Biocatalytic Synthesis of Highly Strained Carbocycles as New Energetic Materials
Abstract
This proposal seeks to advance a general and evolvable biocatalytic platform for the selective synthesis of highly strained carbocycles as novel energetic materials under mild and sustainable conditions. Furthermore, with these previously inaccessible, stereochemically well-defined strained carbocycles, we will investigate their emerging force-responsive properties and develop novel mechanophores and stimuli-responsive polymers that are relevant to the missions of the Navy and the DoD.Combining my expertise in synthetic chemistry, materials chemistry, biocatalysis, protein engineering and computational modeling, we will advance a fully genetically encoded and evolvable metalloenzyme platform to enable the rapid and selective biosynthesis of energetic materials with a strained cyclic motif. Both molecular and macromolecular materials are accessible through this biocatalytic platform, giving rise to energetic materials possessing a challenging strained carbocyclic core that can be readily modified. Central to this proposal is to repurpose and evolve natural metalloproteins to catalyze unnatural yet synthetically useful reactions for the synthesis of strained carbocyclic materials. Furthermore, we will incorporate these newly developed strained carbocycles as new mechanophores into adaptive materials with tunable response to external stimuli. Due to the unique mechanical and electronic properties of these polymeric materials, theywill find diverse Navy-relevant applications such as sensing. Approved for Public Release.As an educational institution, UCSB performs fundamental and unclassified research. Any data or information developed or provided by UCSB, including but not limited to publications and reports, shall be unclassified fundamental research exempt from dissemination controls or review requirements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 14, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142512033
Entities
People
- Yang Yang
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, Santa Barbara