Research Symposium

23rd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 6, 2023

Presley Santiago Poster Session 1: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm/ Poster #294


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BIO


My name is Presley Santiago, I am from Palm Beach, Florida. I am majoring in Biology and have a minor in chemistry. My research interests are environmental chemical research and pharmaceutical chemical research. My future goal is to obtain a dual DMD and PHD degree, and my career goal is to become a dentist and hopefully further my research interests while practicing dentistry.

Synthesis and Characterization of Elastomers Using VT-ROMP

Authors: Presley Santiago, Justin Kennemur
Student Major: Biology, Minor in Chemistry
Mentor: Justin Kennemur
Mentor's Department: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Mentor's College: Radford University
Co-Presenters:

Abstract


Humans everywhere utilize plastic products everyday as they are convenient for busy, on the go lives of people today. This includes rubbers, glues, and styrofoams. Behind the convenience lies collateral damage to our planet. This is because a lot of polymers are not depolymerizable at all. This is the drive behind our research. We are using a chemical which can be synthesized using a unique method called VT-ROMP, turning our chemical into rubbers and plastics which can be depolymerized.

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Keywords: Polymer, Chemistry, Elastomeres