Our Research

OVERVIEW

CSP researchers work to discover new, efficient, non-toxic, and catalytically mediated chemical transformations of biomass and other natural product-based feedstocks into both established and new polymer ingredients.

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

Organic, inorganic, and biosynthetic chemistry

FOCUS: Scalable, catalytic conversions of relevant and readily available small molecules; “Rewiring” industrially tractable microbial hosts to create a diverse array of polymer precursors by processes amenable to scale-up for industrial bioreactors.

FEATURE PUBLICATIONS

• Kumar, G.; Liu, D.; Xu, D.; Ren, L.; Tsapatsis, M.; Dauenhauer, P. J. Dehydra-decyclization of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran to pentadienes on boron-containing zeolites. Green. Chem. 2020, 22, 4147–4160.
• Calvino, C.; Macke, N.; Kato, R.; Rowan, S. J. Development, processing and applications of bio-sourced cellulose nanocrystal composites. Prog. Poly. Sci. 2020, 103, 101221.
• Kusnetsov, A.; Kumar, G.; Ardagh, M. A.; Tsapatsis, M.; Zhang, Q.; Dauenhauer, P. J. On the economics and process design of renewable butadiene from biomass-derived furfural. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 3273–3282.
• Saxon, D. J.; Luke, A. M.; Sajjad, H.; Tolman, W. B.; Reineke, T. M. Next-generation polymers: Isosorbide as a renewable alternative. Prog. Poly. Sci. 2020, 101, 101196.
• Fonseca, L. R.; Dirlam, P. T.; Hillmyer, M. A. Atom-economical, one-pot, self-initiated photopolymerization of lactose methacrylate for biobased hydrogels. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 4606–4613.
• Batiste, D. C.; Meyersohn, M. S.; Watts, A.; Hillmyer, M. A. Efficient polymerization of methyl-ε- caprolactone mixtures to access sustainable aliphatic polyesters. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 1795–1808.
  Primary data available here.
• Kim, H. J.; Jin, K.; Shim, J.; Dean, W.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Sustainable triblock copolymers as tunable and degradable pressure sensitive adhesives. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, Just Accepted.
• Sajjad, H.; Tolman, W. B.; Reineke, T. M. Block copolymer pressure-sensitive adhesives derived from fatty acids and triacetic acid lactone. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2020, 2, 2719–2728.
• Xu, S.; Wang, Y.; Hoye, T. R. Poly(4-ketovalerolactone) from levulinic acid: Synthesis and hydrolytic degradation. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 4952–4959.
  Primary data available here.
• Fahnhorst, G. W.; De Hoe, G. X.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Hoye, T. R. 4-Carboalkoxylated polyvalerolactones from malic acid: Tough and degradable polyesters. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 3194–3201.
  Primary data available here.Kim, H. J.; Reddi, Y.; Cramer, C. J.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Readily degradable aromatic polyesters from salicylic acid. ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9, 96–102.

INVESTIGATORS

OVERVIEW

CSP researchers work to discover new sustainable polymers with precisely controlled molecular structures and to establish crucial relationships between chemical structure, morphology, and performance properties.

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

Catalysis, high-throughput experimentation, theoretical studies, mechanistic studies of polymerization processes, polymer properties, polymer morphology

FOCUS: Broaden the scope of existing polymerization strategies and develop entirely new methods to discover new sustainable polymers with advanced properties that are better than their petroleum-based counterparts.

FEATURE PUBLICATIONS

• Lipinski, B. M.; Walker, K. L.; Clayman, N. E.; Morris, L. S.; Jugovic, T. M. E.; Roessler, A. G.; Getzler, Y. D. Y. L.; MacMillan, S. N.; Zare, R. N.; Zimmerman, P. M.; Waymouth, R. M.; Coates, G. W. Mechanistic study of isotactic poly(propylene oxide) synthesis using a tethered bimetallic chromium salen catalyst. ACS Catalysis 2020, 10, 8960–8967.
• Shao, H.; Reddi, Y.; Cramer, C. J. Modeling the mechanism of CO₂/cyclohexene oxide copolymerization catalyzed by chiral zinc β‑diiminates: Factors affecting reactivity and isotacticity. ACS Catal., 2020, 10, 8870–8879.
• Luke, A. M.; Peterson, A.; Chiniforoush, S.; Mandal, M.; Popowski, Y. Sajjad, H.; Bouchey, C. J.; Shopov, D. Y.; Graziano, B. J.; Yao, L. J.; Cramer, C. J.; Reineke, T. M.; Tolman, W. B. Mechanism of initiation stereocontrol in polymerization of rac-lactide by aluminum complexes supported by indolide-imine ligands. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 1809–1818.
• Fonseca, L. R.; Dirlam, P. T.; Hillmyer, M. A. Atom-economical, one-pot, self-initiated photopolymerization of lactose methacrylate for biobased hydrogels. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 4606–4613.
• Batiste, D. C.; Meyersohn, M. S.; Watts, A.; Hillmyer, M. A. Efficient polymerization of methyl-ε- caprolactone mixtures to access sustainable aliphatic polyesters. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 1795–1808.
  Primary data available here.
• Kim, H. J.; Jin, K.; Shim, J.; Dean, W.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Sustainable triblock copolymers as tunable and degradable pressure sensitive adhesives. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, Just Accepted.
• Sajjad, H.; Tolman, W. B.; Reineke, T. M. Block copolymer pressure-sensitive adhesives derived from fatty acids and triacetic acid lactone. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2020, 2, 2719–2728.
• Xu, S.; Wang, Y.; Hoye, T. R. Poly(4-ketovalerolactone) from levulinic acid: Synthesis and hydrolytic degradation. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 4952–4959.
  Primary data available here.
• Fahnhorst, G. W.; De Hoe, G. X.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Hoye, T. R. 4-Carboalkoxylated polyvalerolactones from malic acid: Tough and degradable polyesters. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 3194–3201.
  Primary data available here.Kim, H. J.; Reddi, Y.; Cramer, C. J.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Readily degradable aromatic polyesters from salicylic acid. ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9, 96–102.
• Lipinski, B. M.; Morris, L. S.; Silberstein, M. N.; Coates, G. W. Isotactic poly(propylene oxide): A photodegradable polymer with strain hardening properties. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 6800–6806.

