Description:

Our ninth ChBE seminar of the Spring Quarter will be Thursday, May 28th at 9am in Tech LR5. Dr. Dongchan (Shaun) Ahn from Dow Corning Corporation will present a seminar on Two Vignettes of Discovery from Specialty Chemicals R&D: Facile routes to 1) polymer assembly and 2) gas separations under mild conditions, detailed information is given below:

Date & Time: Thursday, May 28th, 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Location: Tech, LR5 (refreshments will be available at 8:45am)
Speaker: Dr. Dongchan (Shaun) Ahn, Dow Corning Corporation

Two Vignettes of Discovery from Specialty Chemicals R&D: Facile routes to 1) polymer assembly and 2) gas separations under mild conditions

Abstract
The diverse array of applications and constraints occurring in industrial research can inspire exploration of unconventional, cross-disciplinary solutions to common yet fascinating problems. This talk profiles two divergent examples of materials-based discoveries that have emerged from research at Dow Corning.

The first example maps to the fields of polymer chemistry and materials engineering. It describes the quest for improving the adhesion of silicone rubbers to plastics that resulted in discovery of novel applications of a facile, radiation-free method to initiate free radical polymerization at room temperature. The underlying chemistry and features of this known but somewhat obscure ‘radical’ scheme, which utilizes air-stable organoborane complexes that initiate polymerization rapidly upon mixing, are shared along with examples of its use at length scales that range from molecular to macroscopic. Applications of this versatile chemistry include rapid, facile ambient processes for bulk crosslinking and interfacial coupling of silicone adhesives, production of hydrophilically engineered microparticles and copolymers for personal and healthcare applications, and inkjet printing of polymers.

A second example describes how classical chemical engineering principles were used to guide the discovery and development of a novel silicone-based gas separation technology that greatly reduces the large energy loads required to dehumidify outdoor air in building air conditioning systems by traditional condensation-based methods. By use of a membrane contacting approach featuring a continuously regenerated closed loop of a unique class of silicon-based sorbent liquids in concert with silicone membranes, one can maintain a strong driving force and enhance the selectivity for separation of water vapor from air using mild regeneration temperatures accessible by low grade waste heat. Results with other vapors and gases suggest feasibility of extending this efficient approach to a variety of other important applications that require gas or vapor separations.

Biography
Dr. Ahn is currently a technical leader and associate research scientist in Corporate Research at Dow Corning Corporation. Since joining Dow Corning in 1997, he has led the discovery and application of numerous materials and process platform technologies in a range of areas such as adhesion and cure technology for Electronics products, interfacial characterization methodologies, ambient free radical processes for multi-scale materials assembly, and novel materials for membrane and sorbent-based gas separations. His responsibilities also include contributing to broader corporate R&D strategy and functional initiatives through frequent participation in technical leadership teams, recruiting, mentoring and teaching. Dr. Ahn obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1997 under the tutelage of Prof. K.R. Shull. He also received a MS from Northwestern, and an Honors BS from Purdue University, both in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Ahn holds over 40 granted or pending patents and has authored over 40 internal research reports and 20 refereed journal publications including 2 book chapters.

Honors include recognition as an invited participant to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in 2007, invited delegate to the 2013 Global Grand Challenges Summit co-hosted by the NAE, U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering, and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and as a two time recipient of Dow Corning’s global Technical Achievement Award. He has had held visiting scholar and adjunct graduate faculty appointments at the University of Michigan and Central Michigan University, respectively, and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University. Dr. Ahn has also served as a technical recruiter at Northwestern and Cornell universities.