Polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides Catalyzed by Macromolecular Architecture

多肽是蛋白质的结构成分，是一类重要的生物聚合物。由于其结构和功能的多样性，天然多肽和合成多肽都有广泛的应用。伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校程建军教授的研究小组开发了合成多肽的新策略，并研究了加速聚合速度的因素。该项目为学生提供研究培训，包括代表性不足的群体成员，为聚合物行业培养熟练的劳动力。研究被整合到各种教育和推广活动中，包括发现工程夏令营项目和伊利诺伊大学面向本科生和K-12学生的工程开放日项目。Cheng的研究小组旨在开发n -羧基氢化物（NCA）单体的链生长聚合，作为合成高转化率、高聚合度和低多分散性多肽的有效方法。为了了解这种化学反应的机理和控制聚合动力学的因素，研究小组研究了聚合速率对单体结构、螺旋构象、添加剂和溶剂的依赖。研究小组进一步研究了引发剂的结构对NCA聚合速率的影响。树状大分子、胶束和非共价苝基pi-stack所提供的结构的作用进行了探讨。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Polypeptides, the structural components of proteins, is an important class of biopolymers. Because of their structural and functional diversity, both naturally occurring and synthetic polypeptides are used in a wide range of applications. Professor Jianjun Cheng's research group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign develops novel strategies to synthesize polypeptides and investigates the factors that accelerate the rate of polymerization. This project provides research training to students, including members of underrepresented groups, preparing a skilled workforce for the polymer industry. Research is integrated into various educational and outreach endeavors, including the Discover Engineering Summer Camp Program and Engineering Open-House Program at the University of Illinois, for undergraduates and K-12 students.Prof. Cheng's research group aims to develop the chain growth polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) monomers as an efficient approach to synthesize polypeptides with high conversion, high degree of polymerization, and low polydispersity. To understand the mechanism of this chemistry and the factors that control the polymerization kinetics, the research group studies the dependence of polymerization rate on monomer structures, helical conformation, additives, and solvent. The team further investigates the effects of the architecture of the initiator on the rate of NCA polymerization. The roles of architecture provided by dendrimers, micelles, and non-covalent perylene-based pi-stacks are explored.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.