Center for Sustainable Polymers

可持续聚合物中心将建立一个全面的知识库，以实现将天然和丰富的分子有效和经济地转化为明天的先进聚合物材料。 它将在聚合物设计，单体合成，聚合催化，结构和形态控制以及聚合物性能优化方面做出努力，为创新的可再生资源聚合物技术建立基本的科学原则。 目标将是（1）结构多样的嵌段共聚物，如热塑性弹性体，坚韧塑料和粘合剂;和（2）热固性多嵌段共聚物的结构和泡沫应用。该中心将发展新的科学认识，促进生物可再生材料的使用，并取代来自石化产品的对环境有害的材料。除了促进开发和实施新的创新产品以造福社会外，该中心还将参与广泛的教育和公共宣传活动。 一个重要组成部分将是公共宣传，旨在使公民和决策者了解可持续技术的社会重要性。广泛的公众宣传包括在明尼苏达州博览会上举办互动展览。该中心将促进学术研究人员，工业合作伙伴，环境倡导者和设计师之间的合作。中心研究生和博士后研究人员将加入跨学科研究团队，参加工业实习计划，并接受可持续聚合物领域的跨学科培训，这对他们的独立职业至关重要。通过与其他具有类似兴趣和专业知识的当地组织建立伙伴关系，将努力扩大代表性不足的学生的参与。可持续聚合物中心是化学创新中心的一部分。

The Center for Sustainable Polymers will establish a comprehensive knowledge base to enable the efficient and economical conversion of natural and abundant molecules into tomorrow's advanced polymeric materials. It will blend efforts in polymer design, monomer synthesis, polymerization catalysis, architecture and morphology control, and polymer property optimization to establish the basic scientific tenets for innovative renewable resource polymer technologies. The targets will be (1) architecturally diverse block copolymers as thermoplastic elastomers, tough plastics, and adhesives; and (2) thermosetting multiblock copolymers for structural and foam applications. The Center will develop new scientific understanding that will advance the use of biorenewable materials and supplant environmentally deleterious versions derived from petrochemicals. In addition to fostering the development and implementation of new innovative products for the benefit of society, the Center will also engage in a wide range of educational and public outreach activities. An important component will be public outreach aimed at informing citizenry and policy makers on the societal importance of sustainable technologies. Broad public dissemination includes the development of an interactive exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair. The Center will foster collaboration among academic researchers, industrial partners, environmental advocates, and designers. Center graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will join interdisciplinary research teams, participate in an industrial internship program, and receive cross-disciplinary training in the area of sustainable polymers that will be vital for their independent careers. Efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented students will be undertaken by building partnerships with other local organizations with similar interests and expertise.The Center for Sustainable Polymers is funded as part of the Centers for Chemical Innovation.