U.S.-India Planning Visit: Collaborative Research on Polyactic Acid Ionomers.

1037189 Sachin Velankar该奖项支持美印计划访问：聚乳酸(PLA)离聚体的合作研究。匹兹堡大学化学工程系US Pi Velankar将于2010年夏天拜访浦那国家化学实验室(NCL)聚合物科学与工程部Ashish Lele教授，评估NCL的设施并进行概念验证实验。其结果将是向国家科学基金会的S材料世界网络计划和印度政府科技部提交研究提案，这是国家科学基金会和印度科技部的联合计划。这项研究的智力价值在于，它将把成熟的离聚体思想应用于聚乳酸，聚乳酸是最重要的可生物降解和可再生聚合物之一。这将促进解放军材料科学的发展，并为改进和控制其性能开辟新的机会。长期目标是开发聚乳酸离聚体，这种离聚体在控制聚乳酸的流变性、热机械性能和生物降解性方面具有潜在的广泛应用。Velankar博士拥有离聚体、流变学和聚合物相容剂方面的相关专业知识；Ashish Lele博士作为NCL聚乳酸相关研究的首席研究员提供了宝贵的专业知识。国家化学实验室拥有丰富的聚合物表征资源，并正在进行一项重大的研究工作，以推动解放军技术的进步。这项研究的更广泛影响是促进了国际和平研究所和匹兹堡大学同事与NCL合作者之间的合作，为美国研究生和本科生提供了在印度一流实验室工作的机会，并扩大了可再生聚合物的应用。

1037189Sachin Velankar This award supports the U.S.-India Planning Visit: Collaborative Research on Polylactic Acid(PLA)Ionomers. US PI Velankar, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh will visit Professor Ashish Lele, Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune to evaluate the facilities at NCL and conduct proof-of-concept experiments in summer 2010. The outcome will be the submission of research proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Materials World Network Program and to the Government of India's Department of Science and Technology (DST), NSF-DST Joint Program. The intellectual merit of the research is that it will apply the well- developed idea of ionomers to PLA, one of the most important biodegradable and renewable polymers. This will advance the materials science of PLA and open up new opportunities to improve and control its properties. The long-term goal is to develop PLA ionomers, which have a potentially wide range of applications for controlling rheological properties, thermomechanical properties, and the biodegradability of PLA. Dr. Velankar has the relevant expertise in ionomers, rheology, and polymer compatibilizers; Dr. Ashish Lele provides complimentary expertise as the lead investigator for NCL's PLA related research. The National Chemical Laboratory has extensive resources for polymer characterization and a significant research effort underway for advancing PLA technologies. The broader impacts of this research are the fostering of collaboration between the PI and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh with collaborators at NCL, giving opportunities to US graduate and undergraduate students to work at one of India's premier laboratories, and expanding the applications of renewable polymers.