CAS: Development of Core-Substituted Dihydrophenazine Photoredox Catalysts for Organocatalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Garret Miyake of Colorado State University is studying a new class of organic catalysts for the synthesis of polymers with precisely defined molecular weights, chemical compositions, and architectures. Polymers are among the most important synthetic materials in modern society.

Developing new and efficient methods for their synthesis accelerates the discovery of new materials and applications. Catalysts enable the synthesis of medicines, commodity chemicals, and materials but are often based on precious metals and require elevated reaction temperatures. The expected outcomes from this work are the development of new organic catalysts as sustainable alternatives to commonly used precious metal catalysts that allow access to otherwise unobtainable polymers.

Furthermore, these catalysts will convert light to chemical energy to drive reactions under mild conditions. In collaboration with a local high school, the Miyake group is developing supplemental curricula to educate high school students in modern themes of sustainability. High school students are also working with the Miyake research team at Colorado State University to develop these catalyst systems and gain research experience in the diverse skill sets necessary to address global challenges.

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Garret Miyake of Colorado State University is studying core-substituted dihydrophenazine photoredox catalysts for organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization. This work will establish synthetic routes to novel organic photoredox catalysts possessing unique photophysical properties that will enable the synthesis of new polymeric materials.

Through mechanistic studies, an understanding into the structure-property relationships of the catalysts on their polymerization performance will be gained to ultimately yield more efficient catalyst systems. These catalysts will be applied toward the polymerization of challenging monomers for the synthesis of novel polymeric materials. Beyond polymerization, these catalysts will also have the potential to unlock previously inaccessible catalytic chemical transformations and will find broad applications across chemical catalysis.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.