Polymer Engineering Faculty Research
The Department of Polymer Engineering is part of the world-renowned College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at UA, which has about 40 full-time faculty and 350 graduate students and postdoctoral research associates studying the chemistry, physics and engineering of polymeric materials and systems.
The Center for Polymer Engineering was created in 1983 and the Department of Polymer Engineering in 1984. In 1988 the Center was renamed the Institute of Polymer Engineering. The Department is currently comprised of 15 full-time faculty and approximately 140 graduate students. DPE is housed in three buildings -- the 32,000 sq. ft. Polymer Engineering Academic Center (PEAC); the 70,000 sq. ft. Sidney L. Olson Research Center (OLRC); and the 43,000 sq. ft. National Polymer Innovation Center (NPIC).
The Department of Polymer Engineering is strictly a graduate department, offering both the M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Polymer Engineering. The Department awards about 50 Ph.D. and M.S degrees each year. We are pleased that our graduates have gone on to successful careers in industry, government service, and academia throughout the world. Additionally, there are undergraduate students in the College of Engineering and the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences who often work on either independent projects with DPE faculty or who take some of our courses that are suitable as electives for majors in engineering and the physical sciences.
Our faculty members are recognized worldwide for their contributions to polymer research and education, as well as service to the polymer field. The faculty have been recognized with numerous awards and distinctions, ranging from the International Award of the Society of Plastics Engineers and the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, to Fellowships in major polymer-related societies, such as the American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science , American Chemical Society, and the Society of Plastics Engineers. In addition, our younger faculty have been recognized with Faculty Early Career Awards from the National Science Foundation. DPE faculty are actively engaged in various scientific organizations, edit several scientific journals, and have written a number of textbooks and monographs.
Submissions from 2006
Residual stresses and birefringence in injection molding of amorphous polymers: Simulation and comparison with experiment, Avraam Isayev
Rheology: concepts, methods, applications, Avraam Isayev
Simulation and experimental verification of crystallization and birefringence in melt spinning of PET., Avraam Isayev
STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF ULTRASONICALLY TREATED ISOPRENE RUBBER, Avraam Isayev
Theoretical and experimental studies of anisotropic shrinkage in injection moldings of semicrystalline polymers, Avraam Isayev
Theoretical and experimental studies of anisotropic shrinkage in injection moldings of various polyesters, Avraam Isayev
Ultrasonic Aided Extrusion Process for Preparation of Polypropylene-Clay Nanocomposites, Avraam Isayev
Ultrasonic Assisted Extrusion of HDPE/clay Nanocomposites, Avraam Isayev
Ultrasonic treatment of polypropylene, polyamide 6, and their blends, Avraam Isayev
Ultrasound Treatment of Polyisoprene Rubber, Studied by NMR Relaxation and Diffusion., Avraam Isayev
Carbon-filled polymer composites bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, Sadhan Jana
Chemical and engineering issues in polymer nanocomposites synthesis and product design, Sadhan Jana
Chemical and engineering issues of polymer nanocomposites design, Sadhan Jana
Clay Nanocomposites Of Polyurethanes And Epoxies: Preparation Methods And Properties, Sadhan Jana
Polymer nanocomposites by filler-polymer reactions, Sadhan Jana
Polymer nanocomposites design by clay-polymer tethering and novel blending, Sadhan Jana
Production of electrically conductive networks in immiscible polymer blends by chaotic mixing, Sadhan Jana
Phase Equilibria and Phase Separation Dynamics in a Polymer Composite containing a Main-Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymer, Do Kim, Thein Kyu, and Takeji Hashimoto
Real time development of structure in partially molten state stretching of polypropylene as detected by spectral birefringence technique: Effect of isotacticity, Yutaka Koike and Mukerrem Cakmak
