CRC: Catalytic Manipulation of Amide-Based Molecules and Materials

该奖项支持威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的Samuel H. Gellman、Shannon S. Stahl、Qiang Cui和Arun Yethiraj以及西北大学的Annelise E. Barron的合作努力。该团队将开发和优化金属酰胺交换催化剂，用于制备新的含酰胺分子和聚合物。羧基酰胺在许多条件下都是惰性的，因此本研究的重点是在金属介导的反应性方面的一个根本性的新挑战。各种各样的研究人员将使用实验和理论方法来探索酰胺转胺和酰胺复分解作为产生新型低聚和聚酰胺的策略，包括仿生螺旋异聚物。该团队还将研究模板控制的反应性，其中聚酰胺和模板之间的非共价相互作用控制了单体序列，并提供了复杂材料特性的途径。研究还将探讨单体性质对聚合物自组装的影响。聚酰胺是一大类有用的聚合物，它包括在生物系统中至关重要的蛋白质，以及尼龙和凯夫拉尔等合成材料。蛋白质是非常复杂的分子，具有多种功能；相比之下，合成聚酰胺的结构和功能要简单得多。本研究旨在弥补生物聚酰胺和合成聚酰胺在结构和功能上的差距，从而产生具有广泛用途的全新材料。合成靶标包括抗菌剂、基因传递载体和肺表面活性剂。通过该项目培训的研究人员将在催化、有机合成、聚合物合成、材料表征、计算和生物技术方面拥有广泛的经验。该奖项由美国国家科学基金会化学部化学合作研究计划（CRC）资助。

This award supports the collaborative efforts of Samuel H. Gellman, Shannon S. Stahl, Qiang Cui and Arun Yethiraj at the University of Wisconsin-Madison together with Annelise E. Barron at Northwestern University. This team will develop and optimize metal-based amide exchange catalysts for the preparation of new amide-containing molecules and polymers. The carboxamide group is inert under many conditions, and this research therefore is focused on a fundamentally new challenge in terms of metal-mediated reactivity. The diverse ensemble of researchers will use experimental and theoretical approaches to explore both transamidation and amide metathesis as strategies for the generation of new classes of oligo- and polyamides, including biomimetic helical heteropolymers. This team will also examine template-controlled reactivity, in which non-covalent interactions between the polyamide and a template control the monomer sequence, and provide access to complex materials properties. The research will also probe the effect of monomer properties on the polymer self-assembly.Polyamides are a large and useful class of polymers that includes proteins, which are of pivotal importance in biological systems, and synthetic materials such as nylons and Kevlar. Proteins are very complex molecules that perform diverse functions; in contrast, synthetic polyamides have much simpler structures and simpler functions. This research aims to bridge the gap in structure and function between biological and synthetic polyamides and thereby generate entirely new materials of broad utility. Synthetic targets include antimicrobial agents, gene delivery vectors, and lung surfactants. Researchers trained through this program will have a broad-based experience in catalysis, organic synthesis, polymer synthesis, materials characterization, computation and biotechnology. This award is funded through the Collaborative Research in Chemistry Program (CRC) in the NSF Division of Chemistry.