Study Of Well Defined Precision Materials K. B. Wagener, University of Florida, DMR 0703261

1. Study Of Well Defined Precision MaterialsK. B. Wagener, University of Florida, DMR 0703261 http://www.chem.ufl.edu/~wagener/ Intellectual Merit • Synthesizing precision polymers is our specialty. • Studying properties of polymers containing aptamers • Precision polyolefins make attractive models for commercial materials such as LDPE. • Tacticity adds another dimension of precision that has not been explored before. • Can be useful to various industrial fields: fuel cells, higher strength polymers, new precision ionomers

2. Study Of Well Defined Precision MaterialsK. B. Wagener, University of Florida, DMR 0703261 Broader Impacts & Accomplishments - Past 12 Months • International/Domestic Collaborations Fostered by NSF: • Braskem in Brazil (advising on conversion of sugarcane to polyethylene) • Hyundai Automobile Corporation • Reynolds Research Group (Georgia Tech) • Sumitomo Chemical Company (Tokyo) • LyondellBasell Company (Frankfurt) • Professor Karen Winey (U Penn) • Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research - Two graduate students spent time in the world leading polymer facility • Kyoto University – Three graduate students exchanged to/from Japan’s 2nd highest ranked university • People and Accomplishments: • Excellent cultural exchange: Graduate students representing 4 different countries (Brazil, France, Lebanon, USA ) and 2 undergraduates • 12 Publications so far in the 2012 calendar year • Recent Wagener graduates all found great jobs: • Dr. Bora Inci: Post-doc at the University of Illinois • Dr. Paula Delgado: Post-doc at the University of Minnesota • Dr. Brian Aitken: Post-doc at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology • Dr. Sam Popwell: Johnson and Johnson • Ashlyn Dennis, M.S.: Anderson University, SC Our undergraduates are important too. After they leave they either choose graduate school in Chemistry or the medical profession. The Wagener Group is part of the Butler Polymer Research Laboratory, which is included in the University of Florida’s Center for Macromolecular Science and Engineering.