Prof. Donald J. Darensbourg | Texas A&M University | “Making Polymers from Carbon Dioxide and Cyclic Ethers”
Event Date:
April 7, 2014 – 4:00 PM to April 8, 2014 – 4:59 PM
Location:
Burson 115
Event Date:
April 7, 2014 – 4:00 PM to April 8, 2014 – 4:59 PM
Location:
Burson 115
Seminar Series
Spring 2014
Prof. Donald J. Darensbourg
Department of Chemistry
Texas A&M University
“Making Polymers from Carbon Dioxide and Cyclic Ethers”
Abstract:
Carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies have experienced significant advancements over the last decade. Some of this large surplus of sequestered anthropogenic CO2 provides opportunities for its utilization as an inexpensive source of chemical carbon. Indeed, in order to maintain a sustainable chemical industry, alternative feedstocks are needed to replace decreasing petroleum supplies and CO2 can contribute to meeting these needs. Among the processes exhibiting commercial viability are the incorporation of CO2 into cyclic organic carbonates or polymeric materials. Important among the latter processes is the completely alternating copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides or oxetanes to afford polycarbonates. A major challenge in this area is to find active, selective catalysts for activating the very stable CO2 molecule. This presentation will address the development of transition metal catalysts designed to effectively perform these tasks.
BIO:
Dr. Donald J. Darensbourg was born in Baton Rouge, LA, in 1941 and received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from California State University at Los Angeles and the University of Illinois/Urbana, respectively. Following a nine-month stint at the Texaco Research Center in Beacon, NY, he was on the faculties of State University of New York at Buffalo from 1969 to 1972 and Tulane University from 1973 to 1982. He has been since 1982 in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University, where he currently is a Distinguished Professor. His research interests have been in mechanistic inorganic/organometallic chemistry with an emphasis on catalytic processes. Presently, his focus is on the utilization of CO2 as both a monomer and solvent in copolymerization reactions with oxiranes and oxetanes, and the ring-opening polymerization of renewable monomers such as lactides.
Monday, April 7, 2014 @ 4:00 PM in Burson 115