Aurrera Center of Dissipative Interactions
(ACDI)
MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
Our mission has a research and a teaching objective: to perfect, disseminate and implement in applications a new statistical model of interactions in physics, the Grain-Field Statistics, which considers the interactions between entities from a different point of view than in the current established models. This new model defines the interactions by the way they evolve (Aurrera in Basque): as an open dissipative dynamic process –always evolving, never ending- controlling the local pairing activity modulated by a self-generated collective network.
Our first implementation of the Grain-Field Statistics is to describe interactions in polymers. The Grain-Field Statistics represents the core of the mathematical description of the physics of dual-interaction; it describes both the self-generated network and the local level of interactions of a system of conformers taken from all the macromolecules considered collectively. The statistical system is no longer defined by a single macromolecule embedded in a mean field of influences by other macromolecules, which is the traditional approach; the system is the whole set of Dual-conformers defined by their dual identity, i.e. their conformational state (cis,gauche, or trans) and their interactive pairing state (F or b), i.e. either Free or bonded.
The interest in polymers stems from the fact that due to their long chains, relaxation occurs at slow rates compared to what happens for small molecules or atoms. These slow kinetics during a change of state permit to develop a new understanding of their behavior during transients, when they are out of equilibrium, and establish a better description of their steady states which are time invariants only themselves subject to variations and instabilities. The physics of smaller entities' interactions (between particles, atoms, molecules) occurs at very fast relaxation rates and thus addresses the steady states, which are the statistical states we measure. The laws of Statistical Mechanics have been formulated from the steady states, not from the transient’s dynamics which created these steady states. The implication to physics of original solutions found for polymers may change that and forge new statistical paradigms.
The main achievement of this new physics of interactions is a new understanding of "entanglements" in polymers, the corner stone of polymer physics.
This change of paradigm of what entanglements are opens up a new era of applications for polymer materials, in particular new ways to process them by reducing significantly the energy necessary to make them flow in molding presses. This is achieved by lowering the viscosity during processing by temporarily destabilizing the entanglements into "disentangled states". The 1st generation technologies related to “Rheo-Fluidification” and “Sustained-Orientation”, whose patents have expired, can be improved pursuant to the recent advanced in the understanding of the “disentanglement” concepts it is based on, leading to new intellectual property. Another potentially revolutionary application, called the “Pink-Energy Powder “project (PEP), is aiming at storing pressure energy from classical sources (dams etc.) into recycled plastics in the form of powder working like a battery: the PEP treated powder can be reheated to release its stored energy to turn turbines creating electricity or to directly rotate motors of vehicles. This application of the Dual-Phase interpretation of what entanglements are, if validated using pressure (inducing enthalpic changes) like it has been validated using shear (inducing network entropic changes), could have two important impacts: the revalorization of recycled plastics, which are shamefully turned into waste as soon as they have been used, and the replacement of petrochemical fuels by a zero emission PFP powder to achieve the same objective: transfer energy to generate motion. The Aurrera Association has available a Development plan for the PEP project and can be contacted for providing further details.
Our practical objective is to create, animate and expand, via Universities, Research Institutes (public or private) and via the Internet, a research and dissemination activity focused on the understanding of the physical and rheological properties of polymers, with the mission to advance fundamental research in polymer physics, improve the physical behavior of macromolecular materials (synthetic or natural), and induce the plastic industry to invest in the further development of the “Rheo-Fluidification” and “Sustained-Orientation” technologies and initiate the development of the “Pink-Energy Powder” project, the conversion of plastic waste to “plastic powder battery energy packs”.
Our broad fundamental objective is to develop a new understanding of the interactions in statistical systems beyond polymers, in matter made up of smaller entities: particles, atoms and free space (void). Is the knowledge developed to understand interactions in polymers applicable to other materials and other disciplines of physics? Can physics in general benefit from our assumptions leading to the dynamics of the Grain-Field Statistics?. For instance, the relaxation of simulated open EKTOR dissipative systems brought out of equilibrium by cooling at fast cooling rates reveals a pattern of time structures in its decay, the chronogenes ,that could possibly help understand the pre-Big Bang and post-Big Bang connections
Our means to accomplish our objective will be as follows:
The Aurrera Center of Dissipative Interactions (ACDI), physically located in Biarritz (France) and Irun (Spain), will disseminate its existing knowledge on the ongoing research by the publication of articles and books (via ACDI-Press), by broadcasting lectures via the internet to students, professors, and researchers from other institutions and universities throughout the world, by organizing international conferences, workshops, and seminars and by soliciting public and private funds, grants and awards.
Our goal is to partner actively with selected individuals, universities and other research groups that are highly motivated to work with us to achieve our research and teaching objectives.
We welcome members from the industry to join our project to benefit from the particular applications associated with the fundamental research at the ACDI campus. We actively seek the participation of the industry to be part of the ACDI development program, through sponsorships, development contracts and consultancy agreements with ACDI and its partners.
The success of the ACDI project will be judged by its impact, not only at the fundamental level of understanding interactions, but also, at a practical level, by convincing the plastic industry, the converters, processors, compounders and resin manufacturers, to invest in the development of smart and green technologies such as Rheo-Fluidification, Sustained-Orientation and the Pink-Energy Powder (PEP) technology.