Archive for the ‘Editorial Board’ Category

Jeremiah Johnson joins the Polymer Chemistry Editorial Board

We are delighted to announce that Dr Jeremiah Johnson has become the newest member of the Polymer Chemistry Editorial Board.

Jeremiah is Firmenich Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, having completed his PhD at Columbia University (USA) and a postdoc at California Institute of Technology (USA).

The Johnson lab focuses on researching molecular design in three primary areas: nano-scale materials synthesis, macro-scale materials synthesis, and development of new chemical methods for modifying interfaces between bulk and nanoscale objects (surface chemistry).

He was chosen by Chemical Communications as one of their Emerging Investigators of 2015. You can see his contribution to the themed issue here:

Improving photo-controlled living radical polymerization from trithiocarbonates through the use of continuous-flow techniques
Mao Chen and Jeremiah A. Johnson
Chem. Commun., 2015,51, 6742-6745

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Polymer Chemistry welcomes new Associate Editor Emily Pentzer

We are delighted to welcome our newest Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor: Emily Pentzer (Case Western Reserve University, USA).

Emily will start her role as Associate Editor on 1 July 2015.

Emily Pentzer Polymer Chemistry

Emily obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Butler University, USA in 2005. She then moved to Northwestern University, USA where she completed her PhD in 2010 under the supervision of Professor SonBinh T. Nguyen working on the development of new monomers for ring-opening metathesis polymerisation. Between 2010 and 2013 she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA where she investigated the synthesis and assembly of n-type and p-type materials for organic photovoltaic applications, supervised by Professor Todd Emrick in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering. Since July 2013, Emily has been at Case Western Reserve University, USA as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Her research addresses application-based materials problems in the areas of energy harvesting, management, and storage. She uses synthetic chemistry to tailor molecular design and control self-assembly for the preparation and study of novel conductive materials with controlled domain sizes and interfaces.

To find out more about Emily’s research take a look at her group’s website.

As a Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor, Emily will be handling submissions to the journal. Why not submit your next paper to her Editorial Office?

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Ben Zhong Tang interviewed in Chemistry World

Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor Ben Zhong Tang was interviewed for Chemistry World about his work on alkyne polymers and aggregation induced emission.

Here are some of the highlights:

Your research on aggregation induced emission (AIE) received a lot of attention. Can you tell us more about it?

There are a lot of light emitting materials. This type of material, if you dissolve it to make a dilute solution, gives a very strong emission. However, for many of these kinds of dyes, if their concentration becomes high, their emission becomes weaker. This phenomenon has often been referred to as aggregation-caused quenching or ACQ for short. This is a problem in things like mobile phone displays, where the light emitting material is used as thin solid film. In the solid state, you know, concentration is the highest.

We have developed a family of luminogenic materials that behave in exactly the opposite way. When they are in solution, there is no emission, but when they aggregate, they emit very efficiently. It’s unusual and intriguing: previously, people have tried to solve the problem of ACQ by trying to separate the light emitting molecules. But now we have a system where the more it aggregates, the better

You’ve used these systems recently to make biosensors.

Yes, one very good application for these systems is in biology. One of the reasons for this is that light emitting species are aromatic rings, which are hydrophobic. In the body, we don’t have organic solvents: we only have water. Water is hydrophilic, so it isn’t compatible with the aromatic molecules. Traditional ACQ systems are not very good for biological applications due to the aggregate formation, but our systems work well in water, also owing to the formation of aggregates!

What current problem would you like to see polymer chemistry provide a solution to?

There are so many problems! In China, pollution is a big issue and this includes plastics. If we can come up with an economic way to recycle polymers back to monomers, then make them into new polymers in an economic way, we could reduce environmental pollution. Energy, of course, is another issue. One day we may have a very good polymer-based solar cell.

Read the full interview on the Chemistry World website: Ben Zhong Tang: Polymers for a bright future

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Brent Sumerlin interviewed in Chemistry World

Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor Brent Sumerlin has been interviewed in Chemistry World! He talks to Laura Howes about his work developing smart polymers for delivering insulin to treat people with diabetes.

Here’s a sneak preview…

How would you describe your work?

