RSS

Northland faculty member receives funding for biorenewable plastics research

February 15, 2012

Dr. Nick Robertson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Northland College, has received a second year of funding to support research on polymer-based biorenewable plastics. The University of Minnesota Materials Research Facility Network awarded Robertson funding to support access to cutting-edge laboratory space, supplies, and travel expenses for himself and his student research assistants.

"Pretty much everything our society uses is derived from oil," Robertson says. "But using oil comes with a lot of baggage. Whatever your political stance may be, you can find a problem with fossil fuels."

Robertson and his students have been conducting research on polymers. Polymers are like a long molecular chain, according to recent Northland graduate David Hunsicker. Hunsicker was one of the students assisting Robertson in polymer research.

"We're taking these chain links and trying to make a long chain," Hunsicker said.

In the lab, Hunsicker made new chemical reactions happen in a quest for biorenewable plastics. Funding will allow Robertson and his current students to further that research when they travel to the University of Minnesota's Polymer Synthesis Facility. At this facility, Dr. Robertson and his students have been able to obtain molecular weight data to use in their polymer research. While Robertson provides the vision for their studies and determines its ultimate direction, he emphasizes the role of students in his research.

"The ultimate goal is to probe how the molecular structure impacts polymer properties and how it's affected by bio-derived chemicals," he says. "The end goal of the research is noble, but the more important goal is to educate students."

Northland College senior Brian Dauphinais says studying polymer research at a small private college has afforded him a more personal interaction with instructors. If he has any questions about the process, Robertson is ready to clarify or help him with the research.

"It's nice that Nick is so available," Dauphinais says.

The data Robertson and his students obtained from the University of Minnesota's Polymer Synthesis Facility was essential to their recent successful publications, including a study titled "Synthesis of High Molecular Weight Polyesters via In Vacuo Dehydrogenation Polymerization of Diols." Their report has been published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications. Current and former students David Hunsicker, Brian Dauphinais, and Sean McIlrath are co-authors of this publication. In addition, McIlrath co-authored "Bustin' Bunnies: An Adaptable Inquiry-Based Approach to Introducing Molecular Weight and Polymer Properties," which was published in the Journal of Chemical Education.