Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/R52787/01
Title:	LOW COST SURFACTANTS FOR USE IN SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE
Principal Investigator:	Cooper, Professor A
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Chemistry
Organisation:	University of Liverpool
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	20 February 2002	Ends:	19 February 2005	Value (£):	202,576
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Characterisation Materials Synthesis & Growth
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Chemicals Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
This proposal is submitted jointly with Dr S.M. Howdle at University of Nottingham. Supercritical carbon dioxide is an attractive solvent for chemical processes such as polymerisation, catalysis, and extraction. These processes often require the use of surfactants. Although it is possible to design surfactants which function in C02, so far this has involved use of expensive fluorinated materials, and this has proven to be a barrier to practical and commercial application of scC02 based techniques. Fluorinated materials have been used because they exhibit a very high level of solubility in scC02. In this proposal we aim to develop surfactants for use in C02 based on inexpensive hydrocarbon copolymers. We expect these new materials to have a major impact on the future of scC02 as a solvent, and the results of this research will be widely applicable in all of the areas in which scC02 is currently being explored - from commercial dry cleaning to non-aqueous dispersion polymerisation. To demonstrate the potential of these new surfactants, we have targeted the development of non-fluorous stabilisers for dispersion polymerisation of acrylic and acrylate monomers, and also the stabilisation of water-in-C02 emulsions and microemulsions. Our proposal includes a strong element of collaboration with Prof. EJ. Beckman (Pittsburgh) who has recently pioneered the use of hydrocarbon based surfactants.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.liv.ac.uk