CAREER: Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Polymers from Boron-Containing Polyolefins

约翰霍普金斯大学的Rebekka Klausen教授得到化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的支持，开发了一种化学策略，可以将疏水（憎水）聚合物转化为亲水（亲水）聚合物。 该方法能够制备以精确控制的量和顺序含有疏水和亲水片段的结构。 聚合物是塑料中常见的通用化学品。控制和改变给定塑料的溶剂相容性的能力对其应用具有深远的影响。 该项目产生的基本见解包括产生明确定义的功能聚合物的新合成方法以及对化学结构和水溶性关系的见解。在该项目下制备的材料可用于将疏水材料和亲水材料结合使用的应用，例如从海洋环境中的溢油中有效回收原油，或用作耐用和耐溶剂的粘合剂。该研究计划为本科生和研究生在工业相关材料的制备和设计方面提供了有价值的培训，并通过教育计划支持学术和工业科学关系的整合，该计划将专业化学家带到大学环境中讨论他们目前的研究和职业轨迹。该教育计划的其他方面侧重于招募和留住来自不同背景的有才华的学生进入科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域。这项研究的目标是通过用等排，等电子和极性硼氮（BN）键取代一个或多个碳-碳（CC）键来控制有机聚合物的疏水性。合成了一种新型的氮杂硼乙烯基单体，并对其进行了均聚和共聚研究。反映有机硼烷化学在有机合成中的中心作用，聚合后官能化将侧基C-B键转化为C-OH键。在这项工作的过程中，非常规的芳香族结构的反应性中间体化学的基础研究进行了追求，新的功能性聚烯烃的制备，并阐明结构依赖性的性能。使用的方法包括有机合成、聚合化学和表征物理性质的工具。该项目通过支持整合研究和教育工作：（1）在巴尔的摩的职业和专业发展研讨会系列，（2）促进工业相关聚合物科学的培训和学习，以及（3）通过夏季本科生研究津贴扩大代表性不足的群体的参与。

Professor Rebekka Klausen of Johns Hopkins University is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) program of the Division of Chemistry to develop a chemical strategy that can turn a hydrophobic (water-hating) polymer into a hydrophilic (water-loving) polymer. This method enables the preparation of structures that contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments in precisely controlled amounts and sequences. Polymers are versatile commodity chemicals commonly found in plastics. The ability to control and change the solvent compatibility of a given plastic has profound implications for its applications. Fundamental insights arising from this project include novel synthetic methods yielding well-defined functional polymers and insights into the relationship of chemical structure and water solubility. The materials prepared under this project are useful in applications in which hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials are combined, such as the efficient recovery of crude oil from oil spills in marine environments or as durable and solvent-resistant adhesives. This research program provides valuable training to undergraduate and graduate students in the preparation and design of industrially relevant materials and supports the integration of academic and industrial scientific relationships through an educational initiative that brings professional chemists to a university setting to discuss their current research and career trajectories. Additional aspects of the educational initiative focus on the recruitment and retention of talented students from diverse backgrounds into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.The goal of this research is to control the hydrophobicity of organic polymers by replacing one or more carbon-carbon (CC) bonds with the isosteric, isoelectronic, and polar boron-nitrogen (BN) bond. A novel azaborine vinyl monomer is prepared and its homo- and copolymerization is studied. Reflecting the central role of organoborane chemistry in organic synthesis, postpolymerization functionalization converts the pendant C-B bond to a C-OH bond. In the course of this work, fundamental research into the reactive intermediate chemistry of unconventional aromatic structures is pursued, novel functional polyolefins are prepared, and structure-dependent properties are elucidated. The methods to be used include organic synthesis, polymerization chemistry, and tools for the characterization of physical properties. The project integrates research and educational endeavors by supporting: (1) a career and professional development seminar series in Baltimore, (2) promoting training and learning in industrially-relevant polymer science, and (3) broadening the participation of underrepresented groups through a summer undergraduate research stipend.