NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers

来自石油聚合物的塑料提供了负担得起的包装、粘合剂、建筑材料、计算机部件以及运动和安全设备。然而，这些材料的耐用性和稳定性导致我们的环境中堆积了不受欢迎的废弃塑料。NSF可持续聚合物中心(CSP)通过设计功能性和环境可持续塑料来应对这一挑战。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反应化学反应，以及制造可在使用后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变化的详细理解，建立一个可以推广到其他系统的知识体系。这个多机构合作的团队包括来自明尼苏达双城大学、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大学的研究人员。CSP通过技术转让和创业来促进创新，其专利组合和剥离公司证明了这一点。CSP在教育、推广和扩大未被充分代表的群体在科学领域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使用可持续聚合物样本进行实验室实验。CSP资助的研究生和博士后研究人员在沟通技能、创造协作和公平的工作环境、项目管理以及与行业研究人员接触方面获得职业发展机会。不同的本科生群体通过暑期研究机会得到支持。一项全国性的合作伙伴关系正在将可持续塑料的科学技能和讨论带给全国各地的4-H组织。NSF可持续聚合物中心(CSP)汇集了聚合物化学所有阶段的专家，从利用可再生资源开发聚合物，为合成创造新的化学物质，以及改善塑料使用后的回收或降解途径。CSP的研究工作分为三个有实质性科学重叠的领域：1)发现新的、高效的且往往可以催化化学转化为新的和现有的聚合物成分的生物质和其他天然产物为基础的原料；2)发现分子结构受到精确控制的新型可持续聚合物，并建立结构、形态和性能之间的关系；3)发现具有触发降解、化学回收和增容能力的可持续聚合物，以减少或消除塑料废物。中心成员在其创新努力中强调研究、翻译和知识产权保护。该中心培训和发展了一批不同的化学家，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，鼓励人们对物理科学感兴趣，并使公众参与可持续聚合物带来的挑战和机遇。CSP致力于通过向所有出版物提供原始的主要数据文件来促进数据共享和重复使用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.