We are synthetic polymer chemists and all of the materials we’re interested in are smart materials. They’re not really smart – they can only do one thing – but they do that one thing really well.

Usually they’re block copolymers in solution and they self-assemble or dissociate depending on the conditions around them like pH or temperature. We want to make polymers that respond to their environment and can be useful for things like drug delivery.

Is your work mainly focussed on drug delivery?

Yes, mainly. There are two ways of thinking about it. One would be to specifically release a compound in one environment under a specific set of conditions. Another way to think about it would be to instead encapsulate something under specific conditions. We haven’t done work in that area directly but it is common to use similar materials for, say, wastewater remediation. In both cases you’re trying to encapsulate something hydrophobic, it’s just whether you want to release it or not.

Do you have particular biological targets or problems you want to solve?

Most of our interest has been in the area of diabetes, and I think that’s what sets our work apart from a lot of other smart polymer chemists. Most people are working on cancer but diabetes is also a problem of growing importance. The polymers we work with respond to sugar, and under a high concentration of sugar they become hydrophilic. So if you can make an aggregate that’s held together by these polymers, when there’s a lot of sugar around, they become water-soluble and dissolve, potentially releasing insulin from inside. We like this approach because it combines the glucose monitoring and insulin production into one feedback step.

Read more about Brent’s research, and find out how he coped with moving his research group 1000 miles across the US, in Brent Sumerlin: Searching for a sweet response.

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Introducing new Associate Editor Professor Bin Liu

We are very pleased to announce a new addition to the Polymer Chemistry Editorial Board: Professor Bin Liu will join the team as an Associate Editor from the beginning of February 2014.

Bin Liu received a B.S. degree from Nanjing University and a Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore (NUS) before her postdoctoral training at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She joined the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department of NUS in 2005. She was promoted to associate Professor in 2010 and was named as Dean’s Chair Professor in 2014. She has received several awards, including the National Science and Technology Young Scientist Award 2008 and L’Oreal Woman in Science National Fellowship 2011. Her current research focuses on conjugated polymers and organic nanoparticles for sensing, imaging, therapy and optoelectronic device applications.

Bin Liu’s recent papers include:

A water-soluble conjugated polymer brush with multihydroxy dendritic side chains
Li Zhou, Junlong Geng, Guan Wang, Jie Liu and Bin Liu 
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 5243-5251 DOI: 10.1039/C3PY21080D

Bright far-red/near-infrared fluorescent conjugated polymer nanoparticles for targeted imaging of HER2-positive cancer cells
Jie Liu, Guangxue Feng, Dan Ding and Bin Liu 
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 4326-4334 DOI: 10.1039/C3PY00605K

Single molecular hyperbranched nanoprobes for fluorescence and magnetic resonance dual modal imaging
Jie Liu, Kai Li, Junlong Geng, Li Zhou, Prashant Chandrasekharan, Chang-Tong Yang and Bin Liu 
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 1517-1524 DOI: 10.1039/C2PY20837G

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Interview with Christopher Barner-Kowollik

You may have seen our recent profile of Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor Christopher Barner-Kowollik. Here, we ask Christopher more about his career, research and the challenges polymer chemistry can solve.

Which projects are you working on at the moment?

We have a very broad portfolio of project areas in my team, divided into the research platforms ‘synthetic method development’, ‘advanced hybrid materials’, ‘underpinning mechanisms’ and ‘advanced polymer characterization’, with several parallel projects in each. Light driven surface encoding and recoding protocols with applications in cell guidance as well as targeted cell attachment are certainly an important activity, including the development of new photo-chemical reaction sequences. We continue to have a strong interest in biomaterials modification both in solution and the solid state and have not too long ago expanded our portfolio into biomimetic system ranging from universally adhesive bonding/debonding systems to bionspired self-folding single chains and nanoparticles. The design of new functional direct laser writing chemistries featuring reactive surfaces has recently moved into our centre of interest, too, as have supramolecular polymer systems with switchable property profiles. Although a smaller activity, the mechanistic study of photoinduced processes and polymerizations is still an important fundamental activity. For more information on all of our activities, please visit www.macroarc.de.

