The events of 9/11 spurred Caltech Professor Julia A. Kornfield’s research team to begin researching polymers that, when added to fuels like gasoline, minimize the risk of explosion when ignited. These polymers, known as megasupramolecules, change the way liquid fuels flow and could help reduce fatalities and injuries from plane crashes, auto accidents, and IED attacks on the battlefield.
The events of 9/11 spurred Kornfield’s research team to begin researching polymers that, when added to fuels like gasoline, minimize the risk of explosion when ignited. These polymers, known as megasupramolecules, change the way liquid fuels flow and could help reduce fatalities and injuries from plane crashes, auto accidents, and IED attacks on the battlefield.
Julia A. Kornfield (BS '83, MS '84) is Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor of Chemical Engineering in Caltech's Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
Established in 1922, the Earnest C. Watson Lectures bring Caltech’s most innovative scientific research to the public. Named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 to 1959, the Watson Lectures spotlight a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech’s faculty is currently conducting.
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