NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers

从石油基聚合物中提取的塑料提供了价格合理的包装、粘合剂、建筑材料、计算机部件以及运动和安全设备。然而，这些材料的耐久性和稳定性导致了废弃塑料在我们环境中的不良积累。美国国家科学基金会可持续聚合物中心（CSP）通过设计功能和环境可持续的塑料来解决这一挑战。可持续发展的关键方面包括利用可再生资源制造塑料，使用绿色和可持续的化学反应，以及制造使用后可以堆肥或回收的特种塑料。CSP寻求对所有这些过程中发生的化学转化的详细理解，建立一个可以推广到其他系统的知识体系。这个多机构合作团队包括来自明尼苏达大学双城分校、康奈尔大学、西北大学、圣路易斯华盛顿大学、加州大学伯克利分校、芝加哥大学和南达科他州大学的研究人员。CSP通过技术转让和创业精神促进创新，其专利组合和分拆公司证明了这一点。CSP在教育、推广和扩大科学领域代表性不足群体的参与方面有广泛的计划。他们的努力包括开发新的大学课程和可持续聚合物的实验室实验。csp支持的研究生和博士后研究人员在沟通技巧、创造协作和公平的工作环境、项目管理和与行业研究人员接触方面获得专业发展机会。通过夏季研究机会，支持不同群体的本科生。一个全国性的伙伴关系将科学技能和可持续塑料的讨论带到全国各地的4-H组织。美国国家科学基金会可持续聚合物中心（CSP）汇集了聚合物化学各个阶段的专家，包括从可再生资源开发聚合物，创造新的合成化学物质，以及改进塑料使用后的回收或降解途径。CSP的研究工作分为三个具有实质性科学重叠的领域：1)发现新的，有效的，通常是催化的生物质和其他天然产品为基础的原料转化为新的和已建立的聚合物成分；2)发现具有精确控制分子结构的新型可持续聚合物，建立结构、形态和性能之间的关系；3)发现具有触发降解，化学回收和相容能力的可持续聚合物，以减少或消除塑料废物。中心成员在其创新工作中强调研究翻译和知识产权保护。该中心培养和发展了一支多样化的化学家队伍，他们相互协作，利用彼此的专业知识。CSP与青年发展组织合作，鼓励对物理科学的兴趣，并让公众参与到可持续聚合物带来的挑战和机遇中来。CSP致力于通过使所有出版物都能获得原始的、主要的数据文件来促进数据共享和重用。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。

Plastics derived from petroleum-based polymers offer affordable packaging, adhesives, building materials, computer components, and sporting and safety equipment. The durability and stability of these materials, however, has resulted in an undesirable accumulation of discarded plastics in our environment. The NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) addresses this challenge by designing functional and environmentally sustainable plastics. Key aspects of sustainability include making plastics from renewable resources, using green and sustainable reaction chemistries, and making specialty plastics that can be composted or recycled after their use. CSP seeks detailed understanding of the chemical transformations happening in all of these processes, building a body of knowledge that can be generalized to other systems. The multi-institutional and collaborative team involves researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California Berkeley, University of Chicago and University of South Dakota. CSP promotes innovation through technology transfer and entrepreneurship as demonstrated by their patent portfolio and spin-off companies. CSP has extensive programs in education, outreach, and broadening participation of underrepresented groups in the sciences. Their efforts include developing new college curricula and laboratory experiments with sustainable polymer examples. CSP-supported graduate students and postdoctoral researchers access professional development opportunities in communication skills, creating collaborative and equitable work environments, project management, and engaging with industry researchers. A diverse group of undergraduates is supported through summer research opportunities. A national partnership is bringing science skills and discussions of sustainable plastics to 4-H groups across the country. The NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) incorporates experts in all stages of polymer chemistry that range from developing polymers from renewable resources, creating new chemistries for synthesis, and improving the recycling or degradation pathways for plastics after use. CSP's research efforts are organized into three areas that have substantive scientific overlap: 1) to discover new, efficient, and often catalytic chemical transformations of biomass and other natural product-based feedstocks into both new and established polymer ingredients; 2) to discover new sustainable polymers with precisely controlled molecular structures and establish relationships between structure, morphology, and performance properties; and 3) to discover sustainable polymers with triggered degradation, chemical recycling, and compatibilization capabilities to reduce or eliminate plastic waste. Center members emphasize research translation and the protection of intellectual property in their innovation efforts. The center trains and develops a diverse cohort of chemists that works collaboratively and leverages one another's expertise. CSP partners with youth development organizations to encourage interest in the physical sciences and engages the public in the challenges and the opportunities presented by sustainable polymers. CSP works to advance data sharing and reuse by making original, primary data files available with all publications.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.