Study Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Study Skills - Essay Example Study skills are never attained fully formed, any more than a grown man pops out of his mother’s womb. According to Cottrell(2003 p3)They evolve and mature through repetition, trial and error, critique from others and continued reflection as you progress through your individual journey as a learner The purpose of this module is to provide the opportunity to acquire and develop the study skills that will be necessary to successfully complete this course to a standard that I am aiming for. Being a competent independent learner is derived from being self motivated, being able to manage personal learning processes, good time management skills and continually reflecting on what and how you learn best and tailoring your energies to suit. Within this portfolio I will examine the development of learner independence, time management, self evaluation of personal learning, production of an action plan and improving my essay writing skills. If as anticipated this is completed successfully it will add additional skills to my current ones and aide me in my current quest to secure a higher second grade result on this degree course. Learner independence or autonomy can be defined as â€Å"capacity to take responsibility for, and control of, your own learning, whether in an institutionalised context, or completely independent of a teacher or institution† (Thornbury, 2006). Learner independence is the ability of the learners to control their learning process (Holec, 1981). In the present age, when knowledge is growing at very fast pace because of the ongoing research work and rapid advancements in technology, the importance of independent learning cannot be overemphasized. Learners must understand that the education they are provided with at institutions is time-constrained, and what they need to learn is not limited to what they are taught in schools. Most learners used to learning in

Processing-structure-property relationships in (TPE-E) nanocomposites Research Proposal

Processing-structure-property relationships in (TPE-E) nanocomposites - Research Proposal Example Iwahori, Ishiwata and Ishikawa (2003) argue that an understanding of the basic physical relationship in nano scale structural variables and micro scale properties of polymer nanocomposites is very important in this study. The development of polymer nanocomposites optimally using carbon nanotube and carbon nano fibre requires full comprehension of the processing structure property relationships. Aims of the Research The aim of the research is to develop improved materials properties in TPE-E nanocomposites using the processing structure property relationships. The research will develop the following objectives which will be investigated: 1. To optimally disperse the nanofillers into the TPE-E via melt processing and reactive extrusion (Nanocomposite processing). 2. To develop a complete understanding of thee processing morphology properties in the nanocomposite system, most importantly the interplay between TPE-E nanophase domains and an engineered low and high aspect ratio nanofiller s (morphology and properties) 3. To comprehensively determine the mechanical and electrical performance of these nanocomposites. Literature Review According to Kotsilkova (2005) and Dobrzai (2002), an overview of the synthesis and characterization methods of nanocomposite is important in clay layer orientation and its dispersion in various nanocomposites. Many previous researches have tried to relate the clay orientation to the enhancement of materials properties from a qualitative viewpoint. Quantitative studies are may be limited because of lack of techniques to quantitatively determine the three dimensional orientation of structures in nanocomposites. In one of the recent developed techniques of determining the three dimensional orientation, the effect of compatibilizer concentration upon the orientation and dispersion of structures in polyethylene nanocomposite films was found to be thickness. An increase in concentration showed a corresponding decrease in orientation of clay la yer along the thickness of the film (Bevis 1999; Suprakas, Kazuaki & Masami 2003; Liu, Hoa & Pugh 2004). Other researchers have explored ways of using commercially available products to create new materials by synthesising TPE-E to register a wide range of property improvements. The TPE-E synthesis may comprise melt compounding and reactive extrusion using organic clays as nanofillers. Hybrid composition morphology within nanocomposites, when treated in various processes, demonstrates the maximum range of properties of materials. The various methods of attaining a wide range of property enhancements are the organo clay nanofiller surface modification, additional processing parameter and the TPE-E hard and soft segment composition ratio together with the organ clay filler aspect. These material properties are governed by the manipulation of these variables and assessing the sizes of intercalate molecules (Laird & Fleming 1999; Mani et al. 2005). Colbert and Smalley (2002) argue that many other studies have focused on the microstructure processing and property relationships, which have helped in knowledge development and comprehensive understanding of these processes to develop more innovative products both for personal and commercial purposes. Hytrel products