Overview
Prof. Coates is the Tisch University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University. His teaching and research interests involve science at the interface of organic, inorganic, and materials chemistry. The broader impacts of his research include benign polymers and chemical synthesis, the utilization of renewable resources, and materials safe and economical energy storage and conversion.
Research Focus
The research focus of my group is the development of new synthetic strategies for producing polymers of defined structure. The control of polymer composition, architecture, stereochemistry, and molecular weight allows the indirect control of polymer properties via polymer morphology. Our research projects are interdisciplinary, addressing problems at the interface of organic, inorganic, organometallic, and polymer chemistry.
Awards and Honors
2023 National Academy of Sciences Award for the Industrial Application of Science
2022 Eni Award
2021 Gustavus John Esselen Award, American Chemical Society
2017 Election to the National Academy of Sciences
2017 Election to the National Academy of Inventors
2017 Newcomb Cleveland Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2016 Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success, American Chemical Society
2015 Award in Applied Polymer Science, American Chemical Society
2012 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
2011 Election to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
2009 Carl S. Marvel Creative Polymer Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society
2009 Award for Affordable Green Chemistry, American Chemical Society
2006 Stephen and Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award
2001 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society
2000 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship in Science and Engineering
2000 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
2000 Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Young Investigator Award
Publications
• Ye, R.; Sun, X.; Mao, X.; Alfonso, F. S.; Baral, S.; Liu, C.; Coates, G. W.; Chen, P. “Optical sequencing of single synthetic polymers” Nature Chemistry, 2024, 16, 210–217.
• Zhou, Z.; LaPointe, A. M.; Coates, G. W. Atactic, Isotactic, and Syndiotactic Methylated Polyhydroxybutyrates: An Unexpected Series of Isomorphic Polymers” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 25983–25988.
• Lu, Y.; Coates, G. W. “Pairing-Enhanced Regioselectivity: Synthesis of Alternating Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) from Racemic Methyl-Glycolide” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 22425–22432.
• Zhou, Z.; LaPointe, A. M.; Shaffer, T. D.; Coates, G. W. “Nature-inspired methylated polyhydroxybutyrates from C1 and C4 feedstocks” Nature Chemistry, 2023, 15, 856–861.
• Parke, S. M.; Lopez, J. C.; Cui, S.; LaPointe, A. M.; Coates, G. W. “Polyethylene Incorporating Diels-Alder Comonomers: A “Trojan Horse” Strategy for Chemically Recyclable Polyolefins” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202301927.
• Hester, H. G.; Abel, B. A.; Coates, G. W. “Ultra-High Molecular Weight Poly(Dioxolane): Enhancing the Mechanical Performance of a Chemically Recyclable Polymer” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 8800–8804.
• Arroyave, A.; Cui, S.; Lopez, J. C.; Kocen, A. L.; LaPointe, A. M.; Delferro, M.; Coates, G. W. “Catalytic Chemical Recycling of Post-Consumer Polyethylene” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 23280–23285.
• Kocen, A. L.; Cui, S.; Lin, T.-W.; LaPointe, A. M.; Coates, G. W. “Chemically Recyclable Ester-Linked Polypropylene” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 12613–12618.
• Popowski, Y.; Lu, Y.; Coates, G. W.; Tolman, W. B. “Stereocomplexation of Stereoregular Aliphatic Polyesters: Change from Amorphous to Semicrystalline Polymers with Single Stereocenter Inversion” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 8362–8370.
• Abel, B. A.; Snyder, R. L.; Coates, G. W. “Chemically recyclable thermoplastics from reversible-deactivation polymerization of cyclic acetals” Science, 2021 373, 783–789.
• Lu, Y.; Swisher, J. H.; Meyer, T. Y.; Coates, G. W. “Chirality-Directed Regioselectivity: An Approach for the Synthesis of Alternating Poly(Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid)” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 4119–4124.
• You, W.; Ganley, J. M.; Ernst, B. G.; Peltier, C. R.; Ko, H.-Y.; DiStasio, Jr.; R. A.; Knowles, R. R.; Coates, G. W. “Expeditious synthesis of aromatic-free piperidinium-functionalized polyethylene as alkaline anion exchange membranes” Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 3898–3910.
