National Starch & Chemical Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Polymer Chemistry

Dr. Nicolay (Nick) Tsarevsky

The recipient of the 2008 National Starch and Chemical Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Polymer Chemistry is Dr. Nicolay (Nick) Tsarevsky who received his doctorate in 2005 from Carnegie Mellon University under the direction of Professor Krzysztof (Kris) Matyjaszewski.

Tsarevsky studied the synthesis of functional polymers by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Various synthetic approaches were used to prepare polymers with polar functional groups, including post-polymerization modification of the repeating units or the end groups. Efficient chemical transformations employed included the nitrile-azide and alkyne-azide cycloaddition ("click" chemistry) and the reversible redox coupling of thiol to disulfide groups.

Tsarevsky also studied mechanistic aspects of ATRP, emphasizing the development of rules for rational catalyst selection for "challenging" reaction media, including water-borne systems. He established that several side reactions of the copper-based ATRP catalyst with protic/aqueous solvents led to poor polymerization control, namely loss of halide ligand from the higher oxidation state radical deactivator or disproportionation of the lower oxidation state activator. The ideal catalyst mediating well-controlled ATRP in protic media is characterized by i) a high ratio ßII/ßI of the stability constants of the Cu(II) and Cu(I) states of the catalyst to guarantee high catalytic activity; ii) high halidophilicity of the Cu(II) complex, which is related to the degree of control; and iii) a low ratio ßII/(ßI)2 to avoid disproportionation. His mechanistic studies led to the development of two new initiation techniques, ICAR and ARGET ATRP, that allow the process to be carried out with very low amounts of catalyst. The scope of ATRP has now expanded significantly, particularly with regard to aqueous solvents and coordinating monomers. Importantly, ATRP has become a truly "green" method with markedly increased utilization in industry.

The award will be presented at a symposium honoring Nick Tsarevsky in the PMSE Division of ACS during the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Philadelphia, August 17-21, 2008. Administered by the Polymer Education Committee of the Polymer Chemistry and Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering Divisions, the National Starch & Chemical Award for Outstanding Graduate Research Award was established in 1991 to recognize and encourage outstanding graduate research in polymer science and engineering. It is sponsored by National Starch & Chemical Co., a global manufacturer of adhesives, specialty polymers, electronic materials and specialty starches.

For more information, please contact
Prof. Guy C. Berry
Department of Chemistry
Carnegie Mellon University
4400 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
For further information send queries to gcberry@andrew.cmu.edu

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