Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, DalTech, Dalhousie University. Summary of Research Activities Research projects in this lab focus on the elucidation of the structure of polymer spherulites , and understanding the factors which govern their formation from the disordered state, namely the melt, or liquid state. Ultimately the physical properties of polymeric materials derive from their structural makeup as well as the chemical makeup of the polymer chains, and this structure-property relationship provides the incentive for the intensive investigations of many years. Notwithstanding these efforts, the detailed structural nature of polymer spherulites and the controlling factors of the overall crystallization process of even some of the most familiar polymers, e.g. polyethylene, are still subject of concentrated study. Standard techniques employed in this work include optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and surface analysis techniques such as atomic force microscopy.
All research is carried out by undergraduate students.
Research projects have included the synthesis of polyethers as model polymers with thermal properties in the range of ideal working temperatures. Optically Active Polyethers 2. Enantiomers and Their Equimolar Blend. K.L. Singfield, J.M. Klass, G.R. Brown. Optically Active Polyethers 1.