Development of A Nano-Coating for Dental Implants sponsored
by Imtec
Poly lactic-co-glycolic (PLGA) nanoparticles are well-known for their ability
to degrade and release pharmaceutics. Our group is taking this approach a bit
further. We are developing ~300 nm nanoparticles with encapsulated ~20 nm hydroxyapatite
nanoparticles (hydroxyapatite is very similar to bone) in order to speed healing
of dental implants. Dental implants are screwed into the jawbone and provide
an excellent way to permanently replace missing teeth; however one disadvantage
is that the time to full functionality is ~6 months. Our goal is to speed this
healing time. This project is being done in collaboration with Dr. Vassilios
Sikavitsas.
Development of A Method to Increase Fracture Stress of Rock
in Oil Wells sponsored by Halliburton
The layer-by-layer method is a well-known method for "growing" a polymer
film on a surface. The principle is to use charged polymers to adsorb to an
oppositely charged surface, then grow the layers sequentially by alternating
polymers having different charge. The same principle is used here, except latex
beads are used. One can build up a layer using this technique, which in turn
increases the hydrostatic stress required to crack the rock.
Development of A Replacement for Portland Cement for Use in
Oil Wells sponsored by Halliburton
Low-cost polyalkenoate cements analogous to dental cements, i.e. cements based
on polymers containing acrylic acid crosslinked both covalently and via bridging
metal cations, were developed with a goal of producing a more flexible alternative
to normal Portland cement. This project was very successful, and resulted in
a patent application that should eventually become a patent.
Development of Modified Sand sponsored by Halliburton
We are attempting to modify the surface of sand in order to improve the ability
of this material to function well in an oil well. Sand is used to keep cracks
open in the ground so that oil can seep out from the surrounding rock and eventually
make its way to the surface. The sand reaches the crack via suspension in a
polymer-water mixture and flow of the water to the crack, and once in place
the oil flows through the sand. Hence the important properties of the sand are
its ability to remain suspended in the polymer-water mixture and its conductivity
of oil through the pores of the packed sand.
X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Surlyn Ionomers sponsored
by DuPont (Sabine Research Laboratory)
Surlyn ion-containing
polymers are copolymers of ethylene and methacrylic acid. Our purpose is
to understand on a molecular basis why ionomers have such interesting properties,
such as why they are so incredibly tough. Our approach is to quantify arrangement
of atoms, i.e. what atoms are located where, using EXAFS. Our unique capabilities
led to a National Science Foundation sponsored
program to research these materials, as well as significant direct financial
and material support by DuPont. The ionomer
page gives a list of the publications that was the result of support of
this research.
Powder Coating Product Support sponsored by Innotek Powder Coatings LLC
Our interaction with PFS has been in the area of product development and product characterization. PFS produces thermoplastic powders and powder coating equipment for a wide variety of customers. Powder coating with thermoplastics consists of taking a thermoplastic material, grinding it to make a powder, then coating the object either by flame-spraying, electrostatic spraying or dip coating. The primary use of powder coating is for corrosion protection, although there are many other uses as well. Our laboratory has developed a proprietary method to characterize the rheology of the powder coating process, and has used this process to identify materials that are good candidates for product development as a powder coating.
Interaction of Surface Treatments using Water-Based Cleaners with Different Coatings sponsored by Chemical Process Industries
CPI is a small Oklahoma City based corporation. CPI manufactures and sells a water-based cleaner to be used for cleaning surfaces prior to coating under the AquaCleen trademark. In our laboratory, we evaluate how different formulations of this cleaner interact with off the shelf paints and other coatings on different surfaces. The evaluation process includes detailed statistical measures of any changes in performance, and fundamental investigations of what causes the interations.