L2M NSERC - A single atom upgrade to polydicyclopentadiene

聚双环戊二烯（PDCPD）是一种强度高、重量轻的工业聚合物，具有高抗冲击性和良好的机械强度。然而，尽管在汽车工业中发现了重要的用途（用于制造重型卡车的车身面板），但PDCPD的广泛采用受到聚合物内部缺乏可修改化学功能的阻碍，以及表面能低（使得新制备的PDCPD部件难以涂漆或应用粘合剂）以及由于捕获的双环戊二烯单体（DCPD）而产生的臭味。伍尔夫集团的博士生本·戈德温（Ben Godwin）通过制造一种改性形式的DCPD单体，解决了所有这些问题，DCPD单体含有一个额外的氧原子。这种新型改进的单体，只需要一个光催化步骤就可以从DCPD本身获得，没有难闻的气味，并且可以通过聚合得到一种相对于传统的、非功能化形式的PDCPD具有更高机械强度的材料。更好的是，氧原子的存在（保留在聚合物产品中）提供了更好的表面能，并且可以改善与纤维增强剂的结合，从而使PDCPD从低利润的汽车应用转向航空航天制造领域。在Lab2Market计划的支持下，Ben希望将这项创新技术转化为商业领域。

Polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD) is a strong, lightweight industrial polymer with high impact resistance and good mechanical strength. Despite finding significant utility in the automotive industry, however (where it is used to manufacture body panels for heavy trucks), the broader adoption of PDCPD has been hindered by the lack of modifiable chemical functionality within the polymer, as well as a low surface energy (making it difficult to paint freshly prepared PDCPD parts, or apply adhesives) and a foul odour due to entrapped dicyclopentadiene monomer (DCPD). Wulff group PhD student Ben Godwin has solved all of these issues through the manufacture of a modified form of the DCPD monomer, which contains a single additional oxygen atom. This new-and-improved monomer, which is accessed in a single photocatalytic step from DCPD itself, has no unpleasant odour, and can by polymerized to afford a material that has improved mechanical strength relative to the traditional, unfunctionalized form of PDCPD. Even better, the presence of the oxygen atom (which is retained in the polymer product) provides an improved surface energy and should allow for improved bonding to fiber reinforcing agents, allowing PDCPD to move from low-margin automotive applications to the world of aerospace manufacturing. With the support of the Lab2Market program, Ben is looking to transition this innovative technology to the commercial sphere.