CAREER: SusChEM: Polymers Derived from Vegetable Oils: Synthesis, Structure-Property Relationships and Sustainability

职业：SusChEM：植物油衍生的聚合物：合成、结构-性能关系和可持续性

• 批准号: 1351788
• 负责人: Megan Robertson
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Houston
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-05-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1351788&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; SusChEM; Polymers; Derived; Vegetable

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The objective of this project is to address key scientific challenges enabling the broad implementation of triglyceride vegetable oils as an environmentally beneficial source for polymers with tunable physical properties. Vegetable oils are an attractive feedstock, based on their abundance, low cost, and ease of functionalization. This research plan is structured around four specific aims: design of synthetic techniques for vegetable oil-derived polymers, investigation of structure-property relationships in vegetable oil-derived polymers, development of biomass-derived nanostructured polymers for targeted applications, and assessment of the environmental impact of biomass-derived polymers. This approach will begin with synthetic strategies to modify the chemical structure of the polymers, employing metathesis chemistry and supramolecular interactions. A detailed understanding of structure-property-function relationships for these polymers will emphasize their thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties, targeting thermoplastic elastomers, stimuli-responsive and shape memory materials. Characterization of the thermodynamic interactions through spectroscopy and scattering experiments in the biorenewable polymers will allow for the a priori prediction of the nanoscale structure. Quantification of the environmental impacts of vegetable oil-derived polymers will guide future material design aspects, incorporating green engineering principles. The outcomes of the proposed work will provide a roadmap for the design of functional polymers from vegetable oils. A number of major challenges will be addressed in this project. The bulky nature of the monomers may lead to synthetic challenges relative to their petroleum-derived counterparts and have key implications for the physical properties of the polymers. Biomass-derived materials may exhibit biodegradability and oxidative degradation. The presence of specific interactions may require looking beyond mean-field theories for modeling these polymers and their mixtures. Importantly, the structure-property-function relationships for these new materials are expected to be significantly different from those described in the vast body of literature for petroleum-derived polymers. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The world supply of petroleum is finite and in the future it will be necessary to utilize sustainable resources for the production of polymers. Polymers derived from agricultural sources offer benefits to society of enhanced biodegradability, reduced environmental impact, and utilization of an annually renewable resource. Replacements for commodity plastics have in many cases been successfully developed; however, relatively few studies have focused on biomass as a source for nanostructured materials. Polymers which exhibit nanoscale structure have tunable physical properties, which ultimately lead to important advances in material function. The proposed research will enable the implementation of polymers from a widely available agricultural source: vegetable oils. Additionally, this project will cultivate knowledge in students, educators and the general public on the relationships between energy, sustainability and the environmental impact of materials, through the broad participation of underrepresented groups in outreach programs, including women, Hispanic students and students from other minority groups. The following activities will be undertaken: a research-focused outreach program will be developed for local community college students; hands-on educational programs for students and teachers at targeted local high schools will be expanded; high school, undergraduate and graduate students will be mentored in the research project; and an exhibit will be designed for the Houston Museum of Natural Science on sustainable polymers.

技术摘要：该项目的目的是解决关键的科学挑战，以使甘油三酸酯植物油作为具有可调物理特性的聚合物的环境有益的来源。 植物油是一种有吸引力的原料，基于它们的丰度，低成本和易于功能化。 该研究计划围绕四个具体目的结构：用于植物油衍生的聚合物的合成技术设计，研究植物油衍生聚合物中结构 - 特性关系的研究，开发靶向应用的生物质纳米结构聚合物的开发以及对生物量衍生的聚合物的环境影响的评估。 这种方法将始于合成策略，以使用分解化学和超分子相互作用来修饰聚合物的化学结构。 对这些聚合物的结构核能功能关系的详细理解将强调其热，机械和流变学特性，靶向热塑性弹性体，刺激性反应和形状记忆材料。 通过光学的相互作用和可生物可生产聚合物中的散射实验来表征热力学相互作用，将允许对纳米级结构的先验预测。 量化植物油衍生的聚合物的环境影响将指导未来的材料设计方面，并结合绿色工程原理。 拟议工作的结果将为设计植物油的功能聚合物设计提供路线图。 该项目将解决许多主要挑战。 单体的庞大性质可能导致相对于石油衍生的对应物带来的合成挑战，并对聚合物的物理特性具有关键意义。 生物质衍生的材料可能表现出生物降解性和氧化降解。 特定相互作用的存在可能需要超越平均场理论来建模这些聚合物及其混合物。 重要的是，这些新材料的结构 - 特性功能关系有望与石油衍生的聚合物的庞大文献中所描述的关系显着不同。非技术摘要：石油的世界供应是有限的，将来有必要利用可持续资源来生产聚合物。 源自农业资源的聚合物为增强的生物降解性，环境影响减少以及每年可再生资源的利用提供了好处。 在许多情况下，已成功开发了商品塑料的替代。但是，相对较少的研究集中在生物质上，作为纳米结构材料的来源。 表现出纳米级结构的聚合物具有可调的物理特性，最终导致材料功能的重要进展。 拟议的研究将使广泛可用的农业资料来实施聚合物：植物油。 此外，该项目将在学生，教育工作者和公众中培养知识，以了解能源，可持续性和材料对环境影响之间的关系，这是通过代表性不足的团体参与外展计划的广泛参与，包括妇女，西班牙裔学生和其他少数群体的学生。 将进行以下活动：将为当地社区大学生制定以研究为重点的外展计划；针对目标当地高中的学生和老师的动手教育课程将扩大；高中，本科生和研究生将在研究项目中得到指导；并将为休斯顿自然科学博物馆设计有关可持续聚合物的展览。