Updates for the Weiss Group

In recent news, ISMSM faculty member Richard Weiss, Ph.D. and a professor in the Department of Chemistry, has a new publication with Louis Poon, a doctoral student in his lab. “Uncharged Lewis Bases Yield Polydimehylsiloxane Ionomers with Amidinium Alkyldithiocarbamate Side Chains ” appeared in the 59^th volume of the Journal of Polymer Science. The research deals with ionomers prepared by mixing three uncharged components – a poly(dimethyl)siloxane (PDMS) with randomly substituted amidine side chains, an alkylamine, and carbon disulfide. The preparation, structures, and properties of the ionomers were reported.

In October, Professor Weiss gave a zoom presentation at the 16^th Biennial Brazilian Polymer Congress  (CBPol), which gathered researchers and students from around the world to discuss their research on polymers. Weiss’s talk, “Complex Polymeric Materials Through Self-Assembly Initiated by Small Molecules: Reversible Gels, Ionomers, and Rubbery Polymers”, addressed approaches to the modification of the properties of soft polymeric materials produced in the presence of seemingly benign stimuli, in addition to the application of these materials for conservation science and for the destruction of halogenated pollutants. In addition, Professor Weiss gave another invited lecture over zoom, “Art in Science and Science in Art: Serendipitous interactions with a scholar and a gentleman” at the National Magnetic Resonance Society  (NMRS) of India symposium to commemorate the  passing of Prof. C.L. Khetrapal and Prof. G. Govil, who were pioneer researchers at the frontier of NMR and MRI science.

Professor Weiss also gave a talk over zoom on November 22 at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco  (Recife, Brazil) entitled “Materiais poliméricos complexos por meio de automontagem iniciada por pequenas moléculas: Géis reversíveis, ionômeros e polímeros com propriedades de borracha”.