Reactor systems

The heart in the development and production of new and novel materials involves polymer chemistry, where the desired materials will be synthesized. Two complementary glassware scale reactor systems, each with different requirements will be established within the two fume hoods in a 700 sq.ft laboratory to be renovated in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Laser light scattering System

The laser light scattering system is an essential equipment for the quantification of microstructure of self-assembled systems. The parameters determined from this instrument include hydrodynamic radius, radius of gyration, second virial coefficient, and molecular weights.  These are basic information needed for the elucidation of the self-assembly process observed in amphiphilic polymeric systems.

Potentiometric and conductometric titrator

As almost all the synthetic polymer systems to be developed consist of polyacids and polybases, this equipment is essential for the quantification of acid and basic content of the polymeric chains. The nature of the polymer-surfactant interactions can also be determined by measuring the conductance as a function of surfactant concentrations. Novel drug selective electrode systems will also be developed, and they can be incorporated with this system for the quantification of drug-polymer interactions

Titration and scanning calorimetric systems
(ITC and mDSC)

Understanding of drug-polymer and surfactant-polymer interactions is critical in the development of suitable delivery vehicles for drug delivery systems. The thermodynamics of binding can be adequately quantified by ITC, where parameters, such as the equilibrium constant, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and the stiochiometry of binding can be determined. At the same time, the thermal transition of thermal responsive amphiphilic polymers and polymer-drug or polymer–surfactant systems can be determined using the microDSC.

High gradient magnetic separator (HGMS)

The HGMS is an essential component of the process equipment needed for research on magnetic nanoparticles. This equipment essentially captures magnetic nanoparticles after they have been exposed to proteins or other molecules to be captured.

Surface Tensiometer

The surface tensiometer is an instrument that measures the changes in surface tension when a surfactant or block copolymer is titrated to an aqueous solution. It can measure the interactions and the critical micellar concentration.