• Lidston, C. A. L.; Abel, B. A.; Coates, G. W. “Bifunctional Catalysis Prevents Inhibition in Reversible-Deactivation Ring-Opening Copolymerizations of Epoxides and Cyclic Anhydrides” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 20161–20169.
• Lamb, J. R.; Hubbell, A. K.; MacMillan, S. N.; Coates, G. W. “Carbonylative, Catalytic Deoxygenation of 2,3-Disubstituted Epoxides with Inversion of Stereochemistry: An Alternative Alkene Isomerization Method” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 8029–8035.
• Lipinski, B. M.; Morris, L. S.; Silberstein, M. N.; Coates, G. W. “Isotactic Poly(Propylene Oxide): A Photodegradable Polymer with Strain Hardening Properties” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 6800–6806.
• Sifri, R. J.; Padilla-Vélez, O.; Coates, G. W.; Fors, B. P. “Controlling the Shape of Molecular Weight Distributions in Coordination Polymerization and Its Impact on Physical Properties” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 1443–1448.
• Abel, B. A.; Lidston, C. A. L.; Coates, G. W. “Mechanism-Inspired Design of Bifunctional Catalysts for the Alternating Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Epoxides and Cyclic Anhydrides” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 12760–12769.
• Hubbell, A. K.; LaPointe, A. M.; Lamb, J. R.; Coates, G. W. “Regioselective Carbonylation of 2,2-Disubstituted Epoxides: An Alternative Route to Ketone-Based Aldol Products” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 2474–2480.
• You, W.; Padgett, E.; MacMillan, S. N.; Muller, D. A.; Coates, G. W. “Highly Conductive and Chemically Stable Alkaline Anion Exchange Membranes via ROMP of trans-Cyclooctene Derivatives” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 2019, 116, 9729–9734.
• Eagan, J. E.; Xu, J.; Di Girolamo, R.; Thurber, C. M.; Macosko, C. W.; LaPointe, A. M.; Bates, F. S.; Coates, G. W. “Combining Polyethylene and Polypropylene: Enhanced Performance with PE/iPP Multiblock Polymers” Science 2017, 355, 814−816.
In the news
- Happy together: Peroxide binds incompatible polymers for recycling
- Reducing plastic’s environmental impact with machine learning
- 2030 Project Fast Grant awards support energy systems of the future
- Scientists enhance recyclability of waste plastic
- Chemist wins National Academy of Science award
- Pollack lauds ‘amazing Cornellians’ in State of the University speech
- Energy center receives $12.6 million in renewed funding
- Coates wins 2022 Eni Award for environmental solutions in chemistry
- The 2030 Project to marshal faculty to solve climate crisis
- Startups flourish in Cornell’s clean energy ecosystem
- Cornell joins NY-led group to propose hydrogen energy hub
- Chemistry summer program = research + confidence
- Polymer enables tougher recyclable thermoplastics
- Mathematician James H. Bramble dies at 90
- Magnetic tweezers reveal polymers’ hidden properties
- Research and restore: How Cornell scientists are conserving Earth’s resources
- Alumni-fueled startups pitch clean-energy solutions
- Chemistry students offer summer session for peers
- Cornell Atkinson awards $1.1M to innovative projects
- Chemists create faster-degrading plastic for marine uses
- Sustainable Plastics
- ‘Triangle 2’ plastic containers may see environmental makeover
- Coates honored by American Chemical Society
- Sustainable polymers center gets NSF renewal grant
- Ecolectro receives $1.7M from DOE to accelerate hydrogen fuel development
- Cornell joins battery research partnership
- Plastics, Can’t Get Away from Using Them
- $10.75M grant aids next-gen fuel cell development
- Inaugural Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows selected
- Chemist Coates wins prize for best Science paper
- Historian Margaret Washington featured in PBS film
- Chemist named National Academy of Inventors fellow
- Magnetic tweezers reveal ‘hairballs’ in polymer growth
- Chemistry's Coates elected to National Academy of Sciences
- A New Polymer for Low-Cost Fuel Cells
- Polymer additive could revolutionize plastics recycling
