Subject: Combinatorial/New Materials Survey responses

From: Kim Takita <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 16:34:06 -0400

Thank you very much to those who submitted questions for our Industry 
Survey on Combinatorial & other New Materials Discovery Technologies. 
Thanks also to those who asked to participate in the survey!  These will be 
sent out within the next 2 weeks.  Meanwhile, here are the specific 
questions which were submitted by the groups.

There is still time to request a survey :) Results will be compiled prior 
to the Combinatorial Approaches conference in Jan. -- participants will get 
a free copy of the results.

Here are the questions:
What is cost/time for each experimental point relative to conven-
  tional experimentation?
How do the microanalytical measurements for polymers compare to
   those ran on the same catalyst on a macroscale sample prepared
   in laboratory large scale reactor.  Same question but as compared
   to continuous reactors such as pilot plants and commercial reactors.
How do you develop discrimination tools for the variables under
   study to help guide the research effort? Is this an Edisonian
   approach made more efficient?
How difficult or facile is the patenting process for combinatorial
   chemistry?  Does this imply, for example, easier composition of matter
   type patents?
Can this technique by linked to molecular modeling to guide the
   development process?
How expensive is it to develop Combichem in house versus on a
   contract basis?
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I want to know what kind role the photonic polymer materials
will be taken in the coming century
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Why can't industry do this alone: why should the
Federal Government use taxpayer money to fund
private industry's entry into combinatorial
methodologies?
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One of the key questions, I believe, refer to methodology and organization:

How flexible (in terms of internal movements of personnel from one project
to another, and in terms of leaving a project at a standstill to take
another one) should an R&D organization be? How multidisciplinary should
working groups be? (multidiscipline means richness of ideas and
methodologies, but also means hardship in inter-work and organization;
where is the optimum point?).
If you read DuPont's experience and Dow's, it seems a lot had to do with
these issues.
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Are you: a. now doing, or b. would you like to do polymer plus additive(s)
 formulation using combinatorial type techniques (non-pharmaceutical,
non-agricultural, non-biological 
materials/polymers/additives/formulations)?
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methods for Use in inorganics
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Kim Takita
Vice President
The Knowledge Foundation, Inc.
101 Merrimac Street
Boston, MA  02114
Phone: 617-367-7979 ext. 202
Fax: 617-367-7912
E-Mail:  [email-masked]
http://www.knowledgefoundation.com