CAREER: CAS: Donor-Amplified Catalytic Approaches to Stereocontrolled Biodegradable Polymers

职业：CAS：立体控制可生物降解聚合物的供体放大催化方法

• 批准号: 2146274
• 负责人: Jerome Robinson
• 金额: $ 70万
• 依托单位: Brown University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-05-01 至 2027-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2146274&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; CAS; Donor; Amplified; Catalytic

This award is funded in whole or in part under the America Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Jerome Robinson of Brown University and his team of researchers are investigating new approaches to make biodegradable plastics (polymers) from inexpensive and abundant materials. Polymers have enabled critical advances in nearly every aspect of modern life; however, the majority end up in landfills and waterways and take generations to degrade in the environment. The development of sustainable substitutes has been limited by their higher cost and poorer properties compared to current environmentally persistent synthetic materials, and requires new approaches to address this challenge. Dr. Robinson’s team is developing innovative catalysts to be deployed in the construction of biodegradable polymers and to rigorously control their molecular structure and composition. The proposed research has significant broader societal impact, as such approaches could access scalable and affordable next-generation materials with improved properties and degradation profiles. Dr. Robinson and his team are also developing programs for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students that are designed to train and mentor a diverse STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workforce of the future. This includes the Rhode Island Sustainable Chemistry Partnerships (RI SCP) program that will create opportunities to directly integrate chemistry research into Rhode Island public high school experiences. Additional educational and outreach programs aim to enhance educational equity for students throughout the region, including improved access to early-stage research experiences and career professional development.With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Jerome Robinson of Brown University and his team of researchers are developing donor-amplified catalytic approaches to stereocontrolled biodegradable polymers. Modulation of dynamic exchange processes between labile exogeneous donors and catalysts can dramatically enhance performance in asymmetric catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis, yet such approaches have received limited attention in the synthesis of biodegradable polymers. Mechanistically driven experimental and theoretical studies from the Robinson group are expected to advance the fundamental understanding of how donor effects can be exploited to tune catalyst performance in stereospecific ring-opening polymerization (ROP). This is expected to enable stereocontrolled access to biodegradable polymers, including those derived from monomers that themselves emanate from inexpensive and abundant feedstocks. This chemistry should lead to scalable and sustainable alternatives to traditional, high-volume, and environmentally persistent materials. Dr. Robinson’s research goals are strongly integrated with educational objectives focused on training and mentoring a diverse STEM workforce. This includes sustainable classroom and research partnerships with public high schools in Rhode Island, early-stage research experiences for high school and undergraduate students, and enhanced student access to career professional development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项全部或部分由《2021 年美国救援计划法案》（公法 117-2）资助。在化学系化学催化项目的支持下，布朗大学的 Jerome Robinson 及其研究团队研究用廉价且丰富的材料制造可生物降解塑料（聚合物）的新方法已经在现代生活的几乎各个方面取得了重大进展，然而，大多数聚合物最终都被扔进了垃圾填埋场和水道，并且需要几代人的时间。与目前的环境持久性合成材料相比，可持续替代品的开发受到成本较高和性能较差的限制，罗宾逊博士的团队需要开发创新催化剂来应对这一挑战。罗宾逊博士和他的团队还致力于构建可生物降解的聚合物并严格控制其分子结构和组成，具有更广泛的社会影响，因为这种方法可以获得可扩展且负担得起的具有改进性能和降解特性的下一代材料。制定高计划旨在培训和指导未来多元化 STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）劳动力的学校、本科生和研究生，其中包括罗德岛可持续化学合作伙伴关系 (RI SCP) 计划，该计划将为直接创造机会。将化学研究融入罗德岛州公立高中的经验中，其他教育和推广计划旨在提高整个地区学生的教育公平，包括改善获得早期研究经验和职业专业发展的机会。化学系，布朗大学的杰罗姆·罗宾逊和他的研究小组正在开发立体控制的可生物降解聚合物的供体放大催化方法，调节不稳定的外源供体和催化剂之间的动态交换过程可以显着提高不对称催化和多相催化的性能，但这种方法受到的限制。罗宾逊小组的机械驱动实验和理论研究有望促进对如何利用供体效应来调整催化剂性能的基本理解。预计这将能够立体控制地获得可生物降解的聚合物，包括那些源自廉价且丰富的原料的单体，这种化学反应将导致传统大批量生产的可扩展且可持续的替代品。 Robinson 博士的研究目标与注重培训和指导多元化 STEM 劳动力的教育目标紧密结合，其中包括与罗德岛州公立高中建立可持续的课堂和研究合作伙伴关系。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。