Cationic Cobaltocenium Polyelectrolyte Polymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Utilities

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In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Chuanbing Tang of the University of South Carolina will explore the synthesis and properties of cobaltocenium-containing polymers, the isoelectronic analogues of the more widely studied ferrocene-containing macromolecules. The approach is to synthesize and characterize cobaltocenium-containing polymers by controlled polymerization of cobaltocenium-containing monomers and by post-polymerization modification routes; to study the assembly of cobaltocenium-containing block copolymers and explore the template synthesis of cobalt oxide nanoparticles; and to perform preliminary studies into the use of the cobaltoceneum-containing polymers in battery electrodes The broader impacts involve training undergraduate and graduate students in research, broadly disseminating research results through publications and presentations at conferences, as well as participating in integrated educational activities for high school, undergraduate and graduate students to stimulate their interest in science and technology with enhanced global research and education training opportunities.Plastics 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. This research will explore new approaches to include metal atoms within the polymer structure, which can impact the polymer's electrical properties and potentially lead to materials for light-weight, flexible electrochemical batteries. The metal-containing polymers could also be used to template the creation of technologically important magnetic or catalytic nanoparticles (small pieces of material with dimensions on the order of 1 to 100 nanometers, which is about 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair).