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46950-SE
50 Years After the Discovery of Polymer Single Crystals - A Look Back, Current Discoveries and Future Opportunities at the ACS National Meeting, August 2007, Boston, MA

Stephen Z.D. Cheng, University of Akron and Andrew J. Lovinger, National Science Foundation

           Dr. Andrew Lovinger and Dr. Stephen Z.D. Cheng organized a symposium entitled “50 Years After the Discovery of Polymer Single Crystals – A Look Back, Current Discoveries and Future Opportunities” at the Fall ACS meeting in Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007.  In 1957, polymer single crystals with crystallographically-defined, facetted shapes were first reported in dilute solution, and later in the melt, implying a nucleation-controlled process.  Electron diffraction provided direct experimental observations to enable interpretation of how the long chain molecules crystallize into the lamellar form.  In the past fifty years, profound progress in understanding the growth of polymer morphologies, scrolled and helical crystal formations and their mechanisms, crystallization theories, crystallinity and its relationship with mechanical properties, crystallization kinetics and crystal orientation in nano-confined environments, and others has been developed.  These fundamental understandings have had tremendous impact on chemical industries, economics, and human lives.  The goal of this symposium was to bring together leading scientists in these fields to take a look at the development of polymer single crystals and crystallization over the past fifty years as well as discuss the future of the field and its impact on emerging technologies in various material science areas. 

           In order to gain a perspective on the impact of polymer single crystals, we focused on inviting speakers, 34 to be exact, with varying backgrounds.  Some have been established in the field for many years; while, others have begun to establish themselves more recently.  The symposium opened with a history of and perspective on the discovery of polymer single crystals by some of the leading researchers at that time.  They were Phil Geil (UIUC), Freddy Khoury (NIST), Bernard Lotz (CNRS), Darrell Reneker (U. of Akron), Bernard Wunderlich (RPI), and Stephen Cheng (U. of Akron).  In addition, several well-respected international researchers presented material.  Namely, Goran Ungar (U. of Sheffield, England), Robert Prud’homme (U. of Montreal, Canada), Gert Strobl (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany) and Sanjay Rastogi (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands).  Other researchers from Japan, China, France, and Taiwan were part of the invited presenters list.  Finally, some younger presenters exhibited some of their work on the current investigations involving polymer single crystals.  They were Chris Y. Li (Drexel), Lei Zhou (UConn), David Martin (U. of Michigan), and Julia Kornfield (Cal Tech).  All of these presenters gave invaluable insight into polymer crystallization as an established field, an integral part of industrial research, and a fundamental basis for future direction.

           In addition to the invited presentations, a panel discussion, headed by Dr. Andrew Lovinger, was held on Tuesday the 20^th.  The members of the panel included Frank Bates from the University of Minnesota, Stephen Cheng from the University of Akron, Anne Hiltner from Case Western Reserve University, Bernard Lotz from the Institut Charles Sadron, Gert Strobl from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Tom Russell from MIT, and Ned Thomas from MIT.  Each panel member was asked to give a short presentation on their thoughts of the present and future impacts of polymer single crystals prior to the open discussion with all audience members.  The discussion consisted of nearly 60 participants with points of emphasis on future directions of polymer research, current unsolved issues, new experimental equipment considerations, and polymer science education.  This aspect of the symposium proved to be one of the most fascinating and successful parts.                 

          The targeted audience of the panel discussion was graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and young faculty.  These researchers hold the key to continuing a high level of quality research, finding the answers to many of the proposed questions, and furthering the impact of crystals on polymer technology.  As such, these groups were encouraged to attend the meeting through support from their academic advisors and additional financial support from other funding sources.  A poster session was held to allow them the opportunity to discuss their research, as well as the many points brought up in the panel discussion, with many of the leading researchers in polymer crystallization.  The hope is that this symposium exposed them to new and old ideas about polymer single crystals in order to spark their scientific interest and encourage them to work in this emerging field.   The total attendance for this symposium is estimated to be around 170 people.

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