What motivated you to specialise in polymer chemistry?

I was trained as a physical chemist (albeit with a macromolecular touch) and became continuously more interested in synthetic polymer chemistry over the years. Polymer chemistry offers such a wide variety of research activities and requires knowledge from many chemical disciplines including organic, inorganic, physical and analytical chemistry that very much appeals to me. In addition, I always liked generating materials that can find applications as well as the interactions with industrial partners.
Nevertheless, there is ample room for fundamental research in polymer science and many unanswered questions and challenges exist, which require creativity and clever ideas.

What are the hot topics in polymer research at the moment?

In terms of general challenges that polymer chemistry can and must contribute to solutions for are efficient energy storage, conversion and handling as well as advanced materials for biomedical applications, from regenerative medicine to delivery systems. To address these broad challenges, we as synthetic polymer chemists have to provide solutions for the next step change in our ability to synthesize macromolecules, be it via the provision of precision surface design methodologies, controlling release from polymer systems, folding polymers, sequence controlled polymers or combining synthetic polymer chemistry with biomimetic approaches. Further, many solutions for applications require fine control over network properties, which is not yet available (e.g. monodisperse networks). Some very exciting work is currently also being done in the area of self-healing materials and sheet-like two dimensional polymers. In the materials research area, mimicking nature’s best materials such as nacre is an exciting topic. That said, the field is so diverse that one can identify many hot areas – there is rarely anything non-relevant. It all depends on one’s personal interests and views.

What current problem would you like to see science provide a solution to?

A cure for cancer would certainly be high on the list, but I believe the provision of clean drinking water to the world’s population would probably save even more lives.

What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of your career?

Discussing and debating scientific questions (down to the details!) with my coworkers and colleagues as well as educating young scientists at all stages of their careers from undergraduate researcher to PhD student to junior group leader.
It is such a rewarding experience to solve a scientific problem and to see enthusiastic researchers mature into confident scientists.

What’s the secret to being a successful scientist?

Curiosity, creativity, very hard work and perseverance as well as the ability to enjoy and part-take in aspects of life that have nothing to do with science (e.g. music, theatre, literature, your family, friends).

Which scientist past or present do you most admire?

Charles Darwin for arguably providing the most influential theory (fact!) in the history of science.

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be?

On the day of enrolling at university, I was still considering two options: Chemistry or History, both of which I love. No question, as an alternative to the natural sciences, I would have loved to study history – and maybe I will do some day! I have the highest respect for historians and find the works of contemporary historians such as Ian Kershaw absolutely fascinating reading.

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Introducing Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor Christopher Barner-Kowollik

Christopher Barner-Kowollik completed a Dr. rer. nat. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Göttingen, before joining the Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) at the University of New South Wales (Sydney), where he led a research team as full professor, after holding ranks from post-doctoral fellow to associate professor. He is currently a full professor of macromolecular chemistry at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). 

Christopher’s main research interests are situated at the interface of organic, polymer and bio-chemistry and focus on a wide range of polymer-related research fields such as the synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures with highly-defined functionality and composition via living/controlled polymerization protocols, advanced synthesis via polymer conjugation techniques and macromolecular transformations at ambient temperature including light triggered methodologies, fundamental investigations into polymerization mechanisms and kinetics as well as high resolution imaging and characterization of macromolecular chain structures. Applications include high definition surface modification and nano-engineering for targeted cell attachment, biomimetic materials ranging from adhesives to routes to self-folding polymer chains, surface and solution bonding/debonding on demand systems, supramolecular chemistry with polymer strands as well as advanced biosubstrate functionalization.

