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Polymer Synthesis Lab
Bowen Hall 403The Polymer Synthesis Laboratory is overseen by Dr. Douglas H. Adamson, Research Scientist in the Princeton Materials Institute. As its name implies, the lab is equipped for and devoted to the synthesis and characterization of polymer materials. The synthesis portion of the laboratory focuses on model polymeric materials. These polymers are well defined with respect to molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, chemical composition, and molecular architecture. This generally means that living anionic polymerization is the chemistry utilized for synthesis. Post-polymerization modification is sometimes employed as well, as is occasional radical polymerization. The characterization portion of the lab consists of numerous instruments largely devoted to molecular weight and polydispersity determination. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), light scattering, osmometry and viscosity are available to characterize the molecular weight of polymeric materials. Gas chromatography (GC) and uv-vis spectroscopy are also available for determining the concentration of volatile components in a solution and measuring the absorption of various wavelengths of light in a solution, respectively. More complete descriptions of the instruments may be accessed through the links at the bottom of this page. Living anionic polymerization is used as the method of choice in model polymer synthesis due to its unique ability to produce well-defined materials with a reasonable choice of monomers. The term “living” refers to the nature of the propagating anion in the polymerization mechanism. The propagating anion stays reactive or “living” after all monomer has been spent. This allows new monomer to be added, resulting in block copolymers with well-controlled molecular weights and compositions. Due the high reactivity of the propagating species, the reagents must be kept pure. For this, the laboratory is equipped with two high vacuum manifolds connected to diffusion pumps. This allows reagents to be degassed and transferred by distillation through the vacuum line. The laboratory is also equipped for glassblowing. This allows the fabrication of sealed vessels for polymerization reactions done completely under vacuum. We are always interested in helping investigators who are considering projects involving polymer synthesis or characterization. Please contact Doug Adamson at adamson@princeton.edu. Characterization Instruments in the Polymer Synthesis Laboratory:
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