The National Science Foundation Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems awarded the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. $356,676 on March 1, 2026, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to conduct experimental and computational research on cyclic ether intermediates formed during hydrocarbon combustion.
The project will quantify stereochemical differences in alkyl-substituted cyclic ethers to improve combustion modeling for internal combustion engines and aviation fuel development. The work involves high-pressure jet-stirred reactor experiments on six constitutional and stereoisomers of 3-membered and 4-membered cyclic ethers, which are commercially unobtainable but important intermediates. Vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and mass spectrometry will produce isomer-resolved measurements of species concentration across varying temperature, pressure, and oxygen concentration conditions. The project will generate combustion mechanism data using a tandem approach combining reaction mechanism generator and automech codes, establishing connections between molecular structure and product formation. These experimental data will serve as validation targets for new combustion models, improving accuracy for next-generation combustion system design.
Performance occurs at Athens, Georgia, with a period of performance from March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2029. The assistance type is a Project Grant.