In this webinar, Dr. Kalina Ranguelova of Bruker BioSpin outlines a range of uses of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, including various industrial and academic applications, in order to understand the paramagnetic behavior of different polymer materials.
Among other mainstream analytical techniques, EPR has been rendered an indispensable tool in polymer science thanks to the ubiquity of free radicals, triplet states, and point defects in polymer materials.
Thanks to its unique ability to unambiguously detect paramagnetic species in a direct and non-intrusive manner, EPR is the most suitable technique for shedding light on these processes and reactions. The technique both identifies radical reaction intermediates and quantifies their concentrations, thus elucidating thermal and light activated mechanisms and kinetics of polymer reactions. It can be applied to samples in liquid or solid states over a wide range of temperatures.
Speakers
An EPR Applications Scientist, Dr. Kalina Ranguelova has held her role in Bruker BioSpin Corporation since 2011. Following on from the completion of her Ph.D. at The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where her research focused on inorganic copper complexes structure using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, Dr. Ranguelova joined Bruker after two research positions at CUNY and National Institute for Environmental Sciences. In these positions, she studied free radical biology and EPR spin trapping as a method for the measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Upon joining Bruker, Dr. Ranguelova accepted her current role as an Applications Scientist.
Her current focus is the detection and identification of pharmaceuticals using spin traps and spin probes as well as free radicals in biological systems. Dr. Ranguelova has publications in journals like The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Biochemistry, Free radical Biology and Medicine, etc., and has presented in many international meetings related to free radical research in biology and protein chemistry.
In 1994, David Barr received his Ph.D. (under the direction of Dr. Steven Aust) from Utah State University. David’s research was centered upon Free Radical Reactions catalyzed by Lignin Peroxidase. Released by a fungus that survives on trees, this enzyme actively degrades the lignin polymer in “old dead wood” by the use of a free radical mechanism. This fungus was used by the program at USU for the decontamination of environmentally persistent pollutants (e.g., various military munitions waste and pesticides.)
David continued his work at the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics (NIEHS facility in RTP, North Carolina) in free radical chemistry as a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ronald Mason’s research group focused on the method of Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy at NIEHS. David then joined Bruker in 1996, as an Application Scientist, working with various applications across ESR. David has most recently become a product manager for Bruker’s bench-top ESR systems, and his focus is on the transfer of ESR methods to the industrial sector.
Key Topics
- Monitoring photopolymerization reactions to increase understanding of electron transfer mechanisms in polymers
- Cross-linking reactions
- Polymerizations reaction kinetics
- Sterilizations effects
- Annealing in polymers