March 20, 1996

Polymers Team Poring Brings Better Beer, Fizzier Drinks

Dr. Benny D. Freeman's research may one day revolutionize the beverage container industry, preserving soda's effervescence and beer's refreshing taste. Freeman, associate professor of chemical engineering at NC State, conducts research in the area of liquid crystalline polymer (LCPs).

Containers made with LCPs could be used for soft drinks because of their airtight property. Carbonated beverages would retain their fizz longer because the carbon dioxide would not leak out nearly as quickly as it does now. The plastic also prevents oxygen from seeping in -- a feature which would give beer a much longer shelf life.

The results of Freeman's work with high-barrier plastic containers have great potential in the commercial market. Freeman's research team recently completed an elaborate molecular model of the LCPs. They hope the model will facilitate efforts by manufacturers in producing the plastic on a large-scale basis, thereby driving down its costs and making it affordable for the beverage industry.

Freeman presented his team's research, funded by Hoechst Celanese and the NSF Young Investigator Award, in the paper "Thermal Transitions and Structure Evolution in PICT, a Soluble Nematic LCP Exhibiting a Kinetically Trapped, Disordered Structure" at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in New Orleans March 25. Team members include Christopher McDowell, Hsin-Chin Shen, and Dr. Claudine Noel.

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