This CAREER award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports research and education on polymer synthesis by Dr. Geoffrey W. Coates in the Chemistry Department, Cornell University. The goal of the research is to develop new catalysts for the controlled copolymerization of carbon dioxide and epoxides. Transition metal complexes, specifically zinc diimines and chiral oxazolines, will be used as initiators for polymers that have heterocyclic groups in the main chain. By modification of these groups, polymers that are biodegradable are expected to result. The mechanism of the reaction will be investigated, as will potential synthetic applications. Polymer chemistry will be the basis of outreach programs to K-12 students, redesign of a portion of the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory, and industrial interactions for graduate students. The Cornell Center for Materials Research will be the focus for many of these activities.
