logo
Department of
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
   
   
  
 

Image of Davide De Focatiis

Davide De Focatiis

Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering

Contact

Expertise Summary

Dr Davide De Focatiis is Lecturer in Polymer Engineering in the Division of Materials, Mechanics and Structures in the Faculty of Engineering. His research is focused on the characterisation and prediction of solid-state properties of processed polymers and polymer composites.

Davide completed his MEng degree in Engineering Science at the University of Cambridge in 1999. During his Masters research, working with Dr Simon Guest, he discovered a family of biomimetic folding mechanisms based on the folding structure of beech and hornbeam leaves, with applications as deployable structures. From 1999-2003 he studied for a DPhil (Ph.D.) at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, with Dr Zhong You. This work was concerned with the mechanics of a needle-free powder injection device developed by Oxford spin-off PowderJect Pharmaceuticals. After completing his DPhil, he was employed as a Research Assistant in the Solid Mechanics and Materials Engineering group at the Engineering Department, University of Oxford, working under the direction of Prof. C.Paul Buckley, from 2005-2008. This work was part of a large EPSRC funded collaboration following the path of well-characterised polymers from synthesis, through processing into the solid state. Major developments include the formulation of molecularly-aware and process-aware craze initiation criteria, and the development of large-deformation constitutive models for processed amorphous polymer products.

In February 2009 he commenced a Lectureship in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham. Besides research on polymers, he teaches the core module on Chemical Product Design (3rd year), the Advanced Rheology and Materials course (4th year), and a new interdisciplinary module on Polymer Engineering (3rd year). He also acts as the department's library representative.

Research Summary

Dr Davide De Focatiis's main research interests lie in the field of solid state properties of polymers. Current projects are investigating the mechanical response of processed polymers and… read more

Selected Publications

Current Research

Dr Davide De Focatiis's main research interests lie in the field of solid state properties of polymers. Current projects are investigating the mechanical response of processed polymers and elastomers, and the effects of the introduction of fillers such as carbon black and carbon nanotubes. The electrical properties of such composites under strain are also being examined with application as large strain sensors. Other areas of interest include constitutive modelling of properties of processed polymers, properties of nanocomposites, flow-induced crystallisation in polymers, and biodegradable and bioresorbable polymers and composites. Dr De Focatiis is a member of the Materials, Mechanics and Structures research division, and an associate member of the Process and Environmental Research division. He is a member of the Faculty of Engineering, and of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. He has strong links with the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, as well as collaborations with the Department of Chemistry and the School of Mathematics.

For more information about research interests, visit http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~enzddf

