My scientific achievement concerns the characterization and optimization of ATRP methods aimed at obtaining polymers of various structures and architecture, switching from an organic to an aqueous-organic (miniemulsion) environment. It was crucial to develop new ATRP variants, controlled by external reducing agents, in which the catalyst loading can be reduced through the electrochemical methods (eATRP) or polymerization without the need for a catalytic complex (metal-free ATRP). The research includes an original concept for the synthesis of homopolymers, star, graft (from silica nanoparticles, carbon quantum dots, proteins, lignin), and brush (from silicon wafers, PEEK, glass, cotton, wood) copolymers. One of the breakthroughs is a significantly simplified procedure for the synthesis of pH-sensitive polymer brushes using microliter volumes of the reaction mixture, and the possibility of carrying out modifications directly on the laboratory bench, without the need to provide an anaerobic atmosphere. The novel aspect of the work involved not only the use of an environmentally friendly solvent (water) but also an ATRP controlled by external (blue light) and internal (sugars, vitamins) factors.
The above examples represent a selected range of materials, and the entire series of works is in a way, a guide to the pathways inspired by the principles of "green chemistry" for the synthesis of materials with desired properties. With a view to simplifying the synthetic procedure and reducing its toxicity, the works propose methods that can successfully provide a sustainable alternative to current technological solutions used in the plastics industry and biomedicine, for example, as intelligent systems for the release of bioactive substances (drug carriers), implants in the tissue engineering and hydrophobic antimicrobial coatings.
