Symposium on Polymer Processing in Microgravity

Polymer Division

Spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society

March 26-31, 2000

San Francisco

Symposium

on

Polymer Processing in Microgravity

American Chemical Society

Spring National Meeting

March 26-31, 2000

San Francisco


For information on the symposium book.








Organizers:
 
 

Dr. J. Patton Downey
Space Science Laboratory
ES75
NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama
35812

Patton.Downey@msfc.nasa.gov
 

Professor John A. Pojman
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS
39406

john@pojman.com
 
 


Thursday March 30, 2000

Session I
 
 

Session Chair: J. Pojman

8:00 ó 8:15 Opening Remarks: J. Pojman

8:15 ó 8;45

Effectively Reducing Acceleration to Microgravity Levels

James Patton Downey, Microgravity Department, NASA, sd48, MSFC, Huntsville, AL 35812, fax: 256-544-2102, patton.downey@msfc.nasa.gov
 
 

845 - 0915

 Polymerization under microgravity conditions: Results and perspectives

V.A. Briskman and K. G. Kostarev. Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1, Ac.Korolev str, Perm, 614013, Russia, vab@icmm.ru
 
 

0915 0945

Frontal polymerization in microgravity

John Pojman1, Vitaly V. Volpert2, Hermann Wilke3, Yuri Chekanov4, William Ainsworth4, and Jonathan Masere5. (1) Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, fax: (601)266-6075, john@pojman.com, (2) Laboratoire díanalyse numirique, Universite Lyon I, 43, bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France, (3) Institute of Crystal Growth, Rudower Chaussee 6, D-12489 Berlin - Adlershof, Germany, (4) Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, (5) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, P.O. Box 5043, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5043
 
 
 
 

0945 - 1015

Production of Polyurethane Foams in Space: Gravitational and Pressure Effects on Foam Formation

Samuel P. McManus, Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, fax: 256-890-6918, mcmanuss@email.uah.edu

10:15 ó 1030 Break

1030-1100

Foaming of polyethylene in a novel dynamic decompression and cooling (DDC) process

Kwangjin Song and Robert E. Apfel. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, P.O. Box 208286, New Haven, CT 06520-8286, fax: 230-432-7654, kwangjin.song@yale.edu
 
 
 
 

11:00 ó 1130

 Influence of buoyancy and surfactant solutes on macrovoid defect formation in dry-cast cellulose acetate membranes

Matthew R. Pekny1, Jeremiah Zartman1, Alan R. Greenberg2, William B. Krantz1, and Paul Todd1. (1) Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado - Boulder, Engineering Center, Campus Box 424, Boulder, CO 80309-0424, (2) Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado - Boulder, Engineering Center, Campus Box 427, Boulder, CO 80309-0427

1130 - 1200

Determination of the effect of microgravity on silica sol-gels by electrophoretic porosimetry

Lanee A. Snow1, David D. Smith2, Laurent Sibille3, Raymond J. Cronise2, Joseph D. Ng4, Naomi Halas5, and Arlon J. Hunt6. (1) Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 301 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35899, fax: 256-544-6660, Lanee.Snow@msfc.nasa.gov, (2) Space Sciences Laboratory, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, SD-48, Huntsville, AL 35812, (3) Universities Space Research Association, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, SD-48, Huntsville, AL 35812, (4) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 301 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35899, (5) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, (6) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley

Session II

Session chair: Patton Downey
 
 
 
 

1:30 - 2:00

 Biopolymer production under simulated microgravity conditions

Radhika Thiruvenkatam, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, fax: 256 890 6349 and Carmen Scholz,
 
 

2:00 ó 2:30

 Liquid crystal and polymer dispersions in a microgravity envrionment

Joe B. Whitehead, Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Box 5046, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, fax: 601-266-5149, joe.whitehead@usm.edu and Gregory P. Crawford, Division of Engineering, Brown University, Box D, Providence, RI 02912.

2:30 ó 3:00

 Processing of Nonlinear Optical Polymer Systems under Microgravity Conditions

Le H. Dao, Kan Parbhakar, H. M. Nguyen, J. M. Jin, Y. Sun, and Y. Beaudoin. INRS-Energie et Materiaux, University of Quebec, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC J3X 1S2, Canada, fax: 450-929-8114, dao@inrs-ener.uquebec.ca

3:00 - 3:30

Polymer Thin Film Growth in Microgravity

William E. Carswell, Alliance for Microgravity Materials Science and Applications, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 301 Sparkman Drive, RI-M34, Huntsville, AL 35899, fax: 256-5448762, carswew@email.uah.edu, Mark S. Paley, Universities Space Research Association, and Donald O. Frazier, Marshall space Flight Center, NASA, Mail Code SD40, Huntsville, AL 35812.
 
 
 
 

3:30 - 3:45

break

3:45 - 4:15

Development of impedance spectroscopy to study polymerization processes in microgravity

Alvin P. Kennedy and Jim McLendon. Chemistry, North Carolina A&T State University, 1601 East Market St, Greensboro, NC 27411, akennedy@ncat.edu

4:15-4:45

Polymerization in Microgravity On-Board STS-57, STS-63 and STS-77

Kenneth G. Brown1, Karen S. Burns1, Billy T. Upchurch2, and George M. Wood, Jr3. (1) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, fax: 757-683-4628, kbrown@odu.edu, (2) Mail Stop 236, NASA-Langley, Hampton, VA 23681, (3) STC Catalysts, Inc, 10
 
 
 
 

4:45 - 5:15

Prospects for the Study of Gas Phase and Intracluster Polymerization in Microgravity

M. Samy El-Shall, Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1001 W. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23284-2006, fax: 804-828-8599, selshall@hsc.vcu.edu
 
 






Posters (Tuesday evening)

 Polymeric foam experiments in a reduced gravity environment: results from the NASA KC-135A parabolic flights

William J. Ainsworth, Vinh V. Nguyen, James R. Warren, Paulin N. Wahjudi, Monique Kendrick, Felicia D. Stewart, Stacey M. Brown, and John A. Pojman. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Southern Mississippi, USM Box 5043, Hattiesburg, MS 39406,william.ainsworth@usm.edu
 
 

Compositional Characterization, by Raman Spectroscopy, of Polymers Synthesized in Microgravity On-Board STS-57, STS-63 and STS-77

Kenneth G. Brown1, Karen S. Burns1, JoAnne Ingram1, Billy T. Upchurch2, and George M. Wood, Jr3. (1) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, fax: 757-683-4628, kbrown@odu.edu, (2) Mail Stop 236, NASA-Langley, Hampton, VA 23681, (3) STC Catalysts, Inc, 10 Basil Sawyer Drive, Hampton, VA 23666
 
 

 Investigation of the gas balance in microbial fermentations performed in the NASA bioreactor

Radhika Thiruvenkatam, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, fax: 256 890 6349 and Carmen Scholz, Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, South Loop Rd. MSB 333, Huntsville, AL 35899.