  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A, 2012. Tooling for near net-shape compression moulding of polymer specimens Polymer Testing. 31(4), 550-556
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A AND BUCKLEY, C P, 2011. Craze initiation in glassy polymers: quantifying the influence of molecular orientation Polymer. 52(18), 4045-4053
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A, HULL, D and SANCHEZ-VALENCIA A, 2011. Electromechanical hysteresis in filled elastomers In: 7th European Conference on Constitutive Models for Rubber.
  • BUCKLEY, C P, DE FOCATIIS, D S A and PRISACARIU, C, 2011. Unravelling the mysteries of cyclic deformation in thermoplastic elastomers In: 7th European Conference on Constitutive Models for Rubber.
  • CHOONG, G Y H, LEW, C Y, HASSELL, D G and DE FOCATIIS, D S A, 2011. Rheological behaviour of polycarbonate-multiwall carbon nanotube nanocomposites In: 7th Annual European Rheology Conference.
  • BUCKLEY, C P AND DE FOCATIIS, D S A, 2011. Prediction of crazing and birefringence in oriented glassy polymers In: ANTEC 2011.
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A and BUCKLEY, C P, 2010. Solid-state property predictions for oriented glassy polymers using a combined melt-solid constitutive model In: 26th Annual Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A, ABRAHAM F AND BUCKLEY C P, 2010. Multiaxial viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber. In: HEINRICH G, KALISKE M, LION A AND REESE S, ed., Constitutive Models for Rubber VI: Proceedings of the 6th European Conference on Constitutive Models for Rubber CRC Press. 187-192
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A, ABRAHAM F, ALSHUTH T, BUCKLEY C P, 2010. Strain-dependent viscoelasticity in multiaxial deformation of filled EPDM rubber In: The Tire Technology Conference (TireTech).
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A, MARTIN C and PARSONS A J, 2010. Time and temperature dependence of craze initiation in poly(lactic acid) In: Mechanics of Time Dependent Materials Conference 2010. (In Press.)
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A, EMBERY J AND BUCKLEY C P, 2010. Large deformations in oriented polymer glasses: experimental study and a new glass-melt constitutive model Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics. 48(13), 1449-1463
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A, ABRAHAMS, F and BUCKLEY C P, 2010. Viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber In: Modelling of Elastomeric Materials and Products Conference 2010.
  • BUCKLEY C P, DE FOCATIIS D S A and LI H X, 2009. Progress toward predicting deformation and yield in glassy polymers In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers.
  • PRISACARIU C, SCORTANU E, DE SIMONE A, DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2009. Hysteresis and Mullins Effect in thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers derived from hard segments of variable conformational mobility In: Frontiers in Polymer Science.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2009. Constitutive modelling of large deformations in oriented polymer glasses: bridging the gap between molecularly aware melt rheology and solid-state deformation In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A, ABRAHAMS F and BUCKLEY C P, 2009. Viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2008. A New Solid-State Constitutive Model for Melt-state Oriented Amorphous Polymer Products In: Proceedings of the 24th Annual Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2008. Determination of Craze Initiation Stress in Very Small Polymer Samples Polymer testing. 27(2), 136-145
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A, EMBERY, J and BUCKLEY, C P, 2008. Solid-State Constitutive Modelling of Glassy Polymers: Coupling the Rolie-Poly Equations for Melts with Anisotropic Viscoplastic Flow In: Proceedings of the XVth International Congress on Rheology.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A, HUTCHINGS L R and BUCKLEY C P, 2008. Roles of Chain Length, Architecture and Time in the Initiation of Visible Crazes in Polystyrene Macromolecules. 41(12), 4484-4491
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2007. Environmental Stress Craze Initiation in Isotropic and Oriented Polystyrene: The Role of Chain Stretch in Disentanglement Crazing In: Proceedings of the Europe/Africa 2007 Regional Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A, HUTCHINGS L R and BUCKLEY C P, 2007. Environmental Stress Crazing in Polystyrene: the Roles of Chain Length and Architecture in Craze Initiation In: Proceedings of the Annual Technical Conference of the Society of Plastics Engineers (ANTEC). (In Press.)
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2007. The Effects of Molecular Orientation on the Constitutive Response of Polystyrene In: Proceedings of the Europe/Africa 2007 Regional Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2006. The Role of Molecular Architecture and Length Distribution on the Environmental Stress Crazing of Polystyrene In: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers (DYFP13).
  • BUCKLEY C P, DE FOCATIIS D S A and LI H X, 2006. The Role of Molecular Structure in Large Deformations of Amorphous Polymers In: Euromech Colloquium 487 on Structure Sensitive Mechanics of Polymer Materials: Physical and Mechanical Aspects.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2006. The Initiation of Environmental Stress Crazes in Polystyrenes with Process Induced Anisotropy In: Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society.
  • BUCKLEY C P and DE FOCATIIS D S A, 2006. Towards a Solid-State Constitutive Model for Polymer Products with Process-Induced Molecular Orientation In: Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society.
  • DE FOCATIIS D S A and BUCKLEY C P, 2005. Measurement of Craze Initation Stress in Very Small Polymer Samples In: Proceedings of the 4th Youth Symposium on Experimental Solid Mechanics.
  • BUCKLEY C P and DE FOCATIIS D S A, 2003. Environmental Stress Crazing of Polystyrene: Effects of Chain Length and Process Induced Chain Orientation In: Proceedings of the 26th Australasian Polymer Symposium.
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A and GUEST, S D, 2002. Deployable membranes designed from folding tree leaves. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences. 360(1791), 227-38
  • DE FOCATIIS, D S A and GUEST, S D, 1999. New Deployable Membranes based on a Study of the Deployment of Tree Leaves In: Biomimetics 4.

Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering

The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD


telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 4081
email:eng-student-support@nottingham.ac.uk