Controlling the Properties and Performance of Concrete Using Computer Aided Molecular Design

1. Research Experience for Undergraduates Applicants are sought for Summer 2014 Controlling the Properties and Performance of Concrete Using Computer Aided Molecular Design The Department of Chemical Engineering at Tennessee Tech University (TTU) is proud to announce the formation of a team to new additives for portland cement concrete. We seek applicants for a 10 week summer Research Experience for Undergraduate. Application information can be found at: http://www.cae.tntech.edu/~jbiernacki/#REU. By mass, concrete is the most used man-made material on earth. It comes as a surprise to most people that concrete is not simply stones, cement and water, but rather it can contain a number of other components, called admixtures, that are used to modify the properties of either the fresh, fluid concrete, or the hardened structural material. These admixtures can, in and of themselves, be complex compounds that have engineered interactions with the cementitioussystem. TTU Researchers are now using a model-based computer aided strategy to search for and design such molecules. This approach has been shown to be successful in other applications including in the search for new drugs and solvents that are friendlier to the environment. The goal is to improve concrete’s field performance by making it last longer and have fewer negative impacts on the environment. For more information contact Dr. Joseph J. Biernacki at: jbiernacki@tntech.edu, 931-372-3667. Chemical Engineering College of Engineering Portland cement 1000x, Biernacki and Xie TTU.