INVESTIGATORS

OVERVIEW

CSP researchers work to discover and establish polymeric architectures that provide superior performance while in use and have innocuous end-lives including controlled degradation, chemical and traditional recycling pathways.

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

Polymer architecture, degradation, chemical recycling, recycling

FOCUS: Study and improve the performance properties of polymers, in particular as generated by the first two Grand Challenge Project Areas.

FEATURE PUBLICATIONS

• Klimovica, K.; Pan, S.; Lin, T.-W.; Peng, X.; Ellison, C. J.; LaPointe, A. M.; Bates, F. S.; Coates, G. W. Compatibilization of iPP/HDPE blends with PE-g–iPP graft copolymers. ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9, 1161–1166.
• Elling, B. R.; Dichtel, W. R. Reprocessable cross-linked polymer networks: Are associative exchange mechanisms desirable? ACS Cent. Sci., 2020 Article ASAP.
• Ertem, S. P.; Onuoha, C. E.; Wang, H.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Reineke, T. M.; Lodge, T. P.; Bates, F. S. Hydrogenolysis of linear low-density polyethylene during heterogeneous catalytic hydrogen-deuterium exchange. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 6043–6055.
• Sheppard, D. T.; Jin, K.; Hamachi, L. S.; Dean, W.; Fortman, D. J.; Ellison, C. J.; Dichtel, W. R. Reprocessing postconsumer polyurethane foam using carbamate exchange catalysis and twin-screw extrusion. ACS Cent. Sci. 2020, 6, 921–927.
• Hoff, E. A.; De Hoe, G. X.; Mulvaney, C. M.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Alabi, C. A. Thiol-ene networks from sequence-defined polyurethane macromers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 6729–6736.
• Snyder, R. L.; Lidston, C. A.; De Hoe, G. X.; Parvulescu, M. J. S.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Coates, G. C. Mechanically robust and reprocessable imine exchange networks from modular polyester pre-polymers. Polym. Chem. 2020, Advance Article.
• Nomura, K.; Peng, X.; Kim, H.; Jin, K.; Kim, H.-J.; Bratton, A.; Bond, C. R.; Broman, A.; Miller, K. M.; Ellison, C. J. Multiblock copolymers for recycling polyethylene-poly(ethylene terephthalate) mixed waste. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12, 9726–9735.
• Sifri, R.; Padilla Velez, O.; Coates, G. W.; Fors, B. P. Controlling the shape of molecular weight distributions in coordination polymerization and its impact on physical properties. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 1443–1448.
• Kim, H. J.; Jin, K.; Shim, J.; Dean, W.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Sustainable triblock copolymers as tunable and degradable pressure sensitive adhesives. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, Just Accepted.
• Sajjad, H.; Tolman, W. B.; Reineke, T. M. Block copolymer pressure-sensitive adhesives derived from fatty acids and triacetic acid lactone. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2020, 2, 2719–2728.
• Xu, S.; Wang, Y.; Hoye, T. R. Poly(4-ketovalerolactone) from levulinic acid: Synthesis and hydrolytic degradation. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 4952–4959.
  Primary data available here.
• Fahnhorst, G. W.; De Hoe, G. X.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Hoye, T. R. 4-Carboalkoxylated polyvalerolactones from malic acid: Tough and degradable polyesters. Macromolecules 2020, 53, 3194–3201.
  Primary data available here.Kim, H. J.; Reddi, Y.; Cramer, C. J.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Readily degradable aromatic polyesters from salicylic acid. ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9, 96–102.
• Lipinski, B. M.; Morris, L. S.; Silberstein, M. N.; Coates, G. W. Isotactic poly(propylene oxide): A photodegradable polymer with strain hardening properties. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 6800–6806.

INVESTIGATORS