News Release

Controlling chain end structure a stepping stone to new polymers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Va., April 8, 2002 -- Polymer molecules are large, often like chains, so that within any polymer material, the number of chain ends is small. Since chain ends make up such a small portion of a material, they have received less attention in material design. But chemists are now discovering ways to enhance materials by paying closer attention to the chain ends.

At the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), April 7-11 in Orlando, Virginia Tech researchers will present several discoveries regarding chain ends, including what happens when you add DNA base pairs to polymer chain ends.

Koji Yamauchi, a visiting scientist in the chemistry department at Virginia Tech, is attaching DNA base pairs as polymer end groups. "The aim is to design polymers with the power of DNA -- to associate and aggregate into unique structures," explains chemistry professor Tim Long.

For example, an adhesive with improved association would lead to stronger and reversible adhesives, Long says.

The researchers are looking at how the base pairs influences polymer structure, properties, and rheology (flow).

Yamauchi and Long will present the paper, "Synthesis and characterization of telechelic multiple hydrogen bonded (MHB) macromolecules via living anionic polymerization" (Poly 227) at 8 a.m. Monday, April 8, in Convention Center room 311F, level three.

Yamauchi is employed by Toray Industries.

Other papers during the 2002 Award in Applied Polymer Science Symposium honoring James McGrath will also cover interactions and reactions at the polymer chain end, including "Interactions and reactions at the polymer chain end: From Davidson 120A to Hahn 3009 (Poly 301), presented at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Conference Center room 312 B/C. level three, by Long and graduate students Jeremy R. Lizotte, Anthony J. Pasquale, Koji Yamauchi, David T. Williamson, Casey L. Hudelson, Lars Kilan, and Qin Lin.

McGrath, university distinguished professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech, has just received the ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science. Long was McGrath's student in 1973, went on to work in industry and to fund McGrath's research, and is now a colleague at Virginia Tech.

Long credits James McGrath with raising awareness of chain ends and has organized the four-session symposium in conjunctions with the ACS Award Symposium recognizing McGrath's influence as a polymer scientist. "He emphasized the importance of chain ends. He has been a catalyst for a lot of new science. He raised our awareness of what we can do," says Long,

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PR CONTACT: Susan Trulove (540) 231-5646 STrulove@vt.edu


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