Organized by Njacs Polymer Topical Group Green Polymers: Materials, Processes and Products Green Chemistry and Entropic Control in Materials Design Synthetic Absorbable Polymers Molecular and Design Considerations for Implantable Medical Devices

The traditional construction of materials is usually driven by classical synthetic transformations involving the making and breaking of covalent bonds. These processes often require high energy input and highly reactive and hazardous materials. In natural systems, one typically encounters synthetic control schemes that are based on entropic forces rather than these human-designed enthalpic manipulations. In natural processes, phase changes and triggered mixing are often employed to direct systems towards or away from equilibrium conditions. The recognition of these "natural tendencies" allows one to design processes that have reduced toxicological and environmental impact. This presentation will describe results in non-covalent derivatization and bioinspired photopolymers that illustrate this shift towards entropic control. John Warner received his BS in Chemistry from UMASS Boston, his MS and PhD from Princeton in Organic Chemistry. He worked at the Polaroid Corporation for nine years, and then went to UMASS Boston, where he has started the world's first Green Chemistry PhD program. He then moved to the University of Massachusetts Lowell where he directed a large research group working on a diverse set of projects involving green chemistry using principles of crystal engineering, molecular recognition and self assembly. His work combines aspects of community outreach, government policy and industrial collaboration. He has recently become President and Chief Technology Officer for The Warner-Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. He is editor of Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews. He is associate editor of the journal Organic Preparations and Procedures International and on the editorial board of Crystal Engineering and Crystal Growth and Design. He recently received The 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring from President Bush, the Outstanding Service to Nursing Award from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and was The 2006 Honorary Inductee into Alpha Lambda Delta the National Freshman Honor Society. He was awarded the American Institute of Chemistry's Northeast Division's Distinguished Chemist of the Year for 2002. His recent patents in the fields of semiconductor design, biodegradable plastics, personal care products and polymeric photoresists are examples of how green chemistry principles can be immediately incorporated into commercially relevant applications. Warner is co-author of the book Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice and serves on the Board of Directors of the Green Chemistry Institute in Washington DC. Synthetic Absorbable Polymers Molecular and Design Considerations for Implantable Medical Devices