Topic：Polypeptoid Materials: Design, Synthesis and Characterization

Speaker：Prof. Donghui Zhang

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA, USA 

Time：2014.6.12  am 10:00-11:30

Location：907#1445

Abstract: Polypeptoids are a class of pseudo-peptidic polymers featuring N-substituted polyglycine backbones. Studies of oligomeric peptoids revealed that these materials can adopt secondary structures reminiscent of those observed for peptides. Polypeptoids are thermally processable and biologically inert and potentially useful for selected biomedical applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Recent work in the synthesis of polypeptoids by an organo-mediated polymerization approach will be presented and examples of fundamental structure-property studies of polypeptoid materials will be given. In particular, the manner in which architecture affects the thermo-responsive behavior of amphiphilic polypeptoids and their self-assembly in dilute or concentrated solutions to form thermo-reversible gels will be discussed.

Biography: Donghui Zhang obtained her BS from Peking University and PhD from Dartmouth College (both in Chemistry) before pursuing postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota.  She started her independent academic career in 2007 in the Department of Chemistry and Macromolecular Studies Group at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, where she is currently an Associate Professor.