(4ay) Polymer Self-Assembly and Dynamics Toward Sustainable Applications

Research Interests: My research interests fall at the intersection of fundamental polymer science and sustainability, with a focus on polymer synthesis, self-assembly, and characterization of morphology and dynamics. I will leverage my expertise in these areas to explore processes of block polymer self assembly and transport as they relate to applications such as compatibilization of recycled plastic and selective removal of toxic perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water sources.

Teaching Interests: My teaching interests are centered around polymer chemistry and physics, but I am comfortable teaching any core chemical engineering course (material and energy balances, thermodynamics, reactor design, etc.), as well as general and physical chemistry. In addition, I would like to develop a course covering the challenges and potential solutions associated with plastic waste management from a polymer science perspective.

PhD Dissertation: Confinement and Interface Effects in Self Assembly of Functional Block Copolymers, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, under the supervision of Gila Stein and Joshua Sangoro.

Research Experience: My research has largely focused on the relationship between polymer phase behavior, material properties, and molecular dynamics. My PhD work at the University of Tennessee centered around self-assembly of block polymers and the influence of morphology and the resulting confinement on such phenomena as ion transport and crystallization. Over the course of this work, I gained significant expertise in polymer synthesis (homopolymers, copolymers, block polymers via controlled or free radical polymerization) and a broad range of experimental techniques, the two most impactful of which were dielectric/impedance spectroscopy and X-ray scattering. The latter spanned a range of scattering techniques, including small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS), grazing incidence SAXS, as well as variable temperature and in-situ time-resolved SAXS/WAXS, with 140 hours of cumulative synchrotron beamline experience.

My enthusiasm for sustainability led me to the University of Minnesota and the Center for Sustainable Polymers, where my postdoctoral research has focused on toughening polylactide and accelerating its rate of degradation with block polymer additives. Over the course of my postdoctoral work, I have had the opportunity to expand my expertise into polymer processing, mechanical testing, and polyester degradation, as well to add anionic and ring opening transesterification polymerization techniques into my synthetic toolkit. The most significant benefit of my postdoctoral work, however, has been the opportunity to work in a highly collaborative environment and engage with a range of projects spanning the disciplines of chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science under the wide umbrella of sustainable polymers, which will remain a focus of my future independent research career.

Teaching Experience: In my current role as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Minnesota, I have had the opportunity to serve as a mentor to several students, graduate and undergraduate, both formally and informally, and strive to keep my experience and expertise an open resource to all group members. As a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, I also had the opportunity to serve for two years as a research mentor to an exceptionally talented undergraduate student. I served as a teaching assistant for two classes, during which time I held weekly (well-attended) office hours, graded assignments and exams, and occasionally lectured. During my time at Tennessee, I also served as a team advisor for HiTES¹², a program run by the College of Engineering for the last 24 years which aims to provide rising high school seniors with early exposure to scientific research.

Future Direction: The focus of my independent research career will be fundamental polymer science that connects directly to pressing issues of sustainability, leveraging my expertise in polymer synthesis, self-assembly, and characterization of morphology and dynamics to that end. Some of these issues will deal with how we make our relationship to polymers more sustainable. For example, my lab will interrogate the role of architecture on the proclivity of block polymers to form micelles in a homopolymer melt, an important question for the design of compatibilizers which can improve the mechanical properties of post-consumer recycled plastic at the lowest possible loading. Other issues may deal with how polymer materials can aid us in tackling other environmental problems. On this front, I will explore the hierarchical structures formed by block polymers based on amphiphilic random copolymers and their associated transport properties, a possible route to highly selective removal of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water sources.

Publications:

1. Coote, J. P.; Zhao, B.; McCutcheon, C. J.; Larson, M. C.; Lyadov, I.; Bates, F. S.; Ellison, C. J. Biaxial Toughening in Uniaxially Stretched Films of Block Polymer-Modified Semicrystalline Poly(l-lactide). ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2024, 6(9), 5462–5472
2. Coote, J. P.; Adotey, S. K. J.; Sangoro, J. R.; Stein, G. E. Interfacial Effects in Conductivity Measurements of Block Copolymer Electrolytes. ACS Polym. Au, 2023, 3(4), 331–343.
3. Coote, J. P.; Kinsey, T.; Street, D. P.; Kilbey, S. M.; Sangoro, J. R.; Stein, G. E. Surface-Induced Ordering Depresses Through-Film Ionic Conductivity in Lamellar Block Copolymer Electrolytes. ACS Macro Letters, 2020, 9(4), 565–570.
4. Truong, P. V.; Black, R. L.; Coote, J. P.; Lee, B.; Ardebili, H.; Stein, G. E. Systematic Approaches to Tailor the Morphologies and Transport Properties of Solution-Cast Sulfonated Pentablock Copolymers. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2019, 1(1), 8–17.
5. Kim, J. S.; Lee, Y. J.; Coote, J. P.; Stein, G. E.; Kim, B. J. Confined, Templated, and Break-Through Crystallization Modes in Poly(3-dodecylthiophene)- block-poly(ethyl methacrylate) Block Copolymers. Macromolecules, 2019, 52(12), 4475-4482.
6. Coote, J. P.; Kim, J. S.; Lee, B.; Han, J.; Kim, B. J.; Stein, G. E. Crystallization Modes of Poly(3-dodecylthiophene)-Based Block Copolymers Depend on Regioregularity and Morphology. Macromolecules, 2018, 51(22), 9276–9283.
7. Harris, M. A.; Heres, M. F.; Coote, J.; Wenda, A.; Strehmel, V.; Stein, G. E.; & Sangoro, J. Ion Transport and Interfacial Dynamics in Disordered Block Copolymers of Ammonium-Based Polymerized Ionic Liquids. Macromolecules, 2018, 51(9), 3477–3486.
8. Kim, J. S.; Han, J.; Kim, Y.; Park, H.; Coote, J. P.; Stein, G. E.; & Kim, B. J. Domain Structures of Poly(3-dodecylthiophene)-Based Block Copolymers Depend on Regioregularity. Macromolecules, 2018, 51(11), 4077–4084.
9. Ransom, R.; Coote, J.; Moulton, R.; Gao, F.; & Shantz, D. F. Synthesis and Growth Kinetics of Zeolite SSZ-39. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 2017, 56(15), 4350–4356.