The influence of molten fraction on the uniaxial deformation behavior of polypropylene: Real time mechano-optical and atomic force microscopy observations, Yutaka Koike and Mukerrem Cakmak
Nanoparticle induced network self-assembly in polymer carbon black composites, Y. Konishi and Mukerrem Cakmak
Holographic Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals and Polymeric Photonic Crystals formed by Holographic Photolithography, Thein Kyu, Scott Meng, Hatice Duran, Kumar Nanjundiah, and Gregory R. Yandek
Atomic force microscope tip spontaneous retraction from dielectric surfaces under applied electrostatic potential, S. F. Lyuksyutov, P. B. Paramonov, O. V. Mayevska, M. A. Reagan, and Erol Sancaktar
Role of relaxation on strain crystallization of uniaxially stretched poly (ethylene naphthalate) films: A mechanooptical study, C. Martins and Mukerrem Cakmak
Phase Diagrams of Binary Crystalline Polymer Blends, Rushikesh A. Matkar and Thein Kyu
Role of Crystal-Amorphous Interaction on Phase Equilibria of Crystal/Amorphous Polymer Blends, Rushikesh A. Matkar and Thein Kyu
Stress-induced reduction of water uptake in clay-reinforced epoxy nanocomposites, Erol Sancaktar and Jason Kuznicki
The effects of excimer laser irradiation at 248 nm on the surface mass loss and thermal properties of PS, ABS, PA6, and PC polymers, Erol Sancaktar and Hui Lu
Evaluation of processing effects in injection-molded amorphous and crystalline thermoplastics using an excimer laser, Erol Sancaktar, N. Negandhi, and S. Adwani
Influence of physical and chemical heterogeneity shape on thin film rupture, David Simmons
Effect of Mixed Sol-gel Precursors on the Metal-oxo Phase Within a UV-Curable Silicone Hybrid Material, Mark Soucek
Evaluation of Protective Silicone/Siloxane Coatings in Simulated Low Earth Orbit Environment, Mark Soucek
Gas Permeability Analysis of Photo-cured Cyclohexyl-Substituted Polysiloxane Films, Mark Soucek
Reaction Kinetics and Microgel Particle Size Characterization of Ultra-violet-Curing Unsaturated Polyester Acrylates, Mark Soucek
Deprotection kinetics of 193-nm photoresist thin films: Influence of copolymer content., Bryan Vogt
Effect of copolymer composition on acid-catalyzed deprotection reaction kinetics in model photoresists, Bryan Vogt
Effect of Deprotection Extent on Swelling and Dissolution Regimes of Thin Polymer Films, Bryan Vogt
Exposure Dose Effects on the Reaction-Diffusion Process in Model EUV Photoresists, Bryan Vogt
Fundamentals of the reaction-diffusion process in model EUV photoresists, Bryan Vogt
Measurements towards the materials sources of line edge roughness in chemically amplified photoresists, Bryan Vogt
The deprotection reaction front profile in model 193 nm methacrylate-based chemically amplified photoresists, Bryan Vogt
Wrinkling of ultrathin polymer films, Bryan Vogt
Control of optical anisotropy at large deformations in PMMA/chlorinated-PHB (PHB-Cl) blends: Mechano-optical behavior, Baris Yalcin, Mukerrem Cakmak, Ali Hakan Arkin, Baki Hazer, and Burak Erman
Three-dimensional Switchable Photonic Crystals via Various Optical Wave Interference Techniques, Gregory R. Yandek, Scott Meng, Grigori M. Sigalov, and Thein Kyu
Influence of composition and annealing on the structure development in biaxially stretched PEN/PEI/PEEK ternary blends, Xixian Zhou and Mukerrem Cakmak
The Influence of Biaxial Deformation and Annealing on Structure Development in Ternary Blends of PEN/PEI/PEEK, Xixian Zhou and Mukerrem Cakmak
Submissions from 2005
The effect of copolymer composition on the spatial structural hierarchy developed in injection molded bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) parts, Mukerrem Cakmak, M. Ghanem, and T. Yamamoto
Electrically-conducting polymers, a method for preparing electrically-conducting polymers, and a method for controlling electrical conductivity of polymers, Mukerrem Cakmak and Yuma Konishi
Polyimide Foams from Powder: Experimental Analysis of Competitive Diffusion Phenomena, Camilo I. Cano, Erik S. Weiser, Thein Kyu, and R. Byron Pipes
Effect of carbon nanotube on phase transitions of nematic liquid crystals, Hatice Duran, Bruce Gazdecki, Atsushi Yamashita, and Thein Kyu
