Polystyrene Containing no Head to Head Units  Traditional methods for manufacturing polystyrene involve radical coupling of styrene mainchains in a head to head fashion. Importantly, the head to head linker can become thermally unstable as a result of the processing methods that are used in polystyrene derived product manufacturing. The resulting instability produces radical styrene monomers, which have unpleasant characteristics that are not pleasing to consumer senses. This technology provides a new means for generating more thermally stable polystyrene derivatives through the use of a nitroxyl-mediated polymerization reaction. This novel process allows for the development of polymers free of head to head units and have been observed to be more thermally stable than polystyrene developed through traditional methods. |
Two Dimensional Gas Chromatography Instrument  At the heart of the technology for gas chromatography (GC) is a valve that accumulates a sample from a primary column for transfer to a secondary column in parallel. The primary column has a smaller fluid flow capacity than the combined fluid capacities of the secondary columns. In this manner, the chromatographic separations of the primary and secondary columns are matched to provide the best available separation of compounds in the sample. This technology relates to gas chromatography in that it provides a method and means to separate VOC’s faster and, more accurately, and potentially cheaper than traditional GC does. As an example, this novel multidimensional gas chromatography system can separate and quantify over one hundred compounds in less than ten minutes. A prototype exists and development of this technology continues through a series of projects that include establishing a retention time database of a wide variety of VOCs, writing improved software for instrument operation and data analysis, and developing theoretical methods to predict retention times from compound structures. |
Using Flotation Separation Technology for Mineral Processing Chemistry  This program of research, conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Utah and the University of British Columbia, is focused on studying fundamentals of flotation separation technology for a number of different minerals processing systems. For example, an improved experimental procedure to measure contact angle has been consolidated with coal surface preparation involving polishing with abrasive paper, alumina powder and a cloth, followed by ultrasonic and mechanical cleaning. Specifically, the captive-bubble measuring technique has been compared with the sessile-drop technique and the former has been recommended for the examination of the hydrophobic properties of coal surfaces. The research results reveal that an important factor in analysis of contact angle variation on coal surfaces is the size of the hydrophilic mineral inclusions. In another line of inquiry, fundamental studies of mechanisms of bitumen release from oil sands, its attachment to and spreading over the gas bubble surface allowed the development of a technology to improve the hot-water processing of Utah oil sands. |
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