Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Education:
Ph.D., Organic-Polymer Chemistry, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 1967
B.S., Chemistry, St. John's University

Career Highlights:
Moore served as a National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Mainz in West Germany in 1967-1968. He was a Research Associate at the University of Michigan for one year before joining RPI in 1969. In 1999, he won the Presidential Green Chemistry Award for his working using paper sludge waste products in polymer research.

Research Areas:
Vapor Deposition Polymerization
A part of Moore’s work is directed toward the deposition of polymers by condensation of thermally or photochemically generated intermediates directly from the vapor state. Several of these materials are being evaluated for microelectronic applications as on-chip dielectrics. Polymers such as unsubstituted or fluorinated poly(paraxylylenes), poly(bis-benzocyclobutane) and poly(1,4-naphthalene) can be formed as thin transparent films by this approach.

Dendrimer Polyelectrolytes
Two areas of research activity impacting recent times in major areas are biotechnology and the synthesis of novel macromolecular architectures. Moore is building electrically charged macromolecules radially from a central core. The use of these novel polyelectrolytes as tools to separate proteins in an efficient and commercially viable mode is being developed in a collaborative effort with RPI’s chemical engineering department.

Novel Polymers and Polymerizations
Moore is studying ways to use materials obtainable from bio-mass (cellulose, starch, and related feed stocks) as raw materials for polymer synthesis. Currently, he is developing new classes of polymers, based on diphenolic acid (DPA), which can be efficiently produced from waste cellulose. DPA can be converted to high molecular weight hyperbranched polyester, which may be useful as blend compatibilizers. DPA can also be used to prepare functional polycarbonates similar to commercial materials but bearing a reactive carboxyl group along the polymer backbone.

Selected Publications:
“The Effect of Displacer Chemistry on Displacer Efficacy for a Suger-based Anion Exchange Displacer Library", J. Liu, S.-K. Park, J. A. Moore and S.M. Cramer, Industrial Engineering & Chemistry Research, 45, 9107-9114 (2006). 

“Closing the Loop: from High-throughput-screening to Synthesis of Novel Protein Displacers”, N. Sukumar, C. M. Breneman, S. M. Cramer, J. A. Moore, K. P Bennett, M. J. Embrechts, M. Li, J. Liu, L. Han, Abstracts of Papers, 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March, 2006, Division of Chemical Information, Abstr. # 0028.

"High-Affinity, Low-Molecular-Mass Displacers for Ion-Exchange Chromatography", Tugcu Nihal; Park, Sun Kyu; Moore, James A.; Cramer, Steven M., U. S. Pat.# 7,189,3240, March 13, 2007. 

“Dead Leaves & Lawn Clippings: Waste or Opportunity?”, J. A. Moore, Abstracts of Papers, IUMACRO 2007, 2nd Strategic Polymer Symposium, Brooklyn, NY, June, 2007, Abstr. #S5.

“Investigation of Chemically Selective Displacers Using Robotic High Throughput Screening, SPR, NMR and MD Simulations”, Chris Morrison, Scott McCallum, Rahul Godawat, J. A. Moore, Shekhar Garde, and Steven M. Cramer, Abstracts of Papers, 234th ACS National meeting, Boston, MA, August, 2007, Division of Biochemical Technology, Abstr.# 301.

"Mother Nature as a Source of New Materials: Everything Old is New Again”, J. A. Moore, Abstracts of Papers, 234th ACS National meeting, Boston, MA, August, 2007, Division of Polymer Chemistry, Abstr.# 254.