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

提案编号：CTS-0450050主要研究者：Donald G. Baird Institution：VA Polytechnic Inst St U项目摘要该补助金为前往英格兰（利兹大学）参加规划会议提供资金，以与欧洲（利兹大学和雅典大学）的同事开发合作研究计划（联合NSF/EPSRC）。该计划的标题是。 长链支化茂金属催化聚乙烯的设计，以优化加工和性能。虽然将努力在会前起草提案，但仍要求提供资金，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最后确定这些建议，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建议书，或者如果Hadijichristidis教授不能参加在利兹举行的工作和规划会议，则需要前往希腊的后续旅行资金。只有通过面对面的会议，才能使各项建议得到彻底的对接。 智力优势：英国的同事是支化和缠结聚合物分子理论的世界专家，而希腊的同事是石墨烯催化剂和支化拓扑结构生成的领导者。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，将使我们能够开发用于确定聚合条件的预测模型，这些聚合条件将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：能够前往利兹，彻底发展合作研究计划将提高产生一个成功的建议的机会。所提出的研究是具有很大的实用价值，因为它将允许工业消除冗长的实验程序，使用统计设计的实验来确定所需的分支拓扑结构，这将提供最佳的加工性能和性能。研究结果将使美国和欧洲的公司能够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大大提高。

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.