NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks
In this JACS article a MONET team from the Klausen, Johnson, Craig, and Kulik labs report the geometrically selective synthesis of trans- and cis-silacycloheptenes via a novel synthetic strategy and probe the effect of Si for C substitution on ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP).
In this Polymer Chemistry article, a team from the Johnson and Craig labs address the question how the deformation and tension experienced by a strand is influenced by strand length through the use of mechanophore force probes with discrete molecular weights.
Researchers from the Olvera de la Cruz and Craig labs report a polyelectrolyte handle for single-molecule force spectroscopy that offers a combination of excellent attachment features.
A team from the Rubinstein and Craig labs present a modified Lake–Thomas theory that accounts for the molecular details of network connectivity upon crack propagation in polymer networks.
Researchers in the Rubinstein lab develop a single-chain model to account for the redistribution of monomers between network strands of a primary chain.
Researchers in the Johnson and Olsen labs use small angle neutron scattering to measure single chain radii of gyration of end-linked polymer gels before and after cross-linking to calculate the prestrain, which is the ratio of the average chain size in a cross-linked network to that of a free chain in solution. These measurements serve as a point of reference for network theories that rely on this parameter for the calculation of mechanical properties.
In this article, researchers from the Klausen, Kulik, Moore, Kalow, Sottos, and Johnson labs highlight the use of a comonomer strategy for silyl ether exchange yielding deconstruction and bulk remolding in pDCPD thermosets.
In this Perspective, researchers from the Sottos and Craig labs speculate as to the potential match between covalent polymer mechanochemistry and recent advances in polymer network chemistry, specifically, topologically controlled networks and the hierarchical material responses enabled by multi-network architectures and mechanically interlocked polymers.
Researchers from the Campos and Nelson labs employ the unconventional, yet versatile, multiexciton process of triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) for curing opaque hydrogel composites created by direct-ink-write (DIW) 3D printing.
The Sottos, Johnson, and Moore labs demonstrate end-of-life deconstruction and upcycling of high-performance poly(dicyclopentadiene) (pDCPD) thermosets with a concurrent reduction in the energy demand for curing via frontal copolymerization.