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Cornell Center for Materials Research @ Cornell University

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Plastics are a big part of everyday life, but they are also a big drain on the environment. Every day, the chemical industry converts 1.5 million barrels of oil (8% of US consumption) into new plastic using energy-intensive chemical reactions.<br /> Chemists at Cornell University are working to develop green plastics that require much less energy to manufacture. In the summer of 2006, Mount Holyoke undergraduate Angela M. DiCiccio and Cornell chemists Ryan Jeske and Prof. Geoff Coates developed a new assembler molecule (a catalyst) that selectively “knits” long chains of plastic out of two common small molecules. This process is pictured at right. In contrast to traditional methods, this molecule uses much less energy to make plastics such as polyesters. These plastics will find use in both commodity markets as well high-value applications such as drug delivery.<br /> Ryan C. Jeske, Angela M. DiCiccio, and Geoffrey W. Coates, “Alternating Copolymerization of Epoxides and Cyclic Anhydrides: An Improved Route to Aliphatic Polyesters,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129, 11330-11331 (2007).

Address: 627 Clark Hall of Science Ithaca, NY 14853 | map | www
Tel: (607) 255-3040
Fax: (607) 255-3957

People

Director:

Melissa A. Hines | email

Education Director:

Nevjinder Singhota | email | Education web page

Facilities Director:

Jurriaan Gerretsen | email | Facilities web page

Industry Outreach:

Michèle van de Walle | email | Industry Outreach web page

Research Groups