Chemical Recycling of Mechanically Robust Polyacetals Synthesized by Living Cationic Ring-Opening Polymerization

• Prof. Brooks Abel, UC Berkeley Chemistry Dept.
• Sponsored by the Golden Gate Polymer Forum
• Details TBA soon on the Golden Gate Polymer Forum’s website

About the speaker:

Research Interests

Polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, stereoselective catalysis, and polymer recycling.

The Abel group conducts research at the interfaces of polymer organic chemistry, catalysis, and materials science. We develop new living polymerization reactions, with an emphasis on stereoselective and scalable catalysis, guided by the growing energetic, environmental, and economic concerns associated with the production and end-of-life fates of synthetic materials. We pursue application-driven polymer chemistry, where the desired chemical identity, thermomechanical properties, and end-use of the polymer materials are used to guide the development of new polymerization methods. We also take a methodology approach to discovering new polymerization reactions to push the field of polymer chemistry towards previously unobtainable control over polymer microstructure, architecture, and functionality.

Biography

• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley (since 2021)
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Cornell University (2017-2021)
• Ph.D.  Polymer Science, The University of Southern Mississippi (2016)
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2010)
• Internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD  (2009)
• B. S. Polymer Science, The University of Southern Mississippi (2009)
• A. A. Southwest Mississippi Community College (2006)