CAREER: SusChEM: Polymers Derived from Vegetable Oils: Synthesis, Structure-Property Relationships and Sustainability

University Of Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The objective of this project is to address key scientific challenges enabling the broad implementation of triglyceride vegetable oils as an environmentally beneficial source for polymers with tunable physical properties. Vegetable oils are an attractive feedstock, based on their abundance, low cost, and ease of functionalization. This research plan is structured around four specific aims: design of synthetic techniques for vegetable oil-derived polymers, investigation of structure-property relationships in vegetable oil-derived polymers, development of biomass-derived nanostructured polymers for targeted applications, and assessment of the environmental impact of biomass-derived polymers. This approach will begin with synthetic strategies to modify the chemical structure of the polymers, employing metathesis chemistry and supramolecular interactions. A detailed understanding of structure-property-function relationships for these polymers will emphasize their thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties, targeting thermoplastic elastomers, stimuli-responsive and shape memory materials. Characterization of the thermodynamic interactions through spectroscopy and scattering experiments in the biorenewable polymers will allow for the a priori prediction of the nanoscale structure. Quantification of the environmental impacts of vegetable oil-derived polymers will guide future material design aspects, incorporating green engineering principles. The outcomes of the proposed work will provide a roadmap for the design of functional polymers from vegetable oils. A number of major challenges will be addressed in this project. The bulky nature of the monomers may lead to synthetic challenges relative to their petroleum-derived counterparts and have key implications for the physical properties of the polymers. Biomass-derived materials may exhibit biodegradability and oxidative degradation. The presence of specific interactions may require looking beyond mean-field theories for modeling these polymers and their mixtures. Importantly, the structure-property-function relationships for these new materials are expected to be significantly different from those described in the vast body of literature for petroleum-derived polymers. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The world supply of petroleum is finite and in the future it will be necessary to utilize sustainable resources for the production of polymers. Polymers derived from agricultural sources offer benefits to society of enhanced biodegradability, reduced environmental impact, and utilization of an annually renewable resource. Replacements for commodity plastics have in many cases been successfully developed; however, relatively few studies have focused on biomass as a source for nanostructured materials. Polymers which exhibit nanoscale structure have tunable physical properties, which ultimately lead to important advances in material function. The proposed research will enable the implementation of polymers from a widely available agricultural source: vegetable oils. Additionally, this project will cultivate knowledge in students, educators and the general public on the relationships between energy, sustainability and the environmental impact of materials, through the broad participation of underrepresented groups in outreach programs, including women, Hispanic students and students from other minority groups. The following activities will be undertaken: a research-focused outreach program will be developed for local community college students; hands-on educational programs for students and teachers at targeted local high schools will be expanded; high school, undergraduate and graduate students will be mentored in the research project; and an exhibit will be designed for the Houston Museum of Natural Science on sustainable polymers.