CAREER: Synthesis of Novel Classes of Depolymerizable Polymers with Well-Defined Response Properties

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Scott Phillips of the Pennsylvania State University will create new classes of polymers that depolymerize in response to specific applied signals. The approach is to synthesize polymer backbone structures that can depolymerize under specific chain end initiation conditions and then to characterize the physical organic chemistry aspects of the depolymerization process. Next, various protecting groups will be attached to the polymer chain ends, and initiation of the depolymerization reactions after chemical stimulus will be studied. The education plan involves (i) giving demonstrations and lectures to chemistry and physics classes at high schools in southeastern Pennsylvania, (ii) recruiting students from these schools to participate in summer research programs at the Pennsylvania State University, and (iii) recruiting educators from high schools for a separate summer research and professional development program at Penn State. Other broader impacts of the research involve the potential impacts of these new polymer classes on sensing and diagnostic sciences and the longer term potential uses of polymers that can be chemically reused.

Plastics are found in many facets of everyday life, including food packaging, structural materials for automotive and aerospace transportation, and lightweight electronic devices. This work will explore fundamental chemistry related to how plastics decompose into constituent molecules. The results from this project could lead to new design principles to make plastics that can be recycled or reused chemically and to make new materials for sensor or diagnostic applications.