Professor Robert Young FREng

The research interests of Professor Young are in all aspects of the relationships between structure and mechanical properties of polymers and composites, and he has published a number of books and more than 280 papers in the field. He has a number of research programmes in collaboration with academics and industrial companies in the UK, Mainland Europe and Japan. The application of the technique of Raman spectroscopy to monitor deformation processes in high-performance fibres and composites has been developed and is now being extended to other materials such as carbon nanotubes and spider silk. More recently he has been concerned with the use of synchrotron micro-focus x-ray diffraction to follow fibre and composite deformation. His other research interests include the analysis of structure/property relationships in polymer-based laminates for use in packaging applications.

• Analysis of Fibre and Composite Deformation using Raman Spectroscopy
• Mechanisms of Deformation in High Performance Polymer Fibres
• Analysis of Deformation of Polymer Fibres and Composites using Synchrotron Radiation
• Characterisation of Carbon Nanotubes using Raman spectroscopy
• Deformation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and their Composites
• Reinforcement of Thermoplastics by Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
• Structure and Deformation of Silicon Carbide Monofilaments
• Polymer Based Laminates for Food Packaging Applications

• Analysis of Stress Transfer in Two-phase Polymer Systems using Synchrotron Microfocus X-ray Diffraction, R.J. Young, S.J. Eichhorn, Y.-T. Shyng, C. Riekel and R.J. Davies, Macromolecules, 37 (2004) 9503-9509.
• Collapse of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes is Diameter Dependent, by J.A. Elliott, J.K.W. Sandler, R.J. Young, A.H. Windle and M.S.P. Shafer, Physical Review Letters, 92 (2004) 095501.
• Determination of the Axial and Radial Fibre Stress Distributions for the Broutman Test, by R. Sinclair, R.J. Young and R.D.S. Martin, Composites Science and Technology, 64 (2004) 181-189.
• The Effect of Uniaxial Strain upon the Raman Radial Breathing Modes of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes in Composites, by M. Lucas and R.J. Young, Physical Review B, 69 (2004) 085405
• Analysis of Structure/Property Relationships in Silkworm (Bombyx Mori) and Spider Dragline (Nephila Edulis) Silks using Raman Spectroscopy, by J. Sirichaisit, V.L. Brookes, R.J. Young and F. Vollrath, Biomacromolecules, 4 (2003) 387-394.
• Variations of the Raman Peak Shift as a Function of Hydrostatic Pressure for Various Carbon Nanostructures: A Simple Geometric Effect, by J. Sandler, M.S.P. Shaffer, A.H. Windle, M.A. Montes Morán, C.A. Cooper, R.J. Young and M.P. Halsall, Physical Review B, 67 (2003) 035417.
• Determination of Residual Stresses in SiC Monofilament Reinforced Metal-Matrix Composites using Raman Spectroscopy, by Y. Ward, R.J. Young and R.A. Shatwell, Composites A, 33 (2002) 1409-1416.
• Investigation Into the Deformation of Carbon Nanotubes and their Composites Through the Use of Raman Spectroscopy, by C.A.Cooper, R.J. Young and M. Halsall, Composites A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 32 (2001) 401-411.