New Generation Polyolefin Materials and Characterization Techniques

全球鼓励增加可回收、环保塑料的使用，正在推动聚烯烃新应用的发展。聚烯烃（聚乙烯、聚丙烯及其共聚物）成本低廉，生产过程对环境影响小，由于其多用途的分子结构，具有令人印象深刻的应用范围，并且可以方便地多次回收。这些特性使其在运输（汽车和航空航天）、包装、医疗、消费品、电子、电缆和电线涂层、隔热和隔音以及建筑和建筑领域的广泛应用中非常有吸引力。

Global incentives to increase use of recyclable, environmentally friendly plastics are driving the development of new polyolefin applications. Polyolefins (polyethylene, polypropylene, and their copolymers) are inexpensive to make, are produced in processes that have low environmental impact, have an impressive range of applications due to their versatile molecular structures, and can be conveniently recycled several times. These characteristics make them very attractive for a broad range of applications in the transportation (automotive and aerospace), packaging, medical, consumer products, electronics, cable and wire coating, thermal and acoustic insulation, and building and construction sectors. The main objective of the proposed research program is to investigate the production and characterization of polyolefins with advanced molecular structures that will become the next generation of these materials. To produce new polyolefins, one needs to design their molecular architectures: their properties can only be changed by the way the monomer molecules (ethylene, alpha-olefins and, sometimes, dienes) are connected to form the polymer chains. It is expected that the research program proposed in this application will result in significant advances in polyolefin production technology by making polyolefin materials with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. The systematic approach to polymer synthesis and characterization, interconnected with the development of fundamental mathematical models, will lead to the tailor-made synthesis of polyolefins with enhanced properties, advancing our understanding of these versatile materials and allowing for excellent training opportunities of the 3 PhD students who will work in these projects.