Thermal end-caps for use in self-immolative polymers
Type of Proposal
Oral Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Proposal
Self-immolative polymers (SIPs) are materials that spontaneously depolymerize, monomer unit by monomer unit, at room temperature once activated. This is a new class of polymers first reported a decade ago. These molecules can be stabilized indefinitely simply by attaching an “end-cap” to one end of the polymer after they are made. When this end-cap is removed, the polymer can begin breaking down itself in the matter of hours or days. In traditional biodegradable polymers, degradation does not occur so easily, as often requiring an enzyme to cleave every single bond between the monomers units. This causes a longer degradation over between months to years. Application of self-immolative polymers will essentially be dictated by the end-caps responsible in keeping them together. The wide possibilities of end-cap will offer different stimuli that is required to remove it, be it light, heat, reduction, oxidation and pH. The retro Diels-Alder has one of the most heavily studied reactions. The reversibility of the reaction of the furan and maleimide makes these types of compound perfect to become end-caps. Over the course of 2017, the Trant Team experimented with different combinations of various electron withdrawing and electron donating groups within a Diels-Alder molecule to see how it can be manipulated to obtain different degradation temperatures. The end-result was a small library of compounds responsive to temperatures between 35 ºC to 110 ºC. These interesting molecules could be useful for a wide variety of applications in materials, environmental, and biomedical science. This presentation will report on our studies into these compounds, provide an introduction to self-immolative polymers, and show the potential of these systems for biomedical engineering.
Start Date
23-3-2018 9:00 AM
End Date
23-3-2018 10:20 AM
Location
Alumni Auditorium B
Thermal end-caps for use in self-immolative polymers
Alumni Auditorium B
Self-immolative polymers (SIPs) are materials that spontaneously depolymerize, monomer unit by monomer unit, at room temperature once activated. This is a new class of polymers first reported a decade ago. These molecules can be stabilized indefinitely simply by attaching an “end-cap” to one end of the polymer after they are made. When this end-cap is removed, the polymer can begin breaking down itself in the matter of hours or days. In traditional biodegradable polymers, degradation does not occur so easily, as often requiring an enzyme to cleave every single bond between the monomers units. This causes a longer degradation over between months to years. Application of self-immolative polymers will essentially be dictated by the end-caps responsible in keeping them together. The wide possibilities of end-cap will offer different stimuli that is required to remove it, be it light, heat, reduction, oxidation and pH. The retro Diels-Alder has one of the most heavily studied reactions. The reversibility of the reaction of the furan and maleimide makes these types of compound perfect to become end-caps. Over the course of 2017, the Trant Team experimented with different combinations of various electron withdrawing and electron donating groups within a Diels-Alder molecule to see how it can be manipulated to obtain different degradation temperatures. The end-result was a small library of compounds responsive to temperatures between 35 ºC to 110 ºC. These interesting molecules could be useful for a wide variety of applications in materials, environmental, and biomedical science. This presentation will report on our studies into these compounds, provide an introduction to self-immolative polymers, and show the potential of these systems for biomedical engineering.