Key progresses of MOE key laboratory of macromolecular synthesis and functionalization in 2022

In 2022,The MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization in Zhejiang University had achieved several important results.First,a series of well-defined dinuclear organoboron catalysts were developed to precisely control the enchainment of ether and carbonate segments during the copolymerization of CO_(2)and epoxides.Second,polyester had been synthesized through cationic copolymerization of cyclic anhydride.Third,ring-opening polymerization of carbon dioxide based valerolactone had been achieved,revealing the prospect of 3-ethylidene-6-vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one(EVL)in utilizing CO_(2)and synthesizing functional polymers.Fourth,machine learning methods have been applied to biomaterial research,enabling high-throughput screening of functional biomaterial surfaces for implantable devices,and searching for potent antimicrobial peptides in whole combinatorial peptide libraries.Fifth,methods of characterization of biomacromolecule RNA transcription and manipulation of nucleoside modification were developed.Sixth,artificial enzymes-armed Bifidobacterium Longum probiotics were established to tune down gut inflammation.Seventh,three-dimensional(3D)printing technologies were used to engineer tough supramolecular hydrogels.Eighth,hydroplastic foaming graphene frameworks for acoustic and conductive polymer composites were provided for application.Ninth,aggregate photophysics about the nature of through-space interactions(TSIs)and manipulating their strength in small molecules with non-conjugated structure had been elucidated.Tenth,the forming mechanism of a newfound nested texture in poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA)spherulitic films had been revealed.Finally,the isotropically dyeing mechanism of KDP single crystals grown from hydrogels have been explored.The related works are reviewed in this paper.

Random Terpolymer of Carbon Dioxide,Butadiene and Epoxides:Synthesis,Functionalization and Degradability

The utilization of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))as a C1 feedstock is consistently attractive,especially in the preparation of sustainable polymeric materials.In this contribution,a terpolymer of CO_(2),1,3-butadiene(BD)and epoxide is synthesized by scandium triflate catalyzed cationic ring-opening copolymerization ofα-ethylidene-δ-vinyl-δ-valerolactone(EVL),an intermediate derived from CO_(2)and BD,with epoxides.The obtained terpolymer with a CO_(2)content of 22 mol%has a number-average molecular weight(M_(n))up to 7.8 kg/mol and a dispersity(Đ)of 2.4.The reactivity ratios of EVL and cyclohexene oxide(CHO)are determined as 0.01 and 1.07,respectively,suggesting random characteristic of the terpolymer.The preserved C=C double bonds from BD allow for the further modification of the terpolymer by photoinitiated crosslinking.The yielded networks are fluorescent and degradable.This method offers enhanced versatility to the synthesis and additional functionalization of CO_(2)-based polymers.