Understanding and Design of Polymer Surfactant-Carbon Dioxide Systems

The MPS Distinguished International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (MPS-DRF) enables U.S. scientists to conduct research abroad. This allows the awardees the opportunity for collaborative research benefiting from expertise, facilities and interactions in a non-U.S. institution. This award will support a 12 month research fellowship for Dr. Collin D. Wick to work with Prof. Doros Theodorou and his groups at the Laboratory of Computational Materials Science and Engineering at the National Technical Laboratory of Athens, and the Molecular Modeling of Materials Laboratory at the National Centre for Scientific Research (NRCPS) "Demokritos". The proposed work will use computational simulation techniques (so called Monte Carlo calculations) to explore the design of low cost polymer surfactants in supercritical carbon dioxide. The goal is to gain a microscopic understanding of solubility mechanisms in more environmentally benign solvents, such as carbon dioxide. Prof. Doros Theodorou is a leading authority in the field of modeling polymer systems. His lab has developed methodology which will assist Dr. Wick to carry out the proposed work effectively.