Programmable Catalysts Designed to Replicate Flexible Polymers

自然界使用催化过程从模板复制生物聚合物(例如DNA)。这样的过程对于维持生命至关重要。与此同时，人造聚合物在日常生活中被广泛使用。研究如何有效地放大人造聚合物对医学、电子和可再生能源等许多领域的未来发展具有重要影响。在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的支持下，佛蒙特州大学的Severin Schnebeli教授正在研究如何高效复制定义明确的人造聚合物。他的研究小组的目标是开发合成方法，以可持续的方式从模板制备功能聚合物。参加这项基础研究的所有学术水平的学生在化学合成、计算机建模和材料科学方面获得了宝贵的、多学科的见解和经验。此外，Schnebeli教授在佛蒙特州伯灵顿的Echo湖水族馆和科学中心组织教育推广活动，让公众参与科学。为了实现上述目标，这项研究旨在开发催化剂-手性辅助合成的大分子条-促进人造聚合物的准确复制。作为空间保护基团，这些催化剂被设计成在复制过程中拥抱聚合物链，以减少常见的复制错误。合成方法侧重于关键的物理相互作用，这些作用决定了不同催化剂/单体对复制的准确性。最终，这项研究旨在发现形状定义的、复杂的大分子结构的一般设计规则，这些结构很容易被指数放大。施尼贝利教授将艺术、工程和化学结合在一起，通过在佛蒙特州伯灵顿的Echo湖水族馆和科学中心组织教育推广活动，让公众参与科学及其潜在的结果。通过互动的、3D打印的、类似乐高的模型，这些外展活动教育公众了解生命的遗传密码，并展示人工方法如何实现可持续的、基于复制的材料合成与自然有关？S创造材料的方法。

Nature employs catalytic processes to replicate biopolymers (e.g., DNA) from templates. Such processes are vital for sustaining life. Meanwhile, man-made polymers are widely used in everyday life. Learning how to amplify man-made polymers efficiently has important impacts on future advances in many fields, such as medicine, electronics, and renewable energy. With the support from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the NSF Chemistry Division, Prof. Severin Schneebeli at the University of Vermont is investigating how to replicate well-defined, man-made polymers efficiently. His research group aims to develop synthetic approaches to preparing functional polymers from templates in a sustainable manner. Students at all academic levels participating in this fundamental research gain valuable, multi-disciplinary insight and experience in chemical synthesis, computer modeling, and materials science. Furthermore, Professor Schneebeli organizes educational outreach events at the ECHO lake aquarium and science center in Burlington, VT, to engage the public in science.To reach the aforementioned goals, this research aims to develop catalysts - large molecular strips built with chirality-assisted synthesis - which facilitate the accurate replication of man-made polymers. As steric protection groups, these catalysts are designed to embrace the polymer strands during the duplication processes to reduce common replication mistakes. The synthetic approach focuses on key physical interactions commanding the accuracy of replication for different catalyst/monomer pairs. Ultimately, this research is devised to discover general design rules for the creation of shape-defined, complex macromolecular structures, which can readily be amplified exponentially. Professor Schneebeli unites art, engineering, and chemistry to engage the public in science and its potential outcomes by organizing educational outreach events at the ECHO lake aquarium and science center in Burlington, VT. With interactive, 3D-printed, LEGO-like models, these outreach activities educate the public about the genetic code of life and illustrate how man-made approaches towards sustainable, replication-based materials synthesis relate to nature?s methods of creating materials.