Poly(alpha-hydroxy acids) via Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides

在这个由美国国家科学基金会化学部大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目资助的项目中，伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的程建军（Jianjun Cheng，音）旨在开发一种易于制备具有垂坠功能的聚α -羟基酸的方法。该项目将首先专注于设计和合成各种含有天然或非天然氨基酸侧链的o -羧基氢化物单体。然后，这些单体将用于开发有机和金属催化的o-羧基氢化物的活开环聚合，以产生具有官能化侧链的定义明确的聚-羟基酸。最后，探讨了聚α -羟基酸在包封、缀合和膜渗透等方面的应用。更广泛的影响和拟议的教育和推广活动包括指导学业表现不佳的本科生，以及领导旨在激发高中生和大学生对科学和工程兴趣的暑期教育和推广项目。聚酯是日常生活中许多方面都会遇到的有用材料：服装纤维、塑料瓶、塑料购物袋等。许多商用聚酯的一个缺点是它们不容易被改性成具有新性能的新材料。在这个研究项目中，开发了包含不同类型化学基团的新型聚酯。这些材料可能影响到使用塑料的一系列技术，例如聚酯塑料回收的新技术、可再生塑料的生产和用于生物医学应用的新功能材料。

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation, Jianjun Cheng at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign aims to develop methods for facile preparation of poly(alpha-hydroxy acids) bearing pendant functionalities. The project will first focus on the design and synthesis of various O-carboxyanhydride monomers containing natural or unnatural amino acid side chains. These monomers will then be used in the development of organo- and metal-catalyzed, living ring-opening polymerization of O-carboxyanhydrides to yield well-defined poly(alpha-hydroxy acids) with functionalized side chains. Finally, some applications of poly(alpha-hydroxy acids), such as their uses in encapsulation, conjugation and membrane penetration, will be explored. The broader impacts and proposed education and outreach activities include mentoring academically underperforming undergraduate students and leading summer education and outreach programs designed for stimulating interest of high school and college students in science and engineering. Polyesters are useful materials encountered in many aspects of everyday life: clothing fiber, plastic bottles, plastic shopping bags, etc. One drawback of many commercial polyesters is that they are not easily modified to form new materials with new properties. In this research project, new classes of polyesters that incorporate different types of chemical groups are developed. Such materials could impact a range of technologies in which plastics are used, such as new technologies for recycling of polyester plastics, the generation of renewable plastics and new functional materials for biomedical applications.