PREC Track 2: Partnership for Research and Education in Chemistry-Sustainable Polymers

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。从石油中提取的塑料在我们的社会中无处不在，包括经济实惠的包装、汽车部件、计算机、建筑材料、医疗设备等。然而，由于它们的耐用性和稳定性，以及它们的低回收水平，环境和海洋中的塑料污染已经成为一个重大的社会和全球性问题。美国国家科学基金会可持续聚合物化学研究与教育合作项目（pre - sp）将采用一种全面的方法来开发可持续聚合物的基础知识和应用，以满足社会需求。这项工作的成功实施将导致PREC-SP的教师和学生与现有的NSF可持续聚合物中心（CSP）的教师和学生进行合作研究，作为化学创新（CCI）的第二阶段中心，由化学部（CHE）支持。这一伙伴关系有可能通过创新研究和引人入胜的教育，将他们在塑料制造、拆解和再造方面的变革性工作协同起来。作为PREC-SP/CSP合作伙伴关系支柱的多机构合作研究项目包括：(1)开发和研究用于可持续生物质增值到聚合物原料的多孔晶体框架催化剂；(2)纤维素纳米晶增强PLA（聚乳酸）和PHB（聚羟基丁酸酯）纳米复合材料的制备、表征、加工和生物降解；(3)利用新型聚合技术合成可持续嵌段共聚物、功能聚合物和毛状纳米颗粒。pre - sp有可能扩大支持可持续聚合物开发的研究人员的多样性。成功的实施将通过本科生的研究经验、教师和学生交流、联合PREC-SP/CSP讲习班和研讨会、研究小组会议和其他专业成长的实践来增加教育和研究机会。这些机会可以显著增加非裔美国人的招聘，保留，学位完成，他们注册并完成化学科学的研究生学位，这是可行管道的关键要素。成功的伙伴关系将为未被充分代表的少数民族学生进入专业劳动力和高等教育研究与发展职位建立可持续的途径。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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Plastics derived from petroleum are ubiquitous in our society, comprising affordable packaging, components of automobiles, computers, building materials, medical devices, etc. However, because of their durability and stability, and their low level of recycling, plastic pollution in the environment and oceans has become a major societal, worldwide problem. The NSF Partnership for Research and Education in Chemistry‒Sustainable Polymers (PREC-SP) will embrace a holistic approach to developing fundamental knowledge and applications of sustainable polymers to meet societal needs. Successful implementation of the proposed work will result in he PREC-SP faculty and students conducting collaborative research with faculty and students of the existing NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP), as Phase II Center for Chemical Innovation (CCI), supported by the Division of Chemistry (CHE). This partnership has the potential to synergistically combine their transformative work of how plastics are made, unmade, and remade through innovative research and engaging education. The multi-institutional, collaborative research projects that will be the backbone of this PREC-SP/CSP partnership include: (1) development and study of porous crystalline framework catalysts for sustainable biomass valorization to polymer feedstocks; (2) preparation, characterization, processing, and biodegradation of PLA (polylactic acid) and PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate) nanocomposite material that are reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals; (3) synthesis of sustainable block copolymers, functional polymers, and hairy nanoparticles via novel polymerization techniques. The PREC-SP has the potential to expand the diversity of researchers supporting the development of sustainable polymers. Successful implementation will increase education and research opportunities through research experiences for undergraduates, faculty and student exchanges, joint PREC-SP/CSP workshops & seminars, research group meetings, and other practices for professional growth. These opportunities could significantly increase the recruitment, retention, degree completion, of African Americans who enroll in and complete graduate degrees in the chemical sciences, key elements of viable pipeline. A successful partnership will build a sustainable pathway for underrepresented minority students into the professional workforce and higher education research and development positions.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.