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Challenge
Victrex is a leading provider of innovative, high performance polymer solutions to a wide range
of markets, including electronics, transport, energy and medical. Its advanced materials offer
optimised performance in complex or extreme environments, such as those which would subject
a component to high temperatures or pressures. The company was keen to discover how one
of their high-value products reacted with different chemicals on the atomic level, in order to
understand the properties and performance potential of the polymer in different situations.
Approach
By working with the Hartree Centre, Victrex were able to access world-class expertise in
computational chemistry and simulation methods, along with the supercomputing technology
required to carry out the calculations. The advanced modelling and visualisation capabilities at
the centre allowed Victrex to carry out quantum mechanical investigations at the atomic level.
This allowed them to develop an in-depth understanding of how particular materials behave in
different environments and should provide a basis for more accurate performance predictions.
Benefits
New insight into the properties of their unique polymers will enable Victrex to enhance their
current and future products to provide increased value and enable them to cater to increasingly
demanding market requirements. The company itself can therefore benefit from accelerating
on-going and future R&D programmes, as the virtual modelling and simulation calculations, can be
adapted with ease, saving valuable time.
“The insight that the work with the Hartree Centre has brought enables Victrex to better understand the capabilities of its high performance polymers in the most demanding of situations, and informs the design of the next generation of high-temperature thermoplastics.”
Richard Ainsworth
Victrex