Christopher’s recent papers include:

Dual thermo- and photo-responsive micelles based on miktoarm star polymers
Eva Blasco, Bernhard V. K. J. Schmidt, Christopher Barner-Kowollik, Milagros Piñol and Luis Oriol  
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 4506-4514 DOI: 10.1039/C3PY00576C

Fast and catalyst-free hetero-Diels–Alder chemistry for on demand cyclable bonding/debonding materials
Kim K. Oehlenschlaeger, Nathalie K. Guimard, Josef Brandt, Jan O. Mueller, Ching Yeh Lin, Stefan Hilf, Albena Lederer, Michelle L. Coote, Friedrich G. Schmidt and Christopher Barner-Kowollik  
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 4348-4355 DOI: 10.1039/C3PY00476G

Diels–Alder reactions for carbon material synthesis and surface functionalization
Nicolas Zydziak, Basit Yameen and Christopher Barner-Kowollik  
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 4072-4086  DOI: 10.1039/C3PY00232B, Review Article

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Introducing Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor Wei You

Professor Wei You obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1999.  He studied for his PhD at the University of Chicago with Professor Luping Yu, and finished his postdoctoral training at Stanford University in 2006 with Professor Zhenan Bao.  In July 2006, Dr. You joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an Assistant Professor in Chemistry, and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2012. He has been awarded a DuPont Young Professor Award (2008), a NSF CAREER Award (2010), a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2011), a Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2011), and a CAPA Distinguished Junior Faculty Award (2012). His group is currently investigating multifunctional materials for various applications, including conjugated polymers and small molecules for organic solar cells and molecular spintronics/electronics, and new bio-compatible/degradable materials for biomedical applications.

Wei’s recent papers include:

Disentangling the impact of side chains and fluorine substituents of conjugated donor polymers on the performance of photovoltaic blends
Liqiang Yang, John R. Tumbleston, Huaxing Zhou, Harald Ade and Wei You 
Energy Environ. Sci., 2013, 6, 316-326

An investigation of siloxane cross-linked hydroxyapatite–gelatin/copolymer composites for potential orthopedic applications
Jason Christopher Dyke, Kelly Jane Knight, Huaxing Zhou, Chi-Kai Chiu, Ching-Chang Ko and Wei You
J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 22888-22898

Laterally patterned magnetic nanoparticles
Yanni Jie, Jeremy R. Niskala, Aaron C. Johnston-Peck, Peter J. Krommenhoek, Joseph B. Tracy, Huiqing Fan and Wei You  
J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 1962-1968

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Introducing Polymer Chemistry Associate Editor Wenping Hu

We are very pleased to announce a new associate editor of Polymer Chemistry. Please join us in welcoming Wenping Hu!

Wenping Hu is a Professor at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received his PhD from the Institute in 1999 before joining Osaka and Stuttgart Universities as a research fellow. After time spent working at Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT), Wenping returned to the Institute and was promoted to full professor in 2003. He has received awards for both his research and teaching activities, including the Chinese Chemical Society and Royal Chemical Society Young Chemist Award in 2010 and the CCS-Evonik (Degussa) Chemical Innovation Award in 2012. Wenping’s research focuses on organic/molecular electronics, including the design and synthesis of organic and polymeric conjugated materials, the examination of their optoelectronic properties and their applications in devices.

His recent papers include:

Conjugated polymers with 2,7-linked 3,6-difluorocarbazole as donor unit for high efficiency polymer solar cells
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 2773-2782

Ordering of conjugated polymer molecules: recent advances and perspectives
Polym. Chem., 2013, Advance Article

Donor–acceptor copolymers containing quinacridone and benzothiadiazole for thin film transistors
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2013, 1, 2021-2027

 

 

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Introducing Polymer Chemistry Editorial Board Member Heather D. Maynard

We are very pleased to announce a new member of Polymer Chemistry‘s Editorial Board, please join us in welcoming Heather D. Maynard.

Heather received a B.S. with Honors in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1992 and her Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in the summer of 2000. From 2000-2002, she was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). She joined the UCLA faculty as an Assistant Professor in August 2002 as the first Howard Reiss Career Development Chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and is now a full Professor and Director of the Chemistry Biology Interface Training Program. Heather’s research interests are functional polymer synthesis, protein-polymer conjugates, nanomedicine, and surface nanopatterns.

A selection of her papers include:

Synthesis of nanogel–protein conjugates
Polym. Chem., 2013, 4, 2464-2469

FDA-approved poly(ethylene glycol)–protein conjugate drugs
Polym. Chem., 2011, 2, 1442-1448

Emerging synthetic approaches for protein–polymer conjugations
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 2212-2226

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