Mechanistic Investigations of Olefin Polymerizations and Selective Oligomerizations

这个研究奖在无机，生物无机和有机化学计划支持教授劳伦斯R。Sita在马里兰州大学帕克分校研究了由分子定义良好的过渡金属络合物介导的1-烯烃的配位聚合和选择性低聚的机理。 新的动态和可逆的双分子过程，是有竞争力的一级链增长的传播正在确定和建立的机械控制点，通过它的生产的近连续的不同聚烯烃等级之间的两个限制材料可以完成仅使用一个单一的催化剂。 当与活性配位链转移聚合相结合时，预计可以实现这些新聚烯烃材料的实际商业量。 支持的工作进一步提供了一个关键的工具，通过它将进行外展活动，以教育公众了解全球聚烯烃行业和相关研究的当前需求，限制和影响。进行研究的学生接受化学基础和实践方面的培训，并将为进入劳动力市场做好充分的准备。我们所知道的文明和生活质量完全取决于通过乙烯，丙烯和高级1-烯烃的配位聚合制备的“塑料”材料，这些材料主要是通过经验发现的催化剂制备的。 详细研究控制这些催化剂的机械过程可以提供新的和变革性的策略，通过这些策略可以大大增加塑料材料的范围，同时大大缩短研发周期。

This Research award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor Lawrence R. Sita at the University of Maryland, College Park to investigate mechanisms for the coordination polymerization and selective oligomerization of 1-alkenes as mediated by molecularly-well-defined transition metal complexes. Novel dynamic and reversible bimolecular processes that are competitive with first-order chain-growth propagation are being identified and established as mechanistic control points by which the production of a near continuum of different polyolefin grades between two limiting materials can be accomplished using only a single catalyst. When combined with living coordination chain-transfer polymerization, it is anticipated that practical commercial volumes of these new polyolefin materials can be realized. The supported work further provides a critical vehicle through which outreach activities will be conducted to educate the general public regarding the current needs, limitations, and impact of the global polyolefins industry and related research. Students conducting the studies receive training in both fundamental and practical apsects of chemistry and will be well prepared to enter the workforce.Civilization and the quality of life as we know it is wholly dependent upon "plastic" materials prepared through the coordination polymerization of ethene, propene, and higher 1-alkene using catalysts that are largely discovered in empirical fashion. Detailed investigations of mechanistic processes that govern these catalysts can provide new and transformational strategies by which the range of plastic materials can be greatly increased while dramatically reducing the research and development cycle.