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Published on: November 21, 2017
ENZYMATIC POLYMERIZATION OF PHENOLS IN ROOM TEMPERATURE IONIC LIQUIDS
Bilge Eker1, Dmitri Zagorevski, Guangyu Zhu
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180.
Soybean peroxidase (SBP) efficiently polymerized phenols in ionic liquids, yielding stable polyphenols. Polymer molecular weight was controlled by adjusting ionic liquid concentration, enabling tunable material properties.
Area of Science:
- Biocatalysis and Polymer Chemistry
- Enzymatic Polymerization
- Green Chemistry
Background:
- Enzyme-catalyzed polymerization offers a sustainable route to functional polymers.
- Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) provide unique reaction media for biocatalysis.
- Controlling polymer properties like molecular weight is crucial for material applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of soybean peroxidase (SBP) for phenol polymerization in RTILs.
- To explore the influence of RTIL composition and concentration on polymer characteristics.
- To synthesize thermostable polyphenols with tunable molecular weights.
Main Methods:
- Enzymatic polymerization of phenols using SBP in various RTILs (e.g., BMIM(BF4), BMPy(BF4)).
- Optimization of reaction conditions, including RTIL concentration (up to 90% v/v).
- Characterization of polymer molecular weight (GPC, MALDI-TOF) and thermal properties.
Main Results:
- SBP demonstrated high activity in methylimidazolium-based RTILs.
- Phenolic polymers with molecular weights from 1200 to 4100 D were synthesized.
- Higher RTIL concentrations led to increased polymer molecular weight, allowing selective size control.
- The resulting polyphenols exhibited excellent thermal stability and thermosetting properties.
Conclusions:
- SBP is an effective biocatalyst for phenol polymerization in RTILs.
- RTIL concentration is a key parameter for controlling polyphenol molecular weight and properties.
- This approach yields thermostable, thermosetting polyphenols suitable for advanced material applications.
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