Date/Time
Date(s) - 17/11/2004
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Title: Polymer Crystallisation, Dynamics and Morphology at the Nanoscale

Speaker: Dr. Kari Dalnoki-Veress

Institute: Department of Physics & Astronomy
McMaster University

Location: ABB 102

Description:

We will start with a general introduction to polymers and the properties that make them so important. Because polymers are large molecules it is straightforward to confine these macromolecules to small dimensions. As we might expect, when a molecule is confined to a length scale that is smaller than what it would have in a bulk material, the properties of the material can differ. The talk will focus on three recent examples from our work related to crystallisation, laser lithography, and polymer entanglements in thin films. It will become apparent in the presentation that the deviations from bulk behaviour in confined systems are far from subtle! While these deviations may seem at first like mere interesting fundamental anomalies, the properties of these materials at surfaces and interfaces are relevant to drug delivery, gene therapy, permeability of membranes, contact lenses, solar panels and electro-luminescent displays, as well as the adhesion of a rubber tire to the surface of a wet road.