Dr. F. Parodi - Expertise & Know-How: microwave & RF chemistry and processing

Advanced Solutions for Microwave & Radio Frequency Processing and Chemical Syntheses

Dr. F. Parodi's patents, publications, lectures, seminars and technical reports

on Microwave & Radio Frequency physics, chemistry & processing

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	Microwave Chemicals: Specialty Additives for the Accelerated Microwave and Radio Frequency Processing of Rubbers, Plastics, Resins and Composite Materials
	Novel and proprietary additives and systems of additives for the enhancement of the microwave (UHF) and radio frequency (HF) heatability and UHF/HF processability of the greatest variety of plastics, rubbers and resins, or even enabling a fair-to-nice electromagnetic heatability and processability of microwave and RF-transparent polymeric materials: homo- and co-polyolefin plastics and rubbers [polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymers, EP(D)M rubbers, etc.]; natural rubber and synthetic polyisoprenes, butyl rubber, cyclopentadiene-based plastics and adhesives, diene and diene-styrene rubbers (such as polybutadienes, SBR and SEBS), etc. Attainable microwave and/or radio frequency-absorbing plastics, rubbers and resins are suitable as convenient *electromagnetic shielding materials. Proprietary products of* Dr F. Parodi. Microwave Heating Susceptors for Fast UHF Vulcanization of White & Colored Rubber Compounds. Colorless, synthetic, super-dipolar organic compounds: a) semi-experimental *chemically inert* microwave susceptors [XS and XN additives]; b) experimental *rubber-coreactive* microwave susceptors [XSR and XNR additives] . These novel additives are white-to-pale amber, either low-melting crystalline solids or viscous liquids, thus leaving unaltered any desirable coloration of rubber compounds. They are easily dispersible and miscible in all usual rubber compounds. See -Technical Note #2-, this website. Systems of Additives for Electrically-Conductive or Semiconductive Plastics and Rubbers. Specialty systems of additives acting as electronic conduction enhancers, dispersing agents, and *cohesion enhancers* in metal powder-filled and other conductor-filled (e.g. aluminum, copper, brass, carbon-black, and graphite-filled) plastics and rubbers. See -Technical Note #4 , this website.

	Co-design of Advanced Microwave Power Irradiation Systems for Enhanced Chemical Syntheses

	The subject, fully computer-contolled systems are being co-designed, and exactly customized according to the specific needs, in conjunction with leading constructors of microwave and RF equipment & instrumentations. These unique microwave power irradiation systems afford exceptionally high electromagnetic field energy densities, thus multiplying the effects of UHF (or SHF) irradiation on reaction kinetics, mechanism and thermodynamics (in either the presence or absence of the specialty microwave sensitizers or catalysts proposed above). The new devices are designed for organic syntheses carried out in a flowing solution or suspension, in either organic or aqueous media, with excellent temperature control. Continuous-flow processes and re-circulation of liquid reacting mixtures are both considered. The automatic and progressive, electronic retuning of the irradiation frequency to the reacting system, and a precise, continual adjustment of the irradiation power ensure efficiency levels unrivaled by any other microwave heating equipment for chemical syntheses to date proposed. Proprietary, perfectly microwave-transparent, very high-temperature & pressure-resistant, thermal shock-insensitive, and absolutely chemically inert cylindrical ducts of the flowing reacting mixtures are designed and fabricated as key-components of the novel devices. In its standard configuration, any apparatus is already suitable for both research and process development, and industrial production of value-added chemicals (catalysts, specialty additives and pharmaceuticals).

Novel polyethylene and polypropylene thermoplastic compositions designed for a range of accelerated hot manufacturing operations on polymeric preforms, semifinished articles, parts or components by means of mechanical stresses (e.g. stretching, curving, folding, die casting, welding, etc.) applied under super-rapid and penetrating heating by microwave irradiation, or combined microwave + infrared irradiation, in conventional, tunnel or closed-chamber, industrial UHF devices : World Pat. Appl. WO-2004-048463-A1 (Jun. 10, 2004; to F. Parodi) [ ABSTRACT ] [ see Technical Note #4 ]

	Smart Microwave Catalysts & Reaction Redesign for Microwave-Enhanced Chemistry
			Smart Microwave Catalysts for UHF-Enhanced Polymerization Processes. "Sleeping catalysts" (i.e. heat-insensitive or thermally-latent catalysts) selectively activated by UHF radiation, and thus imparting selective and strong accelerations to numerous polymerization or crosslinking reactions (in bulk or in solution) when submitted to microwave (UHF) power irradiation (see -Technical Note #3-, this website):
			UHF-vulcanization accelerators, for rubber compounds combining a long shelf-life, a prolonged scorch time under conventional (thermal) heating, and very short scorch and curing times upon UHF heating treatments [RTX Catalysts]; UHF-curing catalysts, for quick-curing epoxy-anhydride and epoxy-carboxylic acid resin systems (thermosetting resins for electrical/electronic applications endowed with very long gel-times under conventional thermal conditions, and very short gelation and vitrification times upon UHF heating) [TX Catalysts]; snap-UHF-curing catalysts for high-performance, thermosetting isocyanate-epoxy -FPR Resin Systems- : -FPC W Catalysts-; UHF polymerization catalysts: latent, isocyanate-polyol reaction catalysts for super-rapid production of (linear or crosslinked) polyurethanes upon microwave irradiation.



			Microwave-promoted reactions: optimization or redesign of reacting systems, aimed at gaining a specific chemical sensitivity to UHF or HF power irradiation, to become much faster, selective and/or more productive under microwave or RF heating with respect to conventional thermal procedures. This is principally being achieved by calibrated complexation or solvation effects on reacting or intermediate species, introduction of highly dipolar, ionic or strongly paramagnetic species, etc., identified and optimized via computer-aided molecular simulations of the whole chemical process.