U.S.-Australia Cooperative Research: Macromolecular Modeling of Polymeric Stabilization of Colloidal Dispersions

该奖项将支持阿克伦大学的Wayne Mattice博士和悉尼大学的Donald Napper博士之间的合作研究。聚合物胶体是重要的工业材料。它们必须稳定防止凝血才能有效。用嵌段共聚物进行立体稳定是抑制混凝的一种方法。如果嵌段共聚物在空间稳定中是有效的，锚定块必须与胶体颗粒紧密结合。此次合作的一个目标是开发大分子建模的新技术，以便它可以深入了解胶体颗粒附近锚固块的局部结构。对于有效的位阻稳定嵌段共聚物的另一个要求是，稳定嵌段必须与锚定嵌段和胶体颗粒相互排斥，并与分散介质（溶剂）相互吸引。合作的第二个目标是开发锚块和稳定块之间连接处附近结构的大分子模型。在结附近，共聚物与溶剂的相互作用由排斥变为吸引。该项目代表了Napper博士与Mattice博士在嵌段聚合物方面的专业知识以及他对立体稳定聚合物胶体特性的广泛了解之间的出色合作。该研究代表了一种协调的方法，为提高对聚合物胶体中锚定和稳定块的相互作用的理解做出了重要贡献，聚合物胶体是一种重要的工业材料。

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Wayne Mattice of the University of Akron and Dr. Donald Napper of the University of Sidney. Polymer colloids are important industrial materials. They must be stabilized against coagulation to be effective. Steric stabilization, using block copolymers, is one means of suppressing coagu- lation. If the block copolymer is to be effective in steric stabilization, the anchoring block must bind tightly to the colloidal particle. One objective of this collaboration is to develop the new technology of Macromolecular Modeling so that it can provide insight into the local structure of the anchoring block in the immediate vicinity of the colloidal particle. An additional requirement for a block copolymer that will be effective in steric stabilization is that the stabilizing block must interact repulsively with both the anchoring block and the colloidal particle, and interact attractively with the dispersion medium (solvent). The second objective of the collaboration is to develop Macromolecular Modeling of the structure in the immediate vicinity of the junction between the anchoring block and the stabilizing block. It is in the vicinity of the junction that the interaction of the copolymer with the solvent changes from repulsive to attractive. The project represents excellent collaboration between Dr. Napper, with his broad knowledge of the properties of sterically stabilized polymer colloids and Dr. Mattice's expertise in block polymers. The research represents a coordinated approach to make an important contribution to improved understanding of the interaction of anchoring and stabilizing blocks against coagulation in polymer colloids, an important industrial material.