A 1976 paper that Chemical Engineering Professor Isaac Sanchez co-authored is one of the 100 most-cited papers in the 110-year history of the Journal of Physical Chemistry.
The paper, “An Elementary Molecular Theory of Classical Fluids: Pure Fluids,” proposed a theory that three generations of scientists have used to describe thermodynamic properties of polymeric fluids, said fellow Chemical Engineering Professor Nicholas Peppas. Sanchez’s paper, co-authored with Bob Lacombe, received more than 730 citations, placing it in a prestigious group of only 65 papers in the journal’s history to receive between 500 and 1000 citations.
Sanchez, who holds the William J. (Bill) Murray, Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering, works to solve problems in polymer science and engineering by studying polymer interfacial phenomena, and how changes in temperature, pressure and volume affect polymers. He develops models and uses computer simulations to understand polymer solubility and conformation, and the role of water in polymer processes. His atomistic computer models predict how gas passes through glassy membranes used to separate materials. This protocol promises to establish a computer-based method to evaluate polymer membranes based solely on chemical structure.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry, published by the American Chemical Society, features research on subject areas such as polymers, materials, surfaces and interfaces, and biological macromolecules.
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