This project involves the use of new polymers developed at McMaster that are easily functionalized along their backbone with various structures using strain-promoted cycloaddition chemistry. We have used this chemistry to introduce cyclic molecules called pillar[5]arenes that serve as hosts for various guest molecules. These structures assemble to form gels, and can be used as mimics of biological receptors.
Impact
This work is developing a close collaboration between the Adronov group at McMaster and the Nierengarten group in Strasbourg. This will lead to additional future projects, which will continue to strengthen the collaboration. In fact, this collaborative effort had led to a postdoctoral fellow coming from Strasbourg to McMaster to pursue a new collaborative project. Thus, the work has led to a sharing of knowledge and personnel between McMaster and Strasbourg.
Student Experience
This project involved a graduate student spending 8 months in the lab of Prof. Nierengarten in Strasbourg, where he learned the synthesis of pillar[5]arenes and developed the groundwork for the gel formation project. This student continues his PhD studies at McMaster and will have several publications coming from this work.
Countries
France
Impact
Research, Global Partnerships
Institutional Partner(s)
University of Strasbourg, CNRS (France)
Community Partner(s)
Industry Partner(s)
Key Outcomes
Publications
Sponsorship
Federal
Sponsorship Details
The work is funded by NSERC grants, as well as a grant from the University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study (USIAS)
