Synthesis of Sustainable Polymers by Silylium-Catalyzed Polymerization of Renewable Feedstocks

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In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Eugene Chen of Colorado State University will develop highly reactive, self-healing silylium catalysts and related main-group frustrated Lewis pairs for the synthesis of sustainable stereoregular and optically active polymers from renewable feedstocks. The proposed research seeks to accomplish three important project goals. First, chiral silylium catalysts will be developed that will enable site-controlled synthesis of stereoregular and optically active sustainable polymers. Second, counteranion studies will be employed to render high-speed and stereoselective polymerization by silylium catalysts. Third, the novel Lewis pair polymerizations mediated by silylium and isoelectronic alane-based Lewis pairs will be investigated as a new technique for sustainable polymer synthesis. The broader impacts of this research involve training graduate and undergraduate students, enhancing research infrastructure by bringing together an experimentalist-theoretician collaborative group, and heightening society's awareness of the roles that chemists can play in promoting the development and use of bio-derived raw materialsPlastics are long chain organic molecules and are found in many facets of everyday life, including food packaging, structural materials for automotive and aerospace transportation, and lightweight electronic devices. At present, plastics are derived predominantly from petroleum based resources and the majority of the commercial catalysts are based on transition metals. This research focuses on developing efficient alternatives to metal catalysts and new synthetic routes into technologically important or advanced plastics using bio-derived feedstocks.