The University of Sheffield
Department of Chemistry

Emeritus Prof John Ebdon

Prof John Ebdon

Phone: +44 (0)114 222 9300 Chemistry Enquiries
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 9346

email : j.ebdon@sheffield.ac.uk

Emeritus Professor: BSc Birmingham (1965); PhD Birmingham (1968); ICI Fellow, Lancaster University (1969-1971); Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor, Lancaster University (1971-2000); Director of the Polymer Centre, Lancaster University (1992-2000); Director of the Polymer Centre, Sheffield University (2000-2003), Professor of Polymer Chemistry, Sheffield University (2000-2004)

Key Words

Polymer Synthesis, Polymerization Kinetics and Mechanisms, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Telechelic Oligomers, Ozonolysis, Chemical Modification, Flame Retardance

Research Interests

Synthetic polymers, or macromolecules as they are sometimes called, have been exploited for over 100 years as components of a wide variety of commodity materials, including plastics, rubbers, fibres, adhesives and surface coatings. Many of these polymers have relatively simple structures and their names are today as familiar as their applications, e.g. polyethylene, polystyrene, perspex, nylon and polyester. However, there is ever-increasing interest in making polymers of more complex structure, designed to have specific chemical, physical and mechanical properties and high-value-added, speciality, applications.

My research over the years has encompassed many areas of polymer science including: the kinetics and mechanisms of free radical homo- and co-polymerizations; the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to probe polymer microstructure; aminoresin chemistry; the "clean" synthesis of reactive, short-chain, polymers (telechelic oligomers) using ozone; and, most recently, the chemical modification of polymers to improve their flame retardance.

The importance of improving the flame retardance of synthetic polymers is self-evident; most polymers, being organic materials, are inherently highly flammable. We have attempted to achieve better flame retardance not by the currently rather crude commercial practice of putting in flame-retardant additives, but by chemically modifying the polymer, for example with phosphorus-containing or silicon-containing groups, so that the flame retardance is "built in" from the outset. We have also explored the use of chemical flame retardants in combination with nanofillers such as nanoscopic clays and carbon nanotubes to achieve similar ends. Overall, we have found that our approaches allow the flammability of many polymers to be significantly reduced with minimal effects on other important properties, such as mechanical strength. Although I no longer have a laboratory at Sheffield, my research on flame retardance continues as a collaborative activity with other research groups both at home and abroad.

Selected Recent Publications