Event Details

Join Dr Alisyn Nedoma of the University of Sheffield for a talk on the role of polymer physics in energy storage and drug delivery. Also available on Teams

Speaker: Dr Alisyn Nedoma – Sheffield University

One of the greatest barriers to commercialising emerging products is the scale up of laboratory formulation and processing. Technologies often evolve quickly on the basis of field-specific performance indicators, whilst the fundamental thermodynamics and kinetics of the system are not fully understood. My research aims to bridge the gap between promising technologies and viable products (TRL 3-5) by identifying and quantifying the leading-order physics. Working with energy materials, my research group has recently reformulated lithium-ion battery cathodes to replace the conventional binder (a polyfluoroalkyl substance, PFAS) with a non-toxic pluronics blend that we process using water. Key to achieving cell capacities commensurate with the PFAS-based benchmark has been simultaneously dispersing the carbon black conductive component whilst controlling the slurry viscosity. Modelling the complex chemical reaction landscape of lithium-ion cathode materials, we have begun to quantify the effects of process parameters, like pH and temperature, on the yield and purity of products. Developing these models allows us to optimise material production by understanding the tradeoffs between cost, yield and the value of the goods sold. In the arena of drug delivery, my research group is measuring the effects of thermodynamic parameters (concentration, temperature) on the loading of dyes into hyperbranched polymer nanoparticles in order to understand how we can increase the rate of processing. Quantifying the kinetics of crosslinking in biopolymer hydrogels is enabling us to produce hydrogel microcarriers for biological payloads. Working primarily with energy materials and polymer nano- or micro-carriers, my group is developing practical physical models that enable the scale up of high-value products.

Join the meeting now