June 9 – Industrial Workshop in Versalis

Departure from the hotels at 8:30!!!!

Groups for the interactive workshop:

Group	participants	tutor	topic
1	Matteo Conti, Alexandru Boborodea, Teresiana Guarino, Lorenzo Santori, Irene Perna	Nicola Danielis / Giovanni Cuder	Idea Generation project
2	Abygail Genio, Konstantina Lyroni, Giusi Merola, Balint Magyari, Arcangela Russo	Roberta Di Ponzio/ Aurelio Civilleri	Project arising from a plant issue
3	Alexandros Rispo Constatinou, Arya Vijayan, Anthi Sapouna, Michail Danikas, Victor Chambon	Sabrina Urbinati/ Davide Giaccari	Product development project driven by market needs
4	Stefano Chiani, Anahita Karimi, Claudia Spina, Celine Hannecart, Elisa Ausili	Gaia Paradiso/ Davide De Santi	Project to ensure compliance with a ministerial directive

June 10 – Lectures  – Biblioteca Classense – Ravenna city library

9.00 – 9.15 Welcome (Evelyne van Ruymbeke)

9.15 – 10.45 – Fundamentals of Thermodynamics of Polymers, Polymer Solutions and Polymer Blends – Prof. F. Doghieri (DICAM-UNIBO)

The talk summarizes the fundamental thermodynamic laws for the discussion of equilibrium and stability conditions of amorphous phases, as well as for the description of their properties. The peculiarities of the case of high molecular weight materials in terms of deformation work and mixing properties are then examined in details. The Flory-Huggins results for mixing entropy are presented and discussed with reference to their prediction of key thermodynamic properties of pure polymers and mixtures. Discussion is offered about the effect of Flory-Huggins interaction parameter on stability of polymer-solute mixtures, as well as its estimation through the measurement of single component solubility parameters or by the use of specific experimental data for the binary mixture. The characteristics of both Upper-critical-solution temperature (UCST) and lower-critical-solution temperature (LCST) behavior are examined to put in evidence of the effect of both enthalpic and entropic contributions to mixing free energy. The conditions for thermodynamic miscibility of blends are discussed in terms of relations for binary interaction parameters and species molecular weight and exemplified for the case of immiscible and miscible polymer blends. The conditions for stability and phase equilibrium conditions in ternary systems are finally addressed and examined also with reference to specific applications.

10.45 – 11.15 – Break 

11.15 – 12.45 – Role of Free Volume in Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Polymeric Materials – Prof. F. Doghieri (DICAM-UNIBO)

Basic assumptions of Flory Huggins theory presented in the first part of the talk are revised in this second part, with specific reference to the volume additivity condition. The latter constraint can be released, indeed, in the framework of equation of state (EoS) from compressible lattice theories, in which the free volume is assumed as a state variable determined by the minimum conditions for the free energy. Stability conditions for polymeric mixture considered in the first part of the lecture are re-examined based on compressible lattice model and interpretation of LCST behavior is revised based on results of this analysis. The possible use of different EoS for the representation of equilibrium free volume is discussed, also with reference to the description of specific interactions in the system, as in the case of equations in the family of Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT). Glass transition phenomenon in polymeric systems is then presented and discussed in terms of restrictions on redistribution of free volume. The approach to the description of thermodynamic properties of glassy polymeric phases is examined in which free volume is assumed as order parameter for the non-equilibrium states of the system. Results for the prediction of gas and vapor solubility in glassy polymers, based on the above assumption are presented as well as the analysis of experimental results for mass transport properties in the glassy mixture.

12.45 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 16.00 – Nonlinear phenomena and “molecular” rheometry – Prof. D. Vlassopoulos

• Rheological phenomena
• Viscoelastic liquids and solids
• Shear and extensional deformations
• Rheometry
• Measurement of material functions
• Important observations with polymers (shear thinning, Cox-Merz rule, role of macromolecular architecture and polydispersity, nonlinear elasticity, Laun rule, instabilities)
• Experimental errors and challenges
• Application to networks
• Examples of experimental data

16.00 – 16.30 Coffee Break

16.30 – 18.30 – Molecular models for the nonlinear rheology of polymeric networks – Prof. G. Ianniruberto

• Permanent vs. impermanent networks
• Rubber elasticity
• Classical theory of polymer chain elasticity
• Non-Gaussian behavior and finite extensibility
• A simple constitutive equation for permanent networks
• Constitutive equations for impermanent networks
• Impermanent networks of polymers with special interactions
• Entangled networks
• The tube model and the Doi-Edwards theory
• Orientation of tube segments and chain stretching
• The constitutive equation
• Further nonlinear effects: flow-induced entanglement removal (CCR), finite extensibility, friction reduction, and molecular tumbling
• Shear flows and elongational flows. Model predictions and comparison with data

June 11 – DC presentations + Governing board meeting + Meeting Dinner – Biblioteca Classense – Ravenna city library

9.00 – 9.15 – Welcome and introduction – Prof. Evelyne van Ruymbeke

9.15 – 9.50 – Reproducing Stress Relaxation and Bond-Exchange Kinetics in Vitrimers via Coarse-Grained MD – Balint Magyari

9.50 – 10.25 – Annealing-driven network organization in model polyisoprene vitrimers – Arcangela Russo

10.25 – 11.00 – Structure and Dynamics of High-Density Polyethylene Cross-linked by an Azidotriazine via Reactive Extrusion – Stefano Chiani

11.00 – 11.30 – Break

11.30 – 12.05 – Reprocessable Elastomers – Giusi Merola

12.05 – 12.40 – Assessing uniaxial and equibiaxial extensional responses of crosslinked polymer networks – Teresiana Guarino

12.40 – 13.15 – Entropic Phase Separation in Polymer–Vitrimer Melts: What We’ve Learnt and What’s Next – Alexandros Rispo Constantinou

13.15 – 14.45 Lunch

14.45 – 15.20 – Will it adhere? Enhancing adhesion between immiscible polymers with vitrimer – Claudia Spina

15.20 – 15.55 – From Flow to Structure: Exploring Flow-Induced Effects in Dynamic PE Networks – Anahita Karimi

15.55 – 16.30 – Rheology and structure of polystyrene based vitrimers and their blends in thermoplastic matrixe – Lorenzo Santori

16.30 – 17.00 – Coffee break

17.00 – 17.45 – Data Management – Anne-Christine Baudouin

17.45 – 19.15 – Parallel Sessions :

Governing Board meeting

Podcasts preparation by DCs

Training session discussion with high school teacher for DCs 

Project dinner – Circolo Marinai d’Italia

June 12 – DC presentations – Discussion sessions – Biblioteca Classense – Ravenna city library

9.35 – 10.10 – Synthesis and properties of PS-PMMA copolymers containing reversible covalent crosslinks as compatibilizers in blends – Arya Vijayan

10.10 – 10.45 – Effect of degradation on the dynamics and crystallization of polyolefins  – Anthi Sapouna

10.45 – 11.15 – Break

11.15 – 11.50 – Unravelling spontaneous and driven mechanodynamics of gluten – Konstantina Lyroni

11.50 – 12.25 – Synthesis of comb polymers with dynamic branching chains – Matteo Conti

12.25 – 13.00 – Segmental and Chain Dynamics in Poly(Propylene Oxide) Dynamic Networks – Michail Danikas

13.00 – 14.30 Lunch

14.30 – 16.30 – Discussion session

16.30 – 17.00 – Coffee break

17.00 – 18.30 – Discussion session