Effects of various adherend surface treatments on fatigue behavior of joints bonded with a silver-filled electronically conductive adhesive, Rajesh R. Gomatam and Erol Sancaktar
Atomistic simulation of nanostructured interfaces with sheet silicates, Hendrik Heinz
Computer Simulation of the Light-Induced Trans-Cis Isomerization of Azobenzene Grafted Onto Montmorillonite Sheets, Hendrik Heinz
Free Energy of Exfoliation Between Layered Silicate Sheets, Hendrik Heinz
Molecular Modeling of Superplasticizers in Cementitous Systems: Progress, Hendrik Heinz
Towards Quantitative Atomistic Simulation of Nanostructured Hybrid Materials, Hendrik Heinz
Towards Quantitative Modeling of Surface Properties in Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials, Hendrik Heinz
Anisotropic Shrinkage in Injection Moldings of Semicrystalline Polymers: Simulation and Experiment, Avraam Isayev
Blends of ultrasonically devulcanized tire-curing bladder and butyl rubber, Avraam Isayev
Check Valve, Pin and Nozzle for Gas-Assisted Injection Molding, Avraam Isayev
Continuous Process for Melt Intercalation of PP-Clay Nanocomposites with Aid of Power Ultrasound, Avraam Isayev
Continuous ultrasonic treatment of uncured and sulfur cured SBR: Effect of styrene content, Avraam Isayev
CONTINUOUS ULTRASOUND DEVULCANIZATION: COMPARISON OF SYNTHETIC ISOPRENE AND NATURAL RUBBERS, Avraam Isayev
Flow-induced crystallization in the injection molding of polymers: A thermodynamic approach, Avraam Isayev
Modeling and experimental study of birefringence in injection molding of semicrystalline polymers, Avraam Isayev
Recycling of Butyl Rubber by Ultrasonic Devulcanization, Avraam Isayev
Recycling of Rubber, Avraam Isayev
Rubber recycling, Avraam Isayev
Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Anosotropic Shrinkage in Injection Molding Process, Avraam Isayev
Tire Materials: Recovery and Re-use, Avraam Isayev
Toward a viscoelastic modeling of anisotropic shrinkage in injection molding of amorphous polymers, Avraam Isayev
Ultrasonic Devulcanization of Used Tires and Waste Rubbers, Avraam Isayev
Ultrasound Devulcanization of Natural Rubber, Studied by NMR Relaxation and Diffusion, Avraam Isayev
Applications of chaos and dynamical systems theory in polymer mixing, Sadhan Jana
Chemical and engineering issues in polymer nanocomposites research and product design, Sadhan Jana
Chemical and engineering issues of polymer nanocomposites synthesis and processing, Sadhan Jana
Coalescence in chaotic flows, Sadhan Jana
Coalescence of immiscible polymer blends in chaotic mixers, Sadhan Jana
Doing things right with chaotic mixing, Sadhan Jana
High-strength and low-stiffness composites of nanoclay-filled thermoplastic polyurethanes, Sadhan Jana
Mechanism of nanoclay exfoliation in condensation polymer systems, Sadhan Jana
Nanoclay-induced morphology development in chaotic mixing of immiscible polymers, Sadhan Jana
Nanocomposites design by nanofiller-polymer reactions and by novel blending, Sadhan Jana
Novel methods for synthesis of polyimide-clay nanocomposites, Sadhan Jana
Polymer nanocomposites via filler-polymer tethering reactions, Sadhan Jana
Properties of bulk-polymerized thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites, Sadhan Jana
Synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites of reactive nanoclay by bulk polymerization methods, Sadhan Jana
Thermal decomposition of alkyl ammonium ions and its effects on surface polarity of organically treated nanoclay, Sadhan Jana
Thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites of reactive silicate clays: effects of soft segments on properties, Sadhan Jana
Non-Linear Mechano-Optical Behavior and Structural Transitions in PEN/PEI Blends Under Uniaxial Deformation: Dynamic Phase Behavior., K. Kanuga and Mukerrem Cakmak
Nonlinear Mechanooptical Behavior of Poly (ethylene naphthalate)/Poly (ether imide) Blends. Dynamic Phase Behavior, K. Kanuga and Mukerrem Cakmak
Role of molten fraction on the structural evolution in stretching and cooling of crosslinked low-density polyethylene: Real-time mechano-optical measurements, Yutaka Koike and Mukerrem Cakmak
Structural hierarchy developed in injection molding of nylon 6/clay/carbon black nanocomposites, Yuma Konishi and Mukerrem Cakmak
A Hybrid Model of Rubber Elasticity in Simple Extension, Arkadii Leonov
Dissipative Soft Modes in Viscous Nematodynamics, Arkadii Leonov