ACOMP Automatic Continuous Online Monitoring of Polymerization reactions ACOMP allows comprehensive, model-independent, on-line monitoring of monomer and comonomer conversion, average composition drift and molecular weight distribution Monitoring is always adapted to chemistry; chemistry is never changed to suit monitoring The quality of data obtained by each instrument is optimized Measurements are made at the most fundamental level possible; calibration is thereby avoided High resolution and high-quality data with model-free primary quantities allows the ACOMP results to be used for building chemical, physical and mechanistic models

The cross-over from decomposition controlled to diffusion controlled initiation in Free Radical Polymerization Acrylamide polymerization in water initiated with KPS at 600C Fit Residuals Deconvolution - The signals recorded by ACOMP are convolved Bayesian-based iterative method was implemented Decomposition-controlled regime - Initiator decomposition is rate controlling (high monomer concentrations) Diffusion-controlled regime - monomer initiation is rate controlling (low monomer concentrations) independent of monomer depends on monomer Actually both should have effect on the reaction

Predictive control and verification of conversion kinetics and polymer molecular weight in semi-batch free radical homopolymerization reactions Acrylamide polymerization in water initiated with KPS at 600C Mass rate change of any solute in semi-batch process Cumulative weight average molecular weight Mw(t) Increasing Mw during the reaction The monomer inflow to increase Mw The polymer concentration increases according to And the cumulative weight average molecular weight is computed to be Control of molecular weight in free radical polymerization by engineering rather than chemistry is easily transferable to industry Average molecular weights

Copolymers – highly advanced materials High composition drift reactions (VB-Am copolymerization) Low composition drift reactions (Q9-Am copolymerization) Predictive control of average composition and molecular weight in semi-batch free radical reactions Polyelectrolytes and counterion condensation The cross-over from non-condensed to counterion condensed was found within individual experiments for high composition drift reactions and by investigating spectrum of starting compositions for low composition drift reactions. VB Composition Drift Q9 Composition Drift Molecular Weight (g/mol) Conductivity (mS/cm) Slopes of s vs composition Computer programs I needed to write to solve problems: Comonomer conversion was obtained from ACOMP data by the error minimization method Reactivity ratios were obtained from ACOMP data by solving the Mayo-Lewis equation on a grid of parameters and matching it with the real data

I am an ACOMP expert (I helped develop this powerful technique) My work on predictive control of polymerization is the first step toward a full feedback control What I plan to do Take ACOMP further – full feedback control and on-command polymers Introduce reaction monitoring in industrial plants with implications for non-renewable resources, energy and chemical pollution Establish new techniques: Automatic Continuous Mixing (ACM) – to study equilibrium and quasi-equilibrium processes (higher sample throughput) Simultaneous Multiple Sample Light Scattering (SMSLS) - high throughput screening in a number of contexts (long term stability of polymer and colloid solutions; monitoring of different time-dependent processes) Collaborate with synthetic chemists to maximize their outcomes and improve their techniques Collaborate with industry – addressing current industrial problems Examples:- photopolymerization of bisGMA/TEGDMA copolymers for dental engineering(University of Birmingham), developing a method to identify blocked oil wells (BP), optimizing bioconjugates for drug delivery (UK Pharma and biotech), investigating arm first star formation for viscosity modifier (Lubrizol)