Multi-State Catalysis for Control of Polymer Sequence Distribution

在化学系有机动力学项目的支持下，斯坦福大学的罗伯特·韦茅斯教授将开发一种新的动力学策略，用于合成具有特定序列分布的烯烃聚合物。一个具体的目标是制备和研究能够呈现多个配位或动力学状态的新的配位化合物来插入烯烃。韦茅斯教授的方法是设计配位络合物，在聚合反应过程中，可以在两个或多个动力学状态之间相互转化，每个状态对共聚单体具有不同的立体选择性或动力学选择性。将考察配位络合物的相互转化以制备嵌段聚合物、嵌段共聚物、共聚物和交替共聚物。目前的认识状况不允许先验地预测给定配位化合物的结构将如何影响其对两种不同单体的动力学选择性；因此，拟议研究的一个重要目标是更好地了解催化剂结构与共聚行为的关系。有机和高分子化学项目支持罗伯特·韦茅斯教授的研究工作，他的研究将使学生从事结合有机和有机金属合成、催化烯烃聚合以及聚合物结构和性能分析的高度交叉的研究领域。重点是催化反应的基本模式，但这个研究项目是一个重要的技术领域，许多学生受到了催化、聚烯烃制造、材料化学和纳米技术等领域的公司的高度欢迎。韦茅斯教授成功地将由NSF资助发起的技术授权给了感兴趣的工业合作伙伴，其中一次，英国石油阿莫科获得了NIST的一项重大奖项。其他目标包括继续招收优秀的女学生，并指导研究生和本科生，她们中的许多人在工业界取得了成功的职业生涯。

With the support of the Organic Dynamics Program in the Chemistry Division, Professor Robert Waymouth of Stanford University will develop a new kinetic strategy for the synthesis of olefin polymers of defined sequence distribution. A specific objective is to prepare and study new coordination compounds that can present multiple coordination sites or kinetic states for olefin insertion. Professor Waymouth's approach for these studies is to design coordination complexes that can interconvert between two or more kinetic states during the course of the polymerization reaction, with each state having a different stereoselectivity or kinetic selectivity toward the comonomers. The interconversion of the coordination complexes will be examined for the preparation of strereoblock polymers, block copolymers, copolymers and alternating copolymers. The current state of understanding does not allow the prediction, a priori, of how the structure of a given coordination compound will influence its kinetic selectivity towards two different monomers; thus an important objective of the proposed studies is to develop a better understanding of the relationship of catalyst structure to copolymerization behavior.The Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program supports Professor Robert Waymouth whose research effort will engage students in a highly interdisciplinary research area that combines organic and organometallic synthesis, catalytic olefin polymerization, and analysis of polymer structure and properties. The focus is on fundamental patterns of catalytic reactivity, but this research program is in an important area of technology and many students are highly sought by companies working in the areas spanning catalysis, polyolefin manufacturing, materials chemistry and nanotechnology. Professor Waymouth has been successful in licensing technologies to interested industrial partners that were initiated with NSF funding, leading, in one case, to a major NIST award to BP Amoco. Additional objectives include continuing to recruit outstanding female students and mentoring both graduate and undergraduate women students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in industry.