High-Throughput Experimentation
High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) and combinatorial materials research (CMR) open the way to the rapid construction of libraries of polymers, blends and materials with a systematic variation of composition. Detailed characterisation of such libraries will help to develop in-depth understanding of structure-property relationships. In the long term, a kind of ‘materials informatics’ is envisioned that will allow the design and preparation of tailor-made materials and devices with predetermined properties based on previously established structure-property relationships. The main focus will be on creating and applying full workflows, covering the design of experiments, automated and parallel synthesis, fast structural characterisation, preparation of thin-film libraries, fast and efficient investigation of macroscopic polymer and material properties, formulation, up-scaling, combinatorial compounding, processing and complete data-handling, data-mining and modelling. DPI’s unique combination of leading industries and academic partners provides an excellent basis for successful output. It also guarantees speed in the pre-competitive evaluation of the new (platform) technologies and rapid transfer into commercial R&D programmes of the industrial partners. At the same time, considerable efforts will be made to educate students and postdoctorate graduates in the use of HTE and CMR approaches in polymer and materials science.
Subprogrammes
Synthesis, Catalysis & Formulation
The research in this sub-cluster focuses on the preparation of libraries of (co)polymers and formulations as a basis for the determination of structure-property relationships. The polymer synthesis within the cluster focuses on living and controlled polymerisations that allow the preparation of well-defined polymers with systematic structural variation. Besides fundamental research on the use of microwave irradiation, feasibility studies are performed on up-scaling microwave-assisted polymerization procedures. In addition to fast synthesis and formulation platforms, the incorporation of high-throughput screening techniques for e.g. molar mass, polymerisation kinetics and thermal and surface properties is investigated. The current high-throughput experimentation workflow is used for the optimisation of polymerisation methods and the synthesis of libraries of (co)polymers based on 2-oxazolines, (meth)acrylates, styrenics, cyclic esters and, in collaboration with the Polyolefin Technology Area, the synthesis of polyolefins. There is a strong emphasis on the development of a complete high-throughput workflow including parallel synthesis and high-throughput screening using for example automated hightemperature size exclusion chromatography. The existing high-throughput workflow has been further expanded to include capabilities for polymer wateruptake screening and polymer solubility screening. Therefore, the synthesis efforts have been intensified in the direction of water-soluble polymers.
