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Professor Papavasiliou's research has focused on mathematical modeling, nonlinear dynamics and polymer reaction engineering.
Through the coupling of mathematical models and experimental validation, Dr. Papavasiliou's research is aimed to improve, control and optimize the polymerization process as well as gain fundamental insight of the polymer properties in order to fine-tune them for specific applications. Especially problematic are free-radical systems that undergo gel formation due to excessive branching and/or crosslinking reactions. Such systems may result in compromised product quality and processing issues. Among the material properties, both the identification of the gel point and the prediction of the molecular weight distribution aid in the selection of appropriate process parameters. Furthermore, the simulation of the polymerization reactor is one of the central points of research in polymer technology that allows for the prediction of the material properties in the most economically efficient manner. By focusing on the molecular weight distribution characteristics, a methodology has been developed to obtain accurate predictions of the Molecular Weight Distributions (MWD) of gelation systems for different kinetic mechanisms as well as different reactor configurations (batch and continuous reactors).
In the area of nonlinear dynamics, pioneering work has led to a bifurcation analysis which has revealed steady state multiplicity, limit cycle behavior and oscillations for the system investigated and under the influence of nonisothermal effects, illustrates the occurrence of multiple critical gel transitions. Such analyses can be extended in the areas of enzymatic and biochemical reactions. | 