Advanced polymer colloids from ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) in water

使用有机溶剂（挥发性有机化合物）是制造许多重要和有价值产品的常见做法，包括用于各种工业应用的聚合物。这对于聚合物行业来说尤其成问题，因为每生产一公斤聚合物通常要使用超过5Kg的溶剂。未来几年，挥发性有机化合物的使用可能会受到越来越多的限制。加拿大工业部（www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/plastics-plastiques.nsf/eng/pl01383.html）表示，“CEPA（加拿大环境保护法）的规定对塑料制品行业最重要的是那些处理挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）的规定，……”，强调了开发消除或减少VOCs使用的工艺对加拿大聚合物行业的重要性。我们将开发一种新的方法来制造聚合物，使用一种商业上重要的化学类型，称为ROMP（开环复分解聚合）。在我们的方法中，制造过程中只使用水，从而消除了挥发性有机化合物的使用，并大大节省了成本。目前还没有像我们提议的那样的程序。该产品将以非常小的颗粒（纳米颗粒）在水中自由流动的分散形式存在，可以定制成具有独特性能的产品，用于许多高级应用，例如，用于静电复印和印刷应用的产品。我们将与施乐加拿大公司合作，他们是静电复印和印刷行业的领导者，并拥有一个在国内领先的化学研究中心，并积极开展纳米技术项目。这对加拿大的好处是非同寻常的。聚合物工业是经济的主要贡献者，拥有76,000名就业人员，2009年的出货量超过160亿美元。我们的研究将帮助他们应对减少环境影响的挑战，并为他们提供训练有素的科学家，使加拿大公司保持竞争力。

The use of organic solvents which are VOCs (volatile organic compounds) is common practice in the manufacture of many important and valuable products, including polymers that are used in a variety of industrial applications. This is especially problematic for the polymer industry since more than 5Kg of solvent are typically employed for every Kg of polymer produced. The use of VOCs is likely to be increasingly restricted in coming years. Industry Canada (www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/plastics-plastiques.nsf/eng/pl01383.html) states that "The provisions of CEPA (Canadian Environmental Protection Act) that are of greatest importance to the plastic products industry are those dealing with volatile organic compounds (VOCs),...", underscoring the importance to the Canadian polymer industry of developing processes that eliminate or reduce the use of VOCs. We will develop a new approach to making polymers using a commercially important type of chemistry known as ROMP (Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization). In our approach only water will be used in the manufacturing process, thereby eliminating the use of VOCs and providing significant cost savings. There are no existing processes like the one we are proposing. The product will be in the form of a free-flowing dispersion of very small particles (nanoparticles) in water, which can be tailored to have unique properties for use in many advanced applications, including for example, products used in xerographic and printing applications. We will collaborate with Xerox Canada who are leaders in the xerography and printing industries, and have one of the leading chemical research centres in the country with an active program in nanotechnology. The benefits to Canada are exceptional. The polymer industry is a major contributor to the economy, with 76,000 people employed, generating shipments valued at over $16 billion in 2009. Our research will help them address challenges in reducing environmental impact, as well as provide them with highly trained scientists with the skills required to keep the Canadian companies competitive.