Stereosequenced crystalline polyhydroxyalkanoates from diastereomeric monomer mixtures
Abstract
Bacteria produce a class of polyesters, termed polyhydroxyalkanoates, that are particularly appealing on account of how easily they undergo biodegradation. Unfortunately, these polymers also tend to be overly brittle for many applications. Tang et al. report that a molecular lanthanide catalyst can sequentially polymerize chiral and then achiral diastereomers to form polyhydroxyalkanoate varieties that are substantially more ductile. The catalyst selectively produces these copolymers directly from diastereomeric mixtures of monomers, obviating the need for a wasteful separation process ahead of time.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 08, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aax8466
Entities
People
- Andrea H Westlie
- Eli M Watson
- Eugene Y-X Chen
- Xiao-Yan Tang
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Colorado State University
- National Science Foundation