Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Degradation / Mass Spectrometry Studies of Synthetic Polymers

阿克伦大学的Chrys Wesperiotis教授得到了化学系分析和表面化学项目的支持，开发了新的质谱方法来表征合成聚合物的微观结构。 功能聚合物和共聚物序列中的内部和末端取代基将通过串联质谱法使用不同的电离和活化方法进行研究。 一个主要的目标是确定气相聚合物离子的裂解途径，使聚合物的连接性和架构，可以从串联质谱的信心。 另一个目标是为不能直接表征的复杂聚合物创建结构分析方法。 在这些情况下，聚合物将被选择性地降解为更简单的片段，可以通过质谱分析来重建原始结构。 根据所研究系统的复杂性，这些实验将与原始或降解样品的色谱分离相结合，这项工作将使新聚合反应中形成的主要和次要产物的完整鉴定成为可能，这是理解其机理和设计商业可行性的适当合成的先决条件。 这项研究将影响阿克伦大学和附近公司和机构的聚合物研究，这些公司和机构传统上在合成聚合物方面拥有强大的跨学科项目。 此外，该项目将教育学生和博士后研究人员在分析质谱和材料研究的稳步扩大领域。

Professor Chrys Wesdemiotis of the University of Akron is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry to develop new mass spectrometry methods for the characterization of the microstructure of synthetic polymers. Internal and terminal substituents in functional polymers and copolymer sequences will be investigated by tandem mass spectrometry using different ionization and activation methods. A major goal is to ascertain the fragmentation pathways of gas phase polymer ions, so that polymer connectivity and architecture can be derived with confidence from tandem mass spectra. A further objective is to create structural analysis methods for complex polymers that cannot be characterized directly. In these cases, the polymers will be degraded selectively to simpler pieces that can be analyzed by mass spectrometry to reconstruct the original structures. Depending on the complexity of the systems under study, these experiments will be interfaced with chromatographic separation of the original or degraded sample.This work will make possible complete identification of the major and minor products formed in new polymerization reactions, a prerequisite for understanding their mechanisms and designing the proper synthesis for commercial viability. This research will impact polymer studies at the University of Akron and nearby companies and institutions, which have traditionally embraced a strong interdisciplinary program in synthetic polymers. In addition, this project will educate students and post-doctoral researchers in the steadily expanding areas of analytical mass spectrometry and materials research.