Dr. Elodie Bourgeat-Lami graduated in 1988 from the National School of Chemistry of Mulhouse, France, and received a Masters degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Haute Alsace. She obtained her PhD degree in 1991 from the University of Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, France, on the Study of the Physicochemical and Catalytic Properties of Zeolite Beta. Following her doctorate, she joined CNRS as a junior scientist. Currently, she is CNRS research director at the Laboratory of Chemistry, Catalysis, Polymers and Processes (C2P2) located at the Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Physique Electronique de Lyon (CPE) in Villeurbanne, France. Her research interests are focused on the fundamental and practical aspects involved in the synthesis of organic/inorganic colloidal materials with special emphasis on radical polymerization in dispersed media, surface functionalization of mineral oxide particles and sol-gel chemistry. Her research also includes activities on the synthesis of novel hybrid macromolecular architectures through controlled radical polymerization (CRP) and on the implementation of CRP techniques in aqueous dispersed media for the design of novel hybrid functional colloids for various types of applications.
What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?
Being a chemist was not a vocation I initially intended but rather a decision that imposed itself incidentally. However the idea of being a researcher always appealed to me and I remember specifically having mentioned it as something I wanted to do while I was completing my PhD dissertation. Things then really kicked off for me and I have been truly lucky. Research is lot more than a vocation, it is a passion!
What was the motivation to write your Polymer Chemistry article?
RAFT polymerization has received increasing attention within the past decade due to the versatility, simplicity and robustness of this technique. Quite recently, RAFT has been extended to the elaboration of organic/inorganic hybrid materials, notably in aqueous dispersed media. The reported strategies mainly aim at forming an encapsulating polymer shell around inorganic particles and so far little attention has been paid to the living character of the polymerization. This work follows our previous study on the encapsulation of CeO2 particles via this technique (Zgheib et al. Polymer Chemistry 2013, 4, 607), and was intended to demonstrate the benefits of this macroRAFT-mediated process to control the growth of organic monomers in ab initio emulsion polymerization systems and attain particle morphologies that are otherwise difficult to achieve. It is part of a larger collaborative research project currently under way in our laboratory, dedicated to the synthesis of organic/inorganic anisotropic particles using this strategy.
Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work? (DOI: 10.1039/C4PY00362D)
Polymer Chemistry currently ranks as one of the most important journals for polymer science. From the beginning, it has benefited from a high impact factor, which highlights the attention that its articles receive from the scientific community. Submitting our work to reputable journals is important for us to ensure its maximum exposure within the polymer world and to hopefully encourage further breakthroughs in the area.
In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?
I will very likely attend the fourth international conference on multifunctional hybrids and nanomaterials in Sitges (Spain) (March 9-13, 2015). This conference takes place every two years and is a highlight for everyone working on hybrid materials.
How do you spend your spare time?
I love traveling, hiking and exploring the world. One of my favorite hobbies is taking photos and capturing the magic of wonderful places and moments surrounded by family and friends. I also love sports, decorating my house by mixing traditional and modern styles, and spending long periods of time in the stillness of nature to energize myself.
Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
When I was 18, I wanted to be a lawyer or an architect. As a researcher, I often have the opportunity to write or evaluate projects and defend them like a lawyer. In those moments, I can freely express my advocacy skills! The chemist, as the architect of matter, can design and create very complex structures. Creating novel nanoparticles or complex colloidal systems as building blocks for new materials and functions is not like building a house but one can certainly find some analogies…
Read Elodie’s latest paper:
Thiago Rodrigues Guimarães, Thaissa de Camargo Chaparro, Franck D’Agosto, Muriel Lansalot, Amilton Martins Dos Santos and Elodie Bourgeat-Lami
Abstract: This paper reports the surfactant-free emulsion polymerization of styrene mediated by a trithiocarbonate poly(ethylene oxide)-based macromolecular RAFT agent in the presence of Laponite clay platelets.
Cyrille Boyer is a guest web-writer for Polymer Chemistry. He is currently an Associate Professor, an ARC-Future Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (Australia), member of CAMD and deputy director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN).
