Areas of Research
The main focus of the research performed in the Weck group is the development of novel methodologies for the construction of complex polymeric materials and the use of the resulting polymers as key materials for important applications including organic light- emitting diodes, viscoelastic solids, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Our synthetic approaches towards these materials are motivated by Nature's design principles that rely on weak and reversible interactions between building blocks to introduce function and diversity, thereby creating a vast library of biological materials. We combine these noncovalent strategies with living polymerization methods to create polymers for the next generation of materials applications.
The Weck group has the three major research thrusts:
1
The design of multifunctional polymers either via side-chain or end-group functionalization and the use of oligopeptides for molecular tectonics. These studies offer facile syntheses of multifunctional materials with applications ranging from organic light-emitting diodes to tunable crosslinked viscoelastic materials.
2
The development of soluble supports for the catalysis of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, enantioselective epoxidations, hydrolytic kinetic resolutions, and addition reactions which are all transformations of utmost importance for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry.
3
The synthesis of complex polymers and dendrimers as materials for tissue engineering and as delivery vehicle for biological applications.