International Collaboration in Chemistry: Improving Livingness by Detailed Kinetic Studies into ATRP

卡内基-梅隆大学的Krzysztof Matyjaszewski教授得到了国际化学合作（ICC）资助的化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的支持，对原子转移自由基聚合（ATRP）中介质效应（包括温度、压力和各种溶剂）的活性进行了详细的探索，并对聚合过程有了更好的机理理解。这项工作包括与德国哥廷根大学的Michael Buback教授的国际合作。Buback教授的工作得到了德国德国研究基金会（DFG）的支持。Matyjaszewski教授和Buback教授的目标是利用脉冲激光诱导聚合、高时间分辨EPR检测自由基种类和高压在线vis - nir光谱监测单体浓度来确定ATRP过程的动力学信息。实验工作将伴随建模。美国研究生每年将在德国学习定量光谱技术的高压实验。这项研究将为改进聚合过程提供重要的基础知识，从而更好地控制聚合物的复杂结构和性能。它将影响基础科学和应用技术。此外，这种国际合作为培养学生和博士后研究人员提供了独特的研究环境，并为他们在学术界或聚合物行业的职业生涯做好准备。

Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski of Carnegie-Mellon University is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry for an International Collaboration in Chemistry (ICC) grant to conduct detailed exploration of medium effects (including temperature, pressure, and various solvents) on the livingness in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and to gain a better mechanistic understanding of the polymerization process. This work includes an international collaboration with Professor Michael Buback of the University of Goettingen (Germany). Professor Buback's work is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft German Research Foundation (DFG) of Germany. Prof. Matyjaszewski and Prof. Buback aim to determine kinetic information of the ATRP process using pulsed-laser-induced polymerization followed by highly time-resolved EPR to detect radical species and high-pressure online VIS-NIR-IR spectroscopy to monitor monomer concentration. The experimental work will be accompanied by modeling. The U.S. graduate students will spend three months each year in Germany to learn high-pressure experiments with quantitative spectroscopic techniques. This research will lead to fundamental knowledge important for improving polymerization processes to better control complex architecture and properties of polymers. It will impact basic fundamental science and applied technologies. In addition, this international collaboration provides unique research environments for training students and postdoctoral researchers and preparing them for careers in academia or polymer industry.