. 24/7 Space News .
TECH SPACE
Polymer breakthrough to improve things we use everyday
by Staff Writers
Warwick, UK (SPX) Oct 20, 2016


Professor David Haddleton. Image courtesy University of Warwick. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Medicine, mobile phones, computers and clothes could all be enhanced using the process for making paint, according to research by the University of Warwick. A breakthrough in the understanding of polymers - the molecules from which almost everything we use is made - is set to make commercial products, from water bottles to electrical goods, stronger and more effective for their uses.

Professor David Haddleton from Warwick's Department of Chemistry has discovered a way to translate the specific requirements of a product into its essential molecular structure.

Enacting the same process from which we get emulsion paint and glue, complex polymers can be tailor-made, with producers able to write into the code - essentially, the DNA - of a molecule the exact properties needed for the final product (weight, strength, shape, size etc.)

This will give commercial producers greater control than ever before over the design of their products by using their existing infrastructure with a simple modification.

Controlled polymerisation has revolutionised academic polymer synthesis and traditionally uses one of two techniques: with sulfur or with copper. Both techniques have drawbacks, the former using toxic and noxious bad smelling thiols, and the latter using heavy metal and catalysts which add cost and complication to new materials.

Emulsion polymerisation is the process used to make emulsion paint and household glues, using water as solvent. The use of special macromonomers allows for a new process - sulfur-free RAFT emulsion polymerization - which eliminates these problems. It allows complex polymers with good monomer sequence control to be synthesised in an aqueous environment, without the use of chemicals containing sulfur.

Professor Haddleton comments that the breakthrough will have many commercial uses:

"Sulfur-free RAFT allows the use of commercial processes to make sequence controlled polymers containing molecular information to be made using large and uncontaminated processes and I expect this to be of great interest to the polymer industry for use in nanomedicine to automotive applications."

The University of Warwick is a global leader in polymer research. In 2016, Warwick hosted a polymer chemistry conference - the biggest of its kind ever to take place in the UK.

Professor Haddleton leads the Haddleton polymer research group at Warwick, and he is Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Chemistry, a new high impact Royal Society of Chemistry Journal.

The paper, 'Sequence-controlled methacrylic multiblock copolymers via sulphur-free RAFT emulsion polymerization', is published in Nature Chemistry.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of Warwick
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
TECH SPACE
Chemists design organic molecules that glow persistently at room temperature
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 31, 2016
LEDs have inspired a new generation of electronics, but there is still work ahead if we want luminescent materials to consume less energy and have longer lifespans. Certain inorganic metals seem promising, but they are rare, expensive to process, and potentially toxic. In Chem on October 13, researchers in China present an alternative: a group of metal-free phosphorescent molecules that ef ... read more


TECH SPACE
NASA Shakes Up Orion Test Article for the Journey to Mars

Beaches, skiing and tai chi: Club Med, Chinese style

NASA begins tests to qualify Orion parachutes for mission with crew

New Zealand government open-minded on space collaboration

TECH SPACE
Boosting Europe's all-electric satellites

Guiding Supply Ship to the International Space Station

The Pressure is On for SLS Hardware in Upcoming Test

First launch for Orbital's Antares rocket since '14 blast

TECH SPACE
Did it crash or land? Search on for Europe's Mars craft

Rover Conducting Science Investigations at 'Spirit Mount'

MAVEN mission observes ups and downs of water escape from Mars

A graveyard of broken dreams and landers

TECH SPACE
China to enhance space capabilities with launch of Shenzhou-11

Ambitious space satellite projects set for liftoff

China's permanent station plans ride on mission

China to enhance space capabilities with launch of Shenzhou-11

TECH SPACE
Airbus DS contracts with Intelsat General for European Defence Communications

Final exams prepare Thomas Pesquet for launch

Airbus DS in partnership with Orbital ATK to build EUTELSAT 5 West B

Third party satellite launch order bookings for Isro stands at $42 million

TECH SPACE
Pushing the boundaries of magnet design

The smart wheelchair

Using Photonics to Call Home

Researchers find way to tune thermal conductivity of 2-D materials

TECH SPACE
Oldest known planet-forming disk found

ALMA spots possible formation site of icy giant planet

Astronomers find oldest known planetary disk

Proxima Centauri might be more sunlike than we thought

TECH SPACE
Uranus may have two undiscovered moons

Possible Clouds on Pluto, Next Target is Reddish

Curious tilt of the Sun traced to undiscovered planet

Shedding light on Pluto's glaciers









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.