The focus of this Christian Doppler Laboratory (CDL) is the cost-effective and environmentally friendly production of high-quality plastics for bonding, coating or structural applications. The CDL is 50% publicly funded (with support from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development) and 50% funded by corporate partners Allnex GmbH, Hilti AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S. Together with these corporate partners, Prof. C. Slugovc and his team are looking for ways to replace the toxic and foul-smelling sulfur or nitrogen compounds and toxic metal compounds currently used in plastics production with more readily available, cheaper and less toxic alcohols. So far, such attempts have failed due to the low reactivity of alcohols, which, unlike thiols or amines, only react at high temperatures. One possible way to make alcohols react under milder conditions is organocatalysis. In this method, organic molecules are used to accelerate chemical reactions. To this end, the CD laboratory is now advancing the fundamentals and knowledge of the activation of alcohols, developing tailor-made organocatalysts and investigating the properties of alcohol-based plastics in fastening technology, construction and corrosion protection.

Publications:

"Synthesis, characterization and stability of phosphonium phenolate zwitterions derived from a (diphenylphosphino)phenol derivative and oxiranes."
Steiner, M. R.; Marschner, C.; Baumgartner, J.; Hlina, J. A.; Slugovc, C. Monatsh. Chem. 2024, 155, 715-723. DOI: 10.1007/s00706-024-03216-1

"Using the phospha-Michael reaction for making phosphonium phenolate zwitterions."
Steiner, M. R.; Schmallegger, M.; Donner, L.; Hlina, J. A.; Marschner, C.; Baumgartner, J.; Slugovc, C. Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 41–51. DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.20.6
 

"Functionalized electron-rich pyridines as initiators for the epoxy homopolymerization."
Edinger D.; Fischer, S. M.; Slugovc, C. Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2024, 225, 2300299. DOI: 10.1002/macp.202300299

"Poly(ether)s derived from oxa-Michael polymerization - A comprehensive review."
Ratzenböck, K.; Fischer, S. M.; Slugovc, C. Monatsh. Chem. 2023, 154, 443-458. DOI: 10.1007/s00706-023-03049-4
 

"Sequential dual-curing of electron-deficient olefins and alcohols relying on oxa-Michael addition and anionic polymerization"
Fischer, S. M.; Schallert, V.; Uher, J. M.; Slugovc, C. Polym. Chem. 2023, 14, 1081-1084.
DOI: 10.1039/D3PY00035D

"Exploiting retro oxa-Michael chemistry in polymers."
Ratzenböck, K.; Uher, J. M.; Fischer, S. M.; Edinger, D.; Schallert, V.; Žagar, E.; Pahovnik, D.; Slugovc, C. Polym. Chem. 2023, 14, 651-661. DOI: 10.1039/D2PY01345B
 

"Tris(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)phosphine - a Lewis base able to compete with phosphazene bases in catalysing oxa-Michael reactions."
Fischer, S. M.; Kaschnitz, P.; Slugovc, C. Catal. Sci. Technol. 2022, 12, 6204-6212. DOI: 10.1039/D2CY01335E

"Water as a monomer: synthesis of an aliphatic polyethersulfone from divinyl sulfone and water."
Ratzenböck, K.; Din, M. M. U.; Fischer, S. M.; Žagar, E.; Pahovnik, D.; Boese, A. D.; Rettenwander, D.; Slugovc, C. Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 6920-6928. DOI: 10.1039/D2SC02124B

"Role of filler content and morphology in LLZO:PEO membranes."
Din, M. M. U.; Häusler, M.; Fischer, S. M.; Ratzenböck, K.; Chamasemani, F. F.; Hanghofer, I.; Henninge, V.; Brunner, R.; Slugovc, C.; Rettenwander, D. Front. Energy Res. 2021, 9, 711610. DOI: 10.3389/fenrg.2021.711610

"Electron-rich triarylphosphines as nucleophilic catalysts for oxa-Michael reactions."
Fischer, S. M.; Renner, S.; Boese, A. D.; Slugovc, C. Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1689–1697. DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.17.117
 

"A natural rubber waste derived surfactant for high internal phase emulsion templating of poly(dicyclopentadiene)."
Schallert, V.; Slugovc, C. Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2021, 222, 2100110. DOI: 10.1002/macp.202100110

"Melt-polymerization of acrylamide initiated by nucleophiles: a route towards highly branched and amorphous polyamide 3."
Edinger, D.; Weber, H.; Žagar, E.; Pahovnik, D.; Slugovc, C. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2021, 3, 2018-2026. DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.1c00084

"Step-growth polymerisation of alkyl acrylates via concomitant oxa-Michael and transesterification reactions."
Ratzenböck, K.; Pahovnik, D.; Slugovc, C. Polym. Chem. 2020, 11, 7476-7480. DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01271H

"Lowering the interfacial resistance in Li_6.4La₃Zr_1.4Ta_0.6O₁₂|poly(ethylene oxide) composite electrolytes."
Kuhnert, E.; Landenstein, L.; Jodlbauer, A.; Slugovc, C.; Trimmel, G.; Wilkening, H. M. R.; Rettenwander, D. Cell Reports Physical Science 2020, 1, 100214.
DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100214

"Solvent‐ and catalyst‐free aza‐Michael addition of imidazoles and related heterocycles."
Kodolitsch, K.; Gobec, F.; Slugovc, C. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2020, 19, 2973-2978.
DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202000309