The University of Minnesota Materials Research Facility Network has provided funding to Dr. Nick Robertson, Northland College’s chemistry professor, for biorenewable plastics research.
Northland College senior Brian Dauphinais says studying polymer research at a small private college has afforded him a more personal interaction with instructors.
The funding will support the faculty to access advanced laboratory space, equipment and travel expenses. The main aim of the project is to analyze impacts of molecular structure over polymer properties and how the polymer is affected by bio-based chemicals.
Robertson stated that almost everything used by the public is sourced from oil. However, use of oil has several obstacles. A team led by Robertson performed a study on polymers. According to David Hunsicker, a Northland graduate, polymers are similar to a long molecular chain and the team is working to remove the chain links to create a long chain.
The funding will also support the Northland professor and his students to expand the polymer-based biorenewable plastics research at the Polymer Synthesis Facility of the University of Minnesota. The facility will enable the team to attain molecular weight data that can be used in the research work.
The information received from the University of Minnesota's facility has been useful for the Robertson team’s recent publications, including a paper titled "Synthesis of High Molecular Weight Polyesters via In Vacuo Dehydrogenation Polymerization of Diols."