| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/N04812/01 |
| Title: |
DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL CONDENSATION - SPECIFIC CATALYST FOR SILICONE POLYMERISATION |
| Principal Investigator: |
Povey, Professor MJ |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
School of Food Science and Nutrition |
| Organisation: |
University of Leeds |
| Scheme: |
LINK |
| Starts: |
01 October 2000 |
Ends: |
30 September 2002 |
Value (£): |
122,099
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Catalysis & Applied Catalysis |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Manufacturing |
Chemicals |
| Construction |
Electronics |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Silicon polymers are prepared by two main synthetic methods, ring opening of cyclic siloxane, (SiMe20)n(n=3-5), feed stocks or by condenstation of silanol containing oligomers, HO(SiMe2O)nSiMe2OH(n=10-39). Condensation polymerisation represents one of Dow Corning's key routes to silicone polymers. The catalysts used in this reaction can be either acidic or basic. We have discovered that to produce an active acid catalyst H+X then the anion must be very weakly nucleophilic. This project is concerned with investigating what anions can be effectively used in these catalysts and using this understanding to ultimately produce an active heterogeneous catalyst. To aid in our screening of catalyst candidates we will investigate the use of a non-invasive ultrasonic technique for following the progress of condensation. Preliminary studies indicate that ultrasound velocity is very sensitive to the molecular weight of silicone polymers and that it may be used to monitor the course of polymerisation reactions. This part of the LINK project will collaborate very closely with the other participants in the project to provide an effective method for the rapid screening of candidate catalysts. This will involve the design of an ultrasound cell, together with analysis software enabling the delivery of a molecular weight 'readout'.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.leeds.ac.uk |