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TOPIC: Translation of Fundamental Chemistry to Functional Nanoscopic Macromolecules Designed for Advanced Applications
SPEAKER: Prof. Karen L. Wooley, Texas A&M University, USA
TIME: Nov. 7th (Tuesday) 14:30
LOCATION: Room 528, Chemistry Building A (化学A楼528)
INVITER: Prof. Xinyuan Zhu (朱新远 教授)

Biography:

Karen L. Wooley is the W. T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry and a University Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University, where she holds appointments in the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering. She also serves as Director of the Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions. Research interests include the synthesis and characterization of degradable polymers derived from natural products, unique macromolecular architectures and complex polymer assemblies, and the design and development of well-defined nanostructured materials. Recent awards include the American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry (2014), Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2014), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2014), Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (2014), Oesper Award (2015), and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015). Karen currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society, among many other advisory roles within the broader scientific community.

wooley@chem.tamu.edu

Abstract:
This presentation will highlight a progression of synthetic strategies for the preparation of functional polymer materials, where each strategy and material design is inspired by a targeted application. The evolution of nanostructured materials that originate from the supramolecular assembly of macromolecular building blocks, from relatively simple overall shapes and internal morphologies to those of increasing complexity, is driving the development of synthetic methodologies that allow for the preparation of increasingly complex macromolecular structures. Moreover, the inclusion of functional units within selective compartments/domains is of great importance to create (multi)functional materials. We have a special interest in the study of nanoscopic macromolecules, with well-defined composition, structure and topology, as components that are programmed for the formation of sophisticated nanoscopic objects in solution, thin films or the bulk state. Combinations of controlled radical and ring opening polymerizations, chemical transformations, and supramolecular assembly are employed to construct such materials as functional entities. Our recent work has involved the construction of polymers and nanostructured materials, in some cases being derived from natural products and including biologic-synthetic hybrid materials, which exhibit unique physicochemical, mechanical and/or biological activities, including for instance therapeutic effects to treat inflammation, infectious diseases or cancer, properties designed for orthopedic device applications, or topographically- and morphologically-complex copolymer networks as anti-biofouling and anti-icing coatings. Particular foci of the presentation will be an illustration of the translation of fundamental synthetic methodology development that allows for the preparation of well-defined polymer architectures toward their utilization in three distinctly different directions: as asymmetric structures for ultra-high resolution photoresist technologies in microelectronics fabrication, as nanoscopic drug delivery vehicles for treatment of lung diseases, or as high-capacity hybrid magnetic-organic sequestrants for pollutant recovery.