Research advances design of custom polymer materials

Researchers at Imperial College in London have developed a way to control polymer composition that may advance the design of custom materials. By switching on and off the catalyst used to make polymers, the scientists have found that it is possible to select the monomers that will be added to the chain and, therefore, control the pattern and composition of the final polymer. Initial research was conducted on polyester and polycarbonates, but it is anticipated that the method could be used in the fabrication of an array of polymeric materials and improve their performance in drug delivery and regenerative medicine, among other applications.

"Our method uses the chemistry between the catalyst and the polymer chain, which affects the kind of monomer added to the chain and [the] type of material produced," explains Charlotte Williams, Professor of Catalysis and Polymer Chemistry at Imperial, who led the research. "This is a different way of controlling the polymer composition, and one that gives us more control over the properties of the end product. Our research is the first step in this direction, but may lead, one day, to scientists being able to engineer polymers with much more desirable properties," she adds.

Williams' team used a zinc-based catalyst with three different monomers, including carbon dioxide. The chemistry represents a promising approach to adding value to waste CO₂, including from waste gas emissions. The next step in the process will be to extend the method to greater varieties and mixtures of monomers, according to a press release posted on the Imperial College website.

The research was published last week in Angewandte Chemie. Spin-out company Econic Technologies, founded by WIlliams, is licensing the discovery and commercializing the materials.