CAREER: The Synthesis of New Polymers and Materials using Living Polymerizations: Well-Defined Hybrid Organic/ Inorganic Nanoparticles

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9733786 Patten Nanoclusters have garnered much interest due to their unique size- dependent properties and, consequently, their potential for technological applications. The next important step in exploiting the properties of nanoclusters is their incorporation into and ordering within film-forming materials. The principal investigator will study methods to prepare well-defined hybrid inorganic / organic nanoparticles in which the cores are (semi)metal oxide nanoclusters and the exterior layers are vinyl polymers, such as polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(methyl acry ate). In particular, silica, will be studied for the purposes of methods development, and then these methods will be applied to other (semi)metal oxide nanoclusters exhibiting magnetic and optical properties. This project will initially investigate methods to attach initiators for living radical polymerizations to the surfaces of the nanoclusters and then use these surface-modified nanoclusters as initiators for such polymerizations. The anticipated product material will be a nanocluster core with well-defined polymer chains grafted from the surface. Because living polymerizations will be used to graft the polymer chains, the structure and composition of the polymer arms become a tool to investigate methods for ordering the nanoclusters within the polymer film. The principal investigator will therefore develop methods for the end- functionalization of polymers prepared using living radical polymerizations. One proposed method involves the block copolymerization of vinyl monomers with cyclic ketene acetals followed by hydrolysis to yield carboxylic acid-terminated polymers. These end-functionalization methods will be used to place a variety of functional groups at the surface chain ends of the nanocluster star polymers. The grafting of block copolymers from the surfaces of nanoclusters will also be studied. The microphase separation behavior of the resulting starblock c opolymers will be exarnined to determine whether nanoclusters can be ordered within polymer films using this strategy. %%% The principal investigator will integrate these research efforts with the educational goal of incorporating polymer science into the chemistry curriculum at UC Davis. Because most of the major US chemical producers have significant business efforts in polymers and polymeric materials, chemistry students have a high probability of moving into careers in polymer research, development and manufacturing. Thus, the addition of this subject to the curriculum will provide students with valuable training and skills that will enhance their employment prospects in an increasingly competitive chemistry job market. ***