Development of degradable bio-based polymers

Plastic waste is a global environmental priority for our generation. Many countries, including Canada, have introduced ambitious “zero-plastic waste” policies to move towards a circular plastic economy. The goal of this collaborative project is to develop novel degradable polymers sourced from bio-sourced materials. Polymers are made of repeating units linked by strong carbon-carbon covalent bonds. The main reason for the poor degradability of polymers lies in the stability of carbon-carbon bonds that are highly resistant to environmental factors. To enhance plastic sustainability and degradability, Prof. Craig Hawker’s group at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) achieved a breakthrough in synthesizing degradable polymers by incorporating cleavable functional groups in the polymer backbone through copolymerization of non-toxic, commercially available Lipoic Acid. The proposed project is to study copolymerization of a-Lipoic Acid with fully bio-based ß-Myrcene. The proposed research will be carried out at the UCSB at the laboratories of Prof. Hawker in close collaboration with BioPACIFIC platform which is one of the best institutes on polymer research with state-of-the-art equipment and world-renowned researchers. This partnership between McGill University and UCSB aims to establish a solid foundation for sustainable polymeric materials.

Faculty Supervisor:

Milan Maric

Student:

Partner:

University of California, Santa Barbara

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

McGill University

Program: