Development of Facility for Measurement of Single and Multicomponent Gas/Vapor Transport through Polymeric Materials and for Student Training

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9975774NazarenkoThis award will provide partial support for the development of a new facility in the Department of Macromolecular Science at Case Western Reserve University for measurements of single and multicomponent gas/vapor transport through polymeric materials. This facility will be at the core of new "Gas Permeation, Separation and Barrier Laboratory." Several commercial and instruments for accurate and routine permeation measurements of oxygen, carbon dioxide, water and aromas will be purchased. These instruments will be used for accurate and routine characterization of macromolecular structures. Additionally, a universal diffusion apparatus with mass-spectroscopic detection, capable of measuring single and multicomponent gas/vapor transport over a wide range of pressures and temperatures, will be designed and constructed for fundamental studies of diffusion mechanisms and solid state structure of glassy and semicrystalline polymers. Finally, accurate analysis of multicomponent transport of aromas and flavors will be achieved by networking a commercial aroma transport device with a state of the are gas chromatograph equipped with cryogenic trapping and an MS-detector.The facility will enhance the collaborations among researchers in the Department of Macromolecular Science and other departments of Case Western Reserve University such as Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Medicine. The areas of collaborative research will address the fundamental science of small molecule transport in polymers and also explore new materials concepts leading to the developing of new barrier systems and structures. The facility will have a broad impact on education at Case Western Research University through fundamental research training of graduate and undergraduate students and through its use in general laboratory courses. The facility will be instrumental in bringing a new interdisciplinary and environmental flavor into our polymer science and engineering training.%%%The facility will significantly enhance the collaborative research and educational interactions and opportunities for students and faculty.***