This equipment is to be used for investigations of the (bio)catalytic synthesis of polymers in supercritical fluids. Specifically, the identification of enzymes for the synthesis of poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(ethylene glutamate), and peptide synthesis is to be carried out. In addition, the use of supercritical fluids as solvents for traditional polymerization is to done. Previous work on the (bio)catalytic transesterification of acrylates has produced a set of general guidelines for the optimization of enzymatic processes in supercritical environments. Using these guidelines, this project is to establish the feasibility of the (bio)catalytic synthesis of aromatic and aliphatic polyesters.
