SusChEM: Resourceful Polymers Derived from Polyhydroxyl Natural Products

在这个由化学学部大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目资助的项目中，德克萨斯农工大学的凯伦·伍利教授正在研究如何用天然存在的糖合成复杂的聚合物。聚合物是长链有机分子，在日常生活的许多方面都使用塑料，包括食品包装，汽车和航空航天运输的结构材料，以及轻质电子设备。从天然存在的化合物中提取的聚合物有望降解成完全生物相容的产品。这项工作具有科学和社会重要性的原因有几个，因为它有望：(1)减少我们对石化原料的依赖；(2)先进的化学知识和实验技术，涉及先进高分子材料的合成；(3)生成可作为独特“塑料”使用的聚合物；(4)在聚合物降解后产生环境可吸收和生物有益（例如，营养物、促进生长、抗癌、抗炎或其他反应）的产品。该研究项目涉及合成化学方法的发展，目标是生产一系列来自可再生资源的聚碳酸酯和聚磷酸酯，这些聚碳酸酯和聚磷酸酯具有新颖的化学、物理和机械特性，并经过水解分解产生对生物有益或良性的副产品。功能单体是由多羟基天然产物（作为主要焦点，糖作为起始材料）制备的，并通过开环聚合转化。在一个方向上，环状碳酸盐单体正在被制备，它将产生含有碳酸盐键的聚合物。水解降解会产生多羟基化合物和二氧化碳。在第二个方向上，利用磷酸酯键，借用天然聚合物，如DNA或RNA。研究正在进行，以推进控制开环聚合的环状碳酸盐或磷酸酯提供这些聚合物作为明确的大分子结构。聚合物的物理、机械和稳定性通过严格的物理化学和机械特性研究进行表征，并通过其化学成分和结构进行调整。该项目的更广泛影响包括合成化学的进步，最终开发的材料，以及参与拟议工作的学生和博士后的教育成果。该项目整合了科学和工程学院的研究和教育。所提出的以多羟基天然产物为基础的聚碳酸酯有望展现出能够在解决现实问题的应用中发展的特性。

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Karen Wooley of Texas A&M University is studying how to synthesize complex polymers from naturally occurring sugars. Polymers are long chain organic molecules and are found in many facets of everyday life that utilize plastics, including food packaging, structural materials for automotive and aerospace transportation, and lightweight electronic devices. Polymers derived from naturally occurring compounds are anticipated to degrade into completely biocompatible products. This work is of scientific and societal importance for several reasons, as it is expected to: (1) reduce our reliance on petrochemical feedstocks; (2) advance chemical knowledge and experimental techniques involved with the synthesis of advanced polymer materials; (3) generate polymers that will be useful as unique "plastics"; (4) produce environmentally-resorbable and biologically-beneficial (e.g., nutrient, growth-promoting, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory or other responses) products upon degradation of the polymers.The research project involves the development of synthetic chemistry approaches with the objective being the production of a series of polycarbonates and polyphosphoesters that originate from renewable resources, exhibit novel chemical, physical and mechanical properties, and undergo hydrolytic breakdown to biologically-beneficial or benign by-products. Functional monomers are being prepared from polyhydroxyl natural products (as the primary focus, sugars are serving as the starting materials) and transformed by ring-opening polymerizations. In one direction, cyclic carbonate monomers are being prepared that will yield polymers that contain carbonate linkages. Hydrolytic degradation will produce the polyhydroxyl compound plus carbon dioxide. In a second direction, phosphoester linkages are being utilized, borrowing from natural polymers such as DNA or RNA. Studies are being performed to advance controlled ring opening polymerizations of cyclic carbonates or phosphoesters to afford these polymers as well-defined macromolecular structures. The physical, mechanical and stability properties of the polymers are being characterized using rigorous physicochemical and mechanical characterization studies and tuned via their chemical compositions and structures. The broader impacts of the project involve the synthetic chemistry advances, the ultimate materials that are developed, and the educational outcomes for the students and postdoctoral associates involved in the proposed work. The project integrates research and education across the schools of science and engineering. The proposed polyhydroxyl natural product-based polycarbonates are expected to exhibit properties that will allow for their development in applications that will solve real-world problems.