Philip David Coates

Character introduction

Professor Phil Coates is a Physics graduate (Imperial College), London. His PhD research was on solid phase deformation processing of polymers (Leeds University). Prof Coates was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1995.  He was Pro Vice Chancellor for Research & Knowledge Transfer at Bradford for 7 years (2004-11), and is Professor of Polymer Engineering, at the University of Bradford.  He is Director of the internationally recognised Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) (across the Universities of Leeds, Bradford, Durham and Sheffield), with some 50 researchers at Bradford involved at the leading edge of in-process measurements for process monitoring, analysis and control, and computer modelling in a 4500 m2 laboratory. The research targets high value polymer products for a range of sectors–healthcare technology (including bioresorbable polymers for orthopaedic applications), pharmaceuticals processing, optical, automotive and advanced materials developments, including nanocomposites and reactive grafting, all with pioneering in-process measurement and modelling. He is a director of MeDe Innovation, the £5.7m EPSRC Centre of Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices, founded in 2013 across Leeds, Bradford, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield Universities.  His research has substantial support (over £55 million total grants and contracts) from UK Government sources and industry, with over 150 companies collaborating in the research programmes from the USA, Europe, the Middle East, China, Australia and Japan.  Similarly, the research involves strong international cooperation in the UK, Europe, N America, India, Japan and particularly China.

Topic: Controlled Structuring of Polymers by Processing–Science, Technology and Applications

Abstract  It is increasingly recognised that properties of polymers and polymer composites depend on the structure imparted during processing, which we term ‘process structuring’. Two major areas of controlled process structuring for enhanced polymer properties will be covered, namely solid phase orientation and ultra-precision micromoulding. These can involve routes to specific ‘property gradient’ and ‘property distribution’ products.
Solid phase orientation processing of polymers at temperatures between Tg and the melting point provides a most striking example of process structuring, in terms of the magnitude of property changes which can be achieved - e.g. several hundred percent enhancements in physical properties. Molecular orientations and large scale effective morphological reorganisations achieved by drawing or other forming processes can be locked into the final product, which normally remain stable in final products. The products can be used for significant load bearing applications, or orientation may be intentionally recoverable in a controlled manner, for ‘shape memory’ products. Remarkable cost-effective improvements in properties can consequently be achieved in many polymers and polymer composites by solid phase orientation processing, with applications including medical technology (e.g. tissue fixations, stents, drug eluting implants), construction, pipes, and personal products. Die drawing is a unique technology where solid polymers are drawn through a die or over mandrels, to achieve controlled enhancement of physical properties for many polymers, including selected axial or biaxial orientation distributions, at commercially viable production rates and at a range of length scales, e.g. 100 micron wall thickness tubes for bioresorbable stents, to tens of millimetres thick sections for structural applications, by batch or continuous processing. Our fundamental polymer deformation studies include necking and structural evolution, and FEA of processing.
Our ultra-precision micromoulding of polymer melts, at extreme strain rates and cooling gradients, involves controlled process-structuring of polymers, including control of morphologies e.g. for shape memory products, novel blend morphologies, and functionality, including conducting materials, and surface feature control.  
Both routes involve extensive collaborations for structural characterisation and potential novel products with leading Chinese research groups, with whom we have Joint International Laboratories, in Sichuan University, Changchun CIACCAS and BUCT, and with ICCAS Beijing and Shanghai SIMMCAS.

KEY WORDS: polymer, orientation, deformation, micromoulding, processing.

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