|
South Carolina’s largest manufacturing industry—commodity polymers—will be in the spotlight April 7-8 when USC’s NanoCenter hosts a Symposium on Polymer Nanocomposites.
The symposium is the latest development in USC’s burgeoning research on polymer nanocomposites (PNC), which are additives that improve plastics properties for many applications. USC currently is raising private matching funds for a $7 million Research Center of Economic Excellence for Polymer Nanocomposites.
“This symposium is the next step in building up our capabilities in PNC research,” said David Pond, managing director of the NanoCenter. “This initiative could become entwined in the new research campus because we have a number of industrial partners who are pursuing joint research opportunities with us.”
The symposium, which will be held at the new Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, will feature nine invited speakers, including four with international reputations in PNC research. Representatives from many polymer and plastics manufacturers and users are expected to attend the symposium, which will include a meeting of industries who are partnering with USC’s PNC center.
South Carolina is among the top 10 states in the country for polymer manufacturing employment, with 6 percent of the state’s gross domestic product coming from the polymer industry. International competition, especially from countries such as China, could erode the state’s polymer manufacturing base in the same way that textile manufacturing has declined.
USC’s PNC research is aimed at improving the quality of plastics without increasing costs, a development that would help U.S. manufacturers maintain a competitive edge. The impetus to seek funding for the Research Center for Polymer Nanocomposites began after USC received a significant intellectual property donation from Voridian in 2002, which included patents for polymer nanocomposites.
As part of the emerging PNC research center, USC is seeking candidates for a recently awarded Research Center of Economic Excellence chair in polymer nanocomposite research who will spearhead future research efforts. Many of the speakers at the forthcoming symposium represent the caliber of researchers USC is considering for the post.
3/05
|
