Travel Grant(October-2004): Developing Cooperative Research Programs with Scientists in England and Greece

建议编号：CTS-0450050首席研究员：Donald G.Baird机构：弗吉尼亚理工大学项目摘要该赠款提供前往英格兰(利兹大学)参加规划会议的资金，以便与欧洲的同事(利兹大学和雅典大学)共同开发一个合作研究项目(NSF/EPSRC联合项目)。拟议的计划的标题是。优化加工和性能的长链支化茂金属聚乙烯的设计。尽管将努力在会议前起草提案，但仍需要资金，以便在10月初前往利兹大学完成合作提案的细节。将需要至少三天的紧张工作来敲定提案并确保合作努力得到充分发展。如果需要额外的工作来完成提案，或者如果Hadijichristidis教授不能参加在利兹举行的工作和规划会议，则需要为后续旅行申请资金。只有在面对面的基础上举行会议，才能使提案充分结合在一起。智力优势：英国的同事是支化和纠缠聚合物的分子理论方面的世界专家，而希腊的同事是茂金属催化剂和支化拓扑生成方面的领先者。他们的专业知识与PI在拉伸流变学和聚合物加工方面的专业知识相结合，将使我们能够开发出预测模型，以确定聚合条件，从而导致分子具有所需的支化拓扑结构，以实现最佳加工性能。更广泛的影响：有能力前往利兹彻底开发合作研究计划，将增加产生成功提案的机会。建议的研究具有很大的实用价值，因为它将允许工业使用统计设计的实验来消除冗长的实验计划，以确定所需的分支拓扑，从而提供最佳的加工性能和性能。研究结果应该会让美国和欧洲的公司在聚乙烯市场上更好地与世界竞争。保持研究生在聚合物流动及其应用的分子理论前沿的能力将得到显著提高。

Proposal Number: CTS-0450050Principal Investigator: Donald G. BairdInstitution: VA Polytechnic Inst & St UProject SummaryThe grant provides funds for travel to England (Leeds University) for a planning meeting to develop a cooperative research program (joint NSF/EPSRC) with colleagues in Europe(Leeds University and the University of Athens). The title of the proposed program is. Design of Long Chain Branched Metallocene-Catalyzed Polyethylene for Optimum Processing and Properties. Although efforts will be made to draft the proposal before the meeting, funds are requested for travel to Leeds University in early October to complete details of the cooperative proposal. At least three days of intense work will be needed to finalize the proposals and ensure that the cooperative effort is fully developed. Funds for a follow up trip are requested in the event additional work is needed to complete the proposals or to travel to Greece in the event Professor Hadijichristidis can.t attend the working and planning meeting in Leeds. Only by meeting on a face-to-face basis can the proposals be thoroughly interfaced. Intellectual Merit: The colleagues in England are the worlds experts in molecular theory for branched and entangled polymers while those in Greece are the leaders in metallocene-catalysts and generation of branching topology. Their expertise coupled with that of the PI in extensional rheology and polymer processing will allow us to develop predictive models for determining polymerization conditions which will lead to molecules with the desired branching topology for optimum processing performance. Broader Impact: The ability to travel to Leeds to thoroughly develop the cooperative research program will enhance the chances of generating a successful proposal. The proposed research is of great practical value as it will allow industry to eliminate lengthy experimental programs using statistically designed experiments for determining the desired branching topology which will provide the optimum processing performance and properties. The results of the research should allow companies in the U.S. and Europe to compete better with the world in the polyethylene market. The ability to keep graduate students at the forefront of molecular theories for polymer flow and their applications will be considerably enhanced.