9806492 Wagener This award addresses several specific research goals. A series of well defined polyolefin polymers will be designed to model the crystallization behavior of polyethylene and its related copolymers, including the new metallocene materials. The synthesis concept has already been reduced to practice, so the likelihood of success in this research is high. This will be done by implementing total control over the identity and frequency of branches along the backbone. Inherent in this research will be work to elaborate on new homogeneous-to- heterogeneous metathesis/hydrogenation chemistry. Well- defined alcohol and ester branched polymers will be synthesized to serve as polymeric substrates in a sialyl Lewis X tetrasaccharide drug binding study. This work will be done in collaboration with Prof. Wong of the Scripps Research Institute. Precise segmented polymers will be synthesized by condensation metathesis. Segmented multiphase materials can only be made by step polymerization procedures, making the ADMET reaction a natural choice for this conversion. This synthetic strategy has already been demonstrated, and the preparation of useful hard segments will be explored using polyether, polysiloxane, and polyisobutylene soft segments. Well defined, mixed metal rich homopolymers will be prepared possessing different metals covalently fixed within the same polymer chain. %%% While covalently bound metal containing polymers have already been synthesized via condensation metathesis, polymers with such high mixed metal content polymers are not known. Each of these areas provides significant opportunity for the training of postdoctoral, Ph.D. and undergraduate students for their future. Interaction with industry continues to be strong, and the information generated by this work will foster continuing relations with a number of corporations. The social impact of this research relates to broadening the usefulness of the world's largest volume, commo dity polymers and copolymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene and polyvinylacetate. ***
