Kiesewetter Group - Research Projects
Cooperative H-bonding Catalysts
The H-bonding class of organocatalysts for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) relies on the application of an H-bond donor to activate monomer and an H-bond acceptor to activate alcohol. These H-bond donors and acceptors can be one molecule or bimolecular cocatalysts. Our group wondered how the association of these cocatalysts in solution effects their reactivity. The answers to this mechanistic question has increased our understanding of these catalysts and provided improved catalysts systems. We are interested in exploring the limits of these catalysts in the pursuit of highly-controlled AND highly-active polymerizations.
Poly(thionolactones)
The 'simple' substitution of 'S' for 'O' to generate a thioester dramatically changes the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) behavior versus the corresponding ester. The increased reactivity of thioesters calls for the application of mild, well-controlled catalysts systems for their ROP. The polymerization behavior of these thio-monomers as well as our ability to access new materials and new materials properties is of interest. Particularly, we are interested in the altered stability of thioesters vs esters as we apply these materials to biological applications.
URI Bee Research Lab
The Kiesewetter Group is a founding member of the URI Bee Research Lab. We are a group of scientists dedicated to saving the honeybee. Please see the Bee Research Lab page for more information.