Research
Research in our group focuses at the interface of polymer science, macromolecular chemistry and nanomaterials. In particular, we are interested in the synthesis of polymers and colloids, controlling their self-assembly in various systems (bulk, solution, and emulsion) in order to develop them into complex nanomaterials with tailored functionality. These materials can be used for related fields including photonics, catalysis, sensors, energy conversion, nanocarriers, etc.
Self-assembled Polymer colloids
Using the concept of self-assembly, we synthetically program polymeric building blocks to self-assemble in a variety of superstructures. This process is spontaneous and energy-efficient, addressing fundamental challenges in controlling the structure and chemistry of interfaces on the micro-, meso- and nanoscale.
In particular, emulsion templated self-assembly of block copolymers has emerged as an powerful strategy to create polymeric colloids with tailored shape and nanostructure. Thereby, one of the main goals is to encode polymeric building blocks with information about the directionality of self-assembly so that the final material can show unique physical and optical properties. Furthermore, we are interested in the confined-assembly of polymers with complex architectures and polymer chemistries, e.g., triblock, miktoarm stars, and bottlebrushes copolymers.
BOTTLEBRUSH COPOLYMERS
Bottlebrushes are branched polymers with densely-grafted side-chains, which have a large number of applications as advanced materials. The potential of these bottlebrush polymers arises from their unique properties, which originates from the densely-grafted side chains that increase the molecular stiffness, suppresses entanglements, and provide tunable molecular parameters. We are interested in synthesizing bottlebrush copolymers and their use as a self-assembly building block, interfacial active agents, and functional elastomers, as well as applying their self-assembled nanostructure as a Bragg reflector.
Related papers: ACS Nano 15, 5513 (2021), Macromolecules (2023)
Polymers For sustainability
The increase in demand of plastics has led to increase in plastic waste. Therefore, developing recyclable, reuseable, reprocessible and degradable polymeric products has emerged as an important area of research. In this regard, we are interested in developing polymers for sustainability by molecular design of degradable copolymers and their use in multiple forms (polymer chains, networks, polymeric beads).
Polymeric carriers for delivery
Functional copolymers can be readily assembled into micelles, colloids, and capsules in aqueous solution. Co-assembly of copolymers and functional ingredients (dyes, drugs, antioxidants, etc.) allows encapsulation/protection for delivery applications. We are interested in the synthesis of functional copolymers with well-defined structures for this applications.
