Enabling tools & technologies

Innovating in the polymer industry requires precision, speed, and a deep understanding of material behaviour. The Enabling tools & technologies programme tackles this challenge by developing and integrating advanced modelling, high-throughput experimentation, and artificial intelligence. This programme provides essential insights into polymer behaviour like rheology, aging, fatigue, and creep, empowering industrial partners to drive the next generation of polymer materials and applications.

The Enabling tools & technologies programme enables breakthrough innovation through:

Advanced catalysis & polymer chemistry: developing novel polymer materials and catalytic processes to push the boundaries of polymer science.
Reactor engineering & process optimisation: enhancing polyolefin production processes for efficiency, scalability, and sustainability.
Structure-processing-properties relationship: deepening the understanding of how polymer structure and processing influence material behaviour and performance.
Next-generation analytical tools & AI-driven materials research: leveraging cutting-edge analytics and AI to accelerate material design, predictive modelling, and discovery.

Through these capabilities, the programme strengthens industrial partners’ research strategies, reducing development timelines and increasing innovation success rates.

Key research areas and active projects

Advanced catalysis & polymer chemistry

ZN-TCLB

Developing next-generation Ziegler-Natta catalysts with temperature-controlled composition tuning, increasing precision in polymer production.

C1_QSPR

How do you steer catalyst behaviour when your system has more than one active site? That’s the challenge at the heart of C1_QSPR project, exploring how C1-symmetric catalysts behave in olefin copolymerisation, where multiple active sites may compete, and how to predict that behaviour before synthesis even begins.

View project

Next-generation analytical tools & AI-driven materials research

HTT-Advanced

Making the pilot High temperature field fractionation set-up ready for commercial development and available to the global polyolefin industry.

View website

PolyMIND

Enabling early detection of key fault types in composites, extraction of comprehensive health indicators, and prediction of remaining useful life.

View website

High-tech lab scene showing a fibre-reinforced composite sample with sensors and visualised internal crack detection using data-driven monitoring

TRAIL

TRAIL combines electrical sensing and machine learning to monitor damage in fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites.

View project

Futuristic lab setting showing solid-state NMR equipment analysing polymer–fibre interfaces with glowing molecular structures

HYPERFAST 2

HYPERFAST 2 applies ultrafast MAS NMR to study polymer–fibre interfaces and improve resolution in polymer characterisation.

View project

Visual comparison of cyclic and linear polyolefins, highlighting differences in molecular structure and topology

Topological Performance Polyolefins (TPPO)

TPPO explores how cyclic polyolefins can improve the performance of industrial resins. The project focuses on advanced synthesis and the rheological behaviour of new polymer topologies.

View project

Reactor engineering & process optimisation

SLUGGER

SLUGGER explores how catalyst performance in slurry-phase reactors can be translated to gas-phase conditions. The project combines modelling and experimentation to support better reactor understanding and scale-up decisions.

View project

Futuristic visualisation of polymer fingerprinting: a glowing reactor chamber surrounded by molecular models and data flows, symbolising predictive fouling control.

CASAFA

CASAFA investigates the root causes of fouling in fluidised bed reactors — from heat stress and triboelectrification to particle dynamics. Combining lab experiments with AI-powered analysis, the project delivers predictive insights to help industry prevent wall-sheeting, reduce downtime, and boost process stability.

View project

Structure-processing-properties relationship

SCOPE

Understanding how soluble clarifiers may improve polypropylene’s optical and barrier properties.

View website

MORPHORMANCE

Understanding load-induced morphological changes in PEEK and their effects on creep and fatigue behaviour, supporting high-performance applications.

Molecular simulation visual of ageing glassy polymers exposed to UV light and oxidising agents

PEARL

PEARL uses molecular simulation to investigate how physical ageing and chemical degradation affect the behaviour of glassy polymers.

View project

Boost your R&D with DPI

By joining the DPI community, you gain access to pioneering tools that accelerate material development: AI, modelling, high-throughput experimentation, and cutting-edge analytical methods.

Curious about how this could enhance your R&D? Let’s discuss opportunities!