Bio-Based Polymers and Polyurethane Elastomers Development Expert

Technical Consultant #1889

Development of bio-based polymers for industrial applications.
Polyurethane product development and characterization.
Nano-clay composites development.
Adhesion science and characterization.
Adhesion of lignocellulosic composites.
Molecular diffusion in elastomeric, laminated, and composite materials.
Thermal analysis, molecular spectroscopy, and polymer characterization.
Technical and business development initiatives developing new products and licensing,, increasing efficiency, solving problems and reducing costs
Intellectual property portfolio development - bio-polymer based products.
Custom chemistries for various industries: Polymers, adhesives, coatings, personal care products and Medical devices.

Undisclosed Company, Principal Scientist and President, 2000 - Present

Established a contract research and development consulting and technology licensing company, serving multiple industries.
Current areas of research and development include bio-based polymers and nano-particles, polyurethane, polyurethane elastomers, Isocyanate chemistry, nano-clay particulates in polymer systems, oral care (denture) adhesive development, surgical adhesives thermoset composites, cross-linked thermoplastics, coatings for roll covering, reactive hot melt adhesives, hydrophobic and lipophobic coatings, wood adhesives, and coatings for industrial pumps and motors.
Successes include a new bio-based hybrid adhesive technology for industrial and commercial applications, an elastomer product line for a roll covering company, development and commercialization of an optical brightening solution for inclusion in adhesive formulations, several new wood adhesives for engineered lumber applications, a denture adhesive based on nano-composite technology, and the development of new polyurethane polyol technology that has broad application in a variety of polyurethane industries.
Worked with several industrial and financial services companies to evaluate new technologies from a technical and market potential perspective and providing recommendations for market penetration.

Bio-Polymer Technologies, Ltd., NJ and, Israel, Principal Scientist, 2006 - Present

Principal Scientist for a technology development and licensing company specializing in biobased products derived from waste agricultural meals for use in adhesive, oil sequestering, emulsification, and personal care products.
Laboratory product development, pilot plant scale-up, and manufacturing plant implementation of adhesion technology for the wood based composites portfolio sector.
Devised and executed the technical strategy and commercial discussions with decision makers in prospective companies and with large investment banks.

ICI / Huntsman Polyurethanes, West Deptford, NJ, 1993 - 2001

Scientist and Technical Manager

Responsible for a technical team of 24 people and an operating budget of over 4 million dollars.
Defined research projects conducted by our international research and development group for the Americas Wood Composites Business.
Further responsibilities included: scientific and technical liaison between customers, universities, and technical organizations; facilities management; intellectual property management; industrial hygiene coordination with customers; technical marketing and defining business strategy based on technical developments.
Focused and streamlined technical efforts, reduced costs by one million dollars over a three year period while increasing sales 5 to 10 percent annually, via new product introduction over this same time frame.

Senior Technical Associate

Responsible for outlining and coordinating research efforts pertaining to the fundamental chemistry of isocyanate based adhesives for structural and engineered lignocellulosic composites in the Adhesion Science Group.
Managed collaborative research efforts between international research and development and several universities and research institutions.

Beloit Manhattan, Inc., Clarks Summet, PA, 1983 - 1986

Analytical Chemist and Polyurethane Specialist

Responsible for the development and testing of new and existing roll covering compounds (polyurethane and conventional elastomers).
Designed, specified, and scaled-up from research through manufacturing.
Responsible for the operation, maintenance, and supervision of all analytical instrumentation.
Supervised laboratory technicians.
Responsible for the testing and analysis of elastomeric and composite materials utilizing spectroscopic, thermal analytical, and microscopic methods as well as wet chemical methods of analysis.

Research Activities

Development of bio-based polymers for industrial applications.
Study physicochemical behavior of nano-clay particulates in polymer systems and how these physicochemical interactions affect the polymer physicalproperties of these nano-composites.
Development of structure/property relationships for polyurethanes and other polymeric systems via molecular spectroscopy and dynamic physical property measurements.
Development and analytical characterization of reactive polyurethane hotmelt adhesives, cold curing polyurethane adhesives, and heat cured, thermosetting polyurethane and epoxy resin adhesive systems.
Adhesion mechanisms operative within lignocellulosic and other composite materials studies.
Analytical characterization of the chemical and physical properties of wood.
Characterization of the mechanism of water permeation in polyurethane elastomers, and the study of the morphological characteristics of polyurethane elastomers utilizing solid state NMR.
Molecular diffusion in elastomeric, laminated, and composite materials study.
Molecular mechanics and molecular modeling studies of model polymer systems for the purpose of design and analysis.
Implementation and development of solid-state NMR techniques for the study of polymeric systems.

Credentials

College, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Short Course Instructor, Pittcon, "Industrial Problem Solving Using Thermal Analysis"
Short Course Instructor, Pittcon, "Language and Matter: Technical Writing for Industrial Scientists and Managers"

Academic and Professional Affiliations

Publications and Patents