基础知识，使液体和超临界二氧化碳（CO2）在大量关键的制造和服务过程中取代水性和有机溶剂。该中心还支持一系列教育活动，包括为本科生和研究生提供协作和创新过程技能的新项目，以及K-12教育模块的开发。该中心围绕四个研究重点领域组织：可压缩介质中的界面和胶体科学；分子热力学与计算机模拟；费率和运输过程；化学和催化。重点将放在发展对涉及液体和超临界CO2的表面和界面现象的理解，目的是设计与CO2兼容的表面活性剂，构建理论分子间势以允许模拟CO2基系统中的过程，理解这些系统中的动力学，运输和流变性能，以及设计有效的化学反应途径和涉及CO2作为溶剂的化学过程。预计该中心将对发展环境友好的CO2作为溶剂，在诸如聚合物合成、薄膜旋转涂层、纺织染色、清洁和脱脂等工业重要过程中取代水性和有机溶剂产生重大影响。由39名成员组成的调查小组包括北卡罗来纳大学的10名教员，北卡罗莱纳州立大学的13名教员，德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的5名教员，北卡罗来纳农业技术大学（一所历史悠久的黑人大学）的5名教员和威尼斯大学（意大利）的1名教员。来自美国国家实验室（橡树岭、PNNL、洛斯阿拉莫斯）的五名研究人员也将参加。通过与现有的北卡罗来纳大学/NCSU凯南二氧化碳制造利用中心的16个工业合作伙伴以及UT-Austin分离研究项目的30个合作伙伴的互动，将技术转移到工业上。每年将有大约13名博士后、31名研究生和19名本科生参加。

The Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Carbon Dioxide Processes, directed by Joseph M. DeSimone, University of North Carolina, and Ruben G. Carbonell, North Carolina State University, supports a multidisciplinary research program to establish the fundamental understanding necessary to enable liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) to replace aqueous and organic solvents in a large number of key manufacturing and service processes. The Center also supports a range of educational activities including a novel program for undergraduate and graduate students in collaboration and innovation process skills and the development of K-12 education modules.The Center is organized around four research thrust areas: interfacial and colloid science in compressible media; molecular thermodynamics and computer simulations; rate and transport processes; and chemistry and catalysis. Emphasis will be placed on development of an understanding of surface and interfacial phenomena involving liquid and supercritical CO2 with the goal of designing surfactants compatible with CO2, constructing theoretical intermolecular potentials to permit simulation of processes in CO2-based systems, understanding the kinetic, transport and rheological properties in these systems, and designing efficient chemical reaction pathways and chemical processes involving CO2 as a solvent. The Center is expected to have a significant impact on the development of environmentally benign CO2 as a solvent to replace aqueous and organic solvents in such industrially important processes as polymer synthesis, spin coating of thin films, textile dying, cleaning, and degreasing. The 39-member team of investigators includes 10 faculty at the University of North Carolina, 13 at North Carolina State University, 5 at the University of Texas, Austin, 5 at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University (an historically black university) and one at the University of Venice (Italy). Five researchers from National Laboratories (Oak Ridge, PNNL, Los Alamos) will also participate. Technology transfer to industry will occur via interaction with the 16 industrial partners of the existing UNC/NCSU Kenan Center for the Utilization of CO2 in Manufacturing and the thirty partners of the Separations Research Program at UT-Austin. Approximately 13 postdoctoral associates, 31 graduate students, and 19 undergraduates will participate each year.