Fundamentals and development of advanced polymer reaction engineering for precision production of smart functional polymer materials

我们消耗的聚合物超过所有其他类型合成材料的总和。聚合物及其产品的制造是加拿大重要的工业部门，每年产生超过300亿加元的总收入（加拿大工业部）。聚合物是链状分子，其材料性能取决于链的微观结构，包括分子量、组成、序列、立构规整度、拓扑结构、官能度等。链微观结构的丰富性为开发新的聚合物和革新现有聚合物提供了无限的可能性。随着结构-形态-性能关系的建立，我们正在进入聚合物数字化合成和精密生产的新时代。关键在于设计和精确控制链微观结构，以实现应用中所需的目标材料性能。** 我的研究项目是在聚合物反应工程领域，它连接了实验室规模的聚合物化学和工业聚合物生产。我的研究目标是研究聚合物反应工程的基础知识，并开发先进的技术，使我们能够设计和生产具有目标链微观结构和性能的聚合物。我打算在三个领域工作，这是基于我在反应工程方面的优势，以及在聚合物化学和材料科学方面的丰富经验。这项工作涉及理论发展和实验，最适合培训具有行业高度要求的两种技能的HQP。第一部分是研究高转化率可控自由基聚合（CRP）。CRP代表了近几十年来聚合物化学的重大进展。它结合了活性离子聚合的良好控制和自由基聚合的温和反应条件。然而，由于扩散控制反应，其商业开发面临着几个主要挑战。我的目标是调查其机制，并制定应对挑战的战略。区域2是研究CRP接枝的表面改性。通常需要对散装材料进行化学改性以确保生物相容性，表面引发的CRP提供了一种强有力的方法。尽管报道了数千项研究，但基本问题，例如，我们可以从表面生长多厚的聚合物层，仍然存在。我的目标是为这些问题提供答案，这将大大有助于整个地区的进一步发展。领域3是从CRP开发智能材料。具有前所未有的微观结构和功能的聚合物将使用基于模型的CRP技术进行设计和精确制备，并作为天然产物分离中的萃取剂进行评估。我的目标是减少使用大量的挥发性有机化合物（VOC）在单元操作。

We consume polymers more than all other types of synthetic materials combined. Manufacturing of polymers and their products represents an important industrial sector in Canada and it annually generates >$30 billions of total revenues (Industry Canada). Polymers are chain molecules and their materials properties are determined by chain microstructure, which include molecular weight, composition, sequence, tacticity, topology, functionality, etc. The abundance in the chain microstructure provides unlimited possibilities in developing new polymers and in innovating existing polymers. With establishment of structure-morphology-property relationships, we are approaching a new age of digital synthesis and precision production of polymers. The key lies in the design and precise control of chain microstructure for targeted material properties, which are desired in applications. ******My research program is in the area of polymer reaction engineering, which bridges the lab-scale polymer chemistry and industrial polymer production. My research objective is to study fundamentals of polymer reaction engineering and to develop advanced technologies that allow us to design and produce polymers having targeted chain microstructure and properties. I propose to work on three areas, which build on my strength in reaction engineering combined with extensive experience in polymer chemistry and material science. The work involves both theoretical development and experimentation, best for training HQPs with both skills highly demanded by industries.******Area 1 is to study high-conversion controlled radical polymerization (CRP). CRP represents a major advance in polymer chemistry in the recent decades. It combines the good control of living ionic polymerization and the moderate reaction conditions of radical polymerization. However, there are several major challenges facing its commercial exploitations, caused by diffusion-controlled reactions. My objective is to investigate their mechanisms and to develop strategies to tackle the challenges. Area 2 is to study surface modification by CRP grafting. Chemical modification of bulk materials is often required to assure biocompatibility and surface-initiated CRP provides a powerful method. Despite of thousands of investigations reported, fundamental questions, such as, how thick can we grow polymer layer from surface, still remain. My objective is to provide answer to such questions that would greatly help further development of the whole area. Area 3 is to develop smart materials from CRP. Polymers having unprecedented microstructure and functionality will be designed and precisely prepared using model-based CRP technologies and be evaluated as extractors in separation of natural products. My objective is to reduce the use of large amount volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the unit operation.