Unlocking the Potential of Yttrium Catalysis: Functional Copolymers for Advanced Applications

Dr. Friederike Adams, Universität Stuttgart

Due to their impressive diversity, the application horizon of thermoplastics is extending far beyond the use as ordinary consumer goods. With the shift from commodity plastics to polymers used in high-tech applications, the precise tuning and modification of these materials is a key requirement. Therefore, the optimization of polymerization catalysts plays a significant role in modern polymer chemistry to efficiently produce different polymer architectures and microstructures for fine-tuning of material properties. Well-investigated yttrium complexes can act as highly active catalysts in two different coordination polymerization types: Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactones and group-transfer polymerization (GTP) of Michael-type vinyl monomers. Modifications of the complexes were carried out to improve catalytic activity and enable the synthesis of functional block copolymers with diverse end-groups. The development of these new polymers addresses several key areas of modern polymer chemistry, including biobased materials, stimuli-responsive properties, and amphiphilic polymers for drug and nucleic acid delivery applications.