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Applied Polymer Chemistry
January 2024 (TBC) | 2-hour teaching blocks over a 9-week period

COMMENT OUT ANCHOR

This programme covers a wide range of topics in applied polymer chemistry and will be a valuable resource to researchers working in the polymer, coating, materials, composites and foam industries.

This course will cover an introduction to polymer chemistry, traditional and advanced method for polymer synthesis, properties of polymers and considerations in material selection, network polymers and thermoset materials, formulating polymers for performance, functional monomers, modern applications of functional polymers and more.

The course will be delivered face-to-face at our Newcastle City Campus over 9 weeks with 2 hours per week for weeks 1-7 and then 4 hours (2 x 2 hours) per week for weeks 8-9. The programme will run from 9am - 11am and will include lectures, workshops and problem-solving sessions.

Course Information

Award Type Certificate of Attendance

Delivery Method Face-to-face

Mode of Study
Part Time

Location
City Campus

Start January 2024 (TBC)

Duration
2-hour teaching blocks over a 9-week period

Sector
Engineering and Manufacturing

Fee
£795

Course Outline Entry Requirements Fees and Funding

Week 1 

An Introduction to Polymeric Materials

  • Founders of Polymer Science
  • Classification of polymers (structure and composition)
  • Structure property relationships of polymers
  • Thermoset and Thermoplastic materials
  • Molecular weight distributions
  • Workshop style examples

Week 2/3

Polymerisation Processes: Step-growth polymerisation

  • Principles of step-growth polymerisation
  • Important commercial examples
  • Predicting molecular weight (Carothers Equation)
  • Polyesters: Design and Synthesis
  • Condensation polymers: laboratory and manufacturing scale
  • Linear vs branched polymers
  • Workshop style examples

Week 4/5

Polymeric Materials: Synthesis, Structure and Uses

  • Covering a range of commercially important polymer technologies
  • Includes Synthesis methods, material properties, chemical origin of properties and commercial uses
  • Covers polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates, polysilicones and polyurethanes (including foams)

Week 6/7

Polymerisation Processes: Chain-growth polymerisation

  • Principles of chain-growth polymerisation
  • Important commercial examples
  • Chemistry of (random) radical polymerisation
  • Advances in polymer synthesis: Controlled and 'living' radical polymerisation processes
  • Functional acrylic polymers
  • Workshop style examples

Week 6/7

Alternative Polymerisation Processes

  • Anionic and Cationic polymerisation: Monomer suitability and mechanism
  • Zeigler-Natta polymerisation: Mechanism and control
  • Ring opening metathesis polymerisation and other examples

Week 7/8

Network Polymers and Thermoset Materials

  • The design and synthesis of functional polymers
  • The use of functional polymers in thermoset materials
  • Principles of Complementary Reactivity
  • Design of network polymers: Gelation Theory and Polymer Maths
  • Workshop style examples

Week 8/9

Characterisation of Polymers

  • Chromatographic, Thermal and Mechanical characterisation of polymeric materials
  • Visco-Elastic behaviour of polymers
  • Covers techniques including: Size Exclusion Chromatography, Viscosity measurements, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA), Tensile Testing, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
  • Workshop style examples

Week 9

Durability of Polymeric Materials

  • Exterior durability
  • Oxidative degradation processes and mechanisms
  • Designing materials for durability

 

 

Open to all applicants, however the course is designed for final year BSc chemistry level knowledge so either a BSc in chemistry (or related discipline) or equivalent level of practical experience in applied polymer chemistry gained through industrial research positions would be beneficial.

£795

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