Folded Supramolecular Copolymers

Marcus Weck教授由化学部的大分子，超分子和纳米化学计划支持，研究多种合成非生物聚合物的形成，这些聚合物折叠成二级结构，进入超分子嵌段共聚物，从而创建具有明确定义的3D结构的材料。 研究设计是基于一个小的遥爪聚合物（积木），在其链端含有非共价识别基序库的合成。 每个结构单元是螺旋形、片状或无规卷曲。 这些结构单元将自组装成超分子主链嵌段共聚物，产生包含多个3D结构基序的单一材料。 将进行系统的结构-性质关系研究，以阐明聚合物链长、嵌段长度和识别基序对聚合物构建块的自组装行为的参数。拟议的研究是朝着合理设计明确的3D聚合物结构迈出的一步，这已被认为是包括光电、能源、纳米科学在内的各种行业的下一代复杂材料的关键要求。和医疗领域。 这个聚合物化学和纳米科学项目将尖端研究与本科生和研究生的培训以及广泛的推广活动结合起来，以提高K-12学童对聚合物科学的理解和教学。

Professor Marcus Weck is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division to study the formation of multiple synthetic non-biological polymers, which fold into secondary structures, into supramolecular block copolymers thereby creating materials with well-defined 3D architectures. The research design is based on the synthesis of a small library of telechelic polymers (building blocks) that contain noncovalent recognition motifs at their chain ends. Each building block is either helical, sheet-forming or a random coil. These building blocks will be self-assembled into supramolecular main-chain block copolymers yielding a single material containing multiple 3D architectural motifs. Systematic structure-property relationship studies to elucidate parameters of polymer chain lengths, block lengths, and recognition motif on the self-assembly behavior of the polymer building blocks will be carried out. The proposed study is a step towards the rational design of well-defined, 3D polymeric architectures, which has been postulated as a key requirement for the next generation of complex materials for a variety of industries including those in the electro-optics, energy, nanoscience and the medical fields. This project in polymer chemistry and nanoscience pairs cutting edge research with the training of undergraduate and graduate students and extensive outreach activities to enhance the understanding and teaching of polymer science to K-12 school children.