Professor Anne J. McNeil of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor is supported by the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry to study Ni-catalyzed chain growth polymerization for the synthesis of pi-conjugated polymers and copolymers. The aims of the proposed research include (a) obtaining insight into the mechanism of transition-metal-catalyzed chain-growth polymerizations, (b) synthesizing, characterizing, and evaluating new Ni0-arene -complexes as intermediates and initiators, (c) developing new synthetic methods to provide access to a new class of functional organic materials with novel properties and applications, and (d) elucidating the fundamental reactivity preferences when multiple monomers are used.
The proposed research promises to advance our understanding of the metal-catalyzed polymerization of conjugated polymers, with the potential of increasing the diversity of conjugated materials available for applications in technological devices, including thin-film solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained in multidisciplinary research involving organic, inorganic, and polymer chemistry. Students and other faculty members will be engaged in a comprehensive overhaul of chemical entries in Wikipedia.
