Our Research

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

• Popowski, Y.; Lu, Y.; Coates, G. W.; Tolman, W. B. Stereocomplexation of stereoregular aliphatic polyesters: Change from amorphous to semicrystalline polymers with single stereocenter inversion. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 8362–8370.
• Porwal, M. K.; Reddi, Y.; Saxon, D. J.; Cramer, C. J.; Ellison, C. J.; Reineke. T. M. Stereoregular functionalized polysaccharides via cationic ring-opening polymerization of biomass-derived levoglucosan. Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 4512-4522.
• Sangroniz, L.; Jang, Y.-J.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Müller, A. J. The role of intermolecular interactions on melt memory and thermal fractionation of semicrystalline polymers. J. Chem. Phys. 2022, 156, 144902.
• Fournier, L.; Rivera Mirabal, D. M.; Hillmyer, M. A. Toward sustainable elastomers from the grafting-through polymerization of lactone-containing polyester macromonomers. Macromolecules 2022, 55, 1003–1014.
• Rosenbloom, S. I.; Hsu, J. H.; Fors, B. P. Controlling the shape of the molecular weight distribution for tailored tensile and rheological properties in thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers. J. Polym. Sci. 2022, 60, 1291–1299.
• Reddi, Y.; Cramer, C. J. Mechanism and design principles for controlling stereoselectivity in the copolymerization of CO₂/cyclohexene oxide by indium(III) phosphasalen catalysts. ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 15244–15251.
• Liffland, S.; Hillmyer, M. A. Enhanced mechanical properties of aliphatic polyester thermoplastic elastomers through star block architectures. Macromolecules 2021, 54, 9327–9340.
• Spring, S. W.; Smith-Sweetser, R. O.; Rosenbloom, S. I.; Sifri, R. J.; Fors, B. P. Sustainable thermoplastic elastomers produced via cationic RAFT polymerization. Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 1097–1104.
• Ishibashi, J. S. A.; Pierce, I. C.; Chang, A. B.; Zografos, A.; El-Zaatari, B. M.; Fang, Y.; Weigand, S. J.; Bates, F. S.; Kalow, J. A. Mechanical and structural consequences of associative dynamic cross-linking in acrylic diblock copolymers. Macromolecules 2021, Article ASAP.
• Ogawa, R.; Hillmyer, M. A. High molar mass poly(ricinoleic acid) via entropy-driven ring-opening metathesis polymerization. Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 2253–2257.
• Rosenbloom, S. I.; Sifri, R. J.; Fors, B. P. Achieving molecular weight distribution shape control and broad dispersities using RAFT polymerizations. Polym. Chem. 2021, Advance Article.
• Gu, L.; Macosko C. W. Evaluating PE/PLA interfacial tension using ternary immiscible polymer blends. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2021, 1-5.

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

• Batiste, D. C.; De Hoe, G. X.; Nelson, T. F.; Sodnikar, K.; McNeill, K.; Sander, M.; Hillmyer, M. A. Site-specific mineralization of a polyester hydrolysis product in natural soil. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2022, 10, 1373–1378.
• Swartz, J. L.; Sheppard, D. T.; Haugstad, G.; Dichtel, W. R. Blending polyurethane thermosets using dynamic urethane exchange. Macromolecules 2021, 54, 11126–11133.
• Kim, H. J.; Hillmyer, M. A.; Ellison, C. J. Enhanced polyester degradation through transesterification with salicylates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 15784–15790.
• Guptill, D. M.; Chinta, B. S.; Kaicharla, T.; Xu, S.; Hoye, T. R. β-Methyl-δ-valerolactone-containing thermoplastic poly(ester-amide)s: Synthesis, mechanical properties, and degradation behavior. Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 1310–1316.
• Sajjad, H.; Lillie, L. M.; Lau, C. M.; Ellison, C. J.; Tolman, W. B.; Reineke, T. M. Degradable polyanhydride networks derived from itaconic acid. Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 608–617. 
• Reisman, L.; Siehr, A.; Horn, J.; Batiste, D. C.; Kim, H. J.; De Hoe, G. X.; Ellison, C. J.; Shen, W.; White, E. M.; Hillmyer, M. A. Respirometry and cell viability studies for sustainable polyesters and their hydrolysis products. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 2736–2744.
• Wu, Y.; Shetty, M.; Zhang, K.; Dauenhauer, P. J. Sustainable hybrid route to renewable methacrylic acid via biomass-derived citramalate. ACS Eng. Au 2021.
• Wang, Z. Q.; Song, H.; Koleski, E. J.; Hara, N.; Park, D. S.; Kumar, G.; Min, Y.; Dauenhauer, P. J.; Chang, M. C. Y. A dual cellular–heterogeneous catalyst strategy for the production of olefins from glucose. Nat. Chem. 2021, 13, 1178–1185.
• Dong, H.; Chang, M. C. Y. Structural basis for branched substrate selectivity in a ketoreductase from Ascaris suum. ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 8948–8955.
• Pang, Y.; Ardagh, M. A.; Shetty, M.; Chatzidimitriou, A.; Kumar, G.; Vlaisavljevich, B.; Dauenhauer, P. J. On the spatial design of co-fed amines for selective dehydration of methyl lactate to acrylates. ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 5718–5735.
• Corcoran, E. R.; Lydon, C.; Enright, M. C.; Buenaflor, J. P.; Anderson, K.; Wissinger, J. E. Thirst for a solution: alginate biopolymer experiments for the middle and high school classroom.  J. Chem. Educ. 2021, 99, 1021-1025.
• Saxon, D. J.; Gormong, E. A.; Shah, V. M.; Reineke, T. M. Rapid synthesis of chemically recyclable polycarbonates from renewable feedstocks. ACS Macro Lett. 2021, 10, 98–103.

INVESTIGATORS