Polymer Chemistry Blog

Zhao et al. accelerate antimicrobial polymer design with a novel database and machine learning.

Drug-resistant microorganisms pose increasing pressure on healthcare systems, underscoring the urgent need for effective disinfectants. In this vein, antimicrobial polymers (AMPs) offer a promising solution by inhibiting or eradicating microbes through diverse mechanisms without fostering resistance. With low toxicity and enhanced durability, AMPs are strong candidates for next-generation antimicrobial agents. However, the design of new AMPs with desired properties is challenging as it is mostly based on time and labor-intensive trial-and-error research.

To address this, Le and collaborators gathered experimental AMP data from various sources, providing a crucial foundation for accelerating AMP design through machine learning (ML). This first open-source database for antimicrobial polymers features 489 entries, including 177 unique polymers that exhibit a range of structures and properties. Advanced algorithms were implemented to identify 32 key descriptors using seven distinct feature selection methods. Additionally, several machine learning models that achieved approximately 85% predictive accuracy for antimicrobial properties were developed. The significance and influence of these descriptors on the antimicrobial characteristics of polymers and proposed guidelines for designing highly effective AMPs were thoroughly assessed.

In summary, this study provides a database, along with the identification of critical descriptors that are expected to offer a strong and informative foundation for researchers to investigate new AMPs in the future.

Tips/comments directly from the authors:

• Data quality is crucial: Accurate, well-prepared data is foundational to the success of machine learning models and the usefulness of new knowledge extracted from such models.
• Balance novelty with rigor: Innovative methods are highlighted and ensure the approach and conclusions are rigorous and well-validated.
• Iterate and take feedback seriously: Multiple revisions help improve clarity. Feedback from peers and reviewers must be taken seriously and addressed appropriately.

Citation of the paper: Advancing antimicrobial polymer development: a novel database and accelerated design via machine learning, Polym. Chem., 2024, 15, 4063-4076.

Link to the paper:  https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2024/py/d4py00736k

Link to authors website (or social media)

https://au.linkedin.com/in/tu-le-4b758a5a

https://www.rmit.edu.au/contact/staff-contacts/academic-staff/l/le-dr-tu

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Crete in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers. You can follow Kelly on twitter @KellyVelonia.

Abad et al. develop formulations of self-assemblies containing nucleobase analogues via seeded RAFT in water.

Polymer chemists have long exploited the specific hydrogen bonding interactions between nucleobase pairs to control polymer structure or sequence, to template polymerizations or drive self-assembly. Although several approaches have been employed for the synthesis of nucleobase containing polymers, the poor solubility of nucleobase-containing monomers has hampered their polymerization in water.

To address this, Blasco, Piñol and collaborators synthesized a diblock copolymer containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and 2,6-diacylaminopyridine (DAP)  polymethacrylate via RAFT. Upon dispersing in water this macro-CTA agent was used for the aqueous seeded RAFT polymerization of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA). Furthermore, a phase diagram that correlates the degree of polymerization and solid concentration with the morphologies of the resulting self-assemblies was constructed. Through this systematic study, low to high order morphologies (from spherical micelles to worms and to vesicles) could be observed. Interestingly all morphologies proved to be stable for extended periods of time with the exception of worms found to turn into spherical micelles after few weeks. To exploit the ability to functionalize the DAP moieties through H-bonding during aqueous seeded RAFT polymerization, a cross-linker bearing four thymine terminal groups was used. Finally, the higher stability of the assemblies produced via supramolecular cross-linking was studied via encapsulation and subsequent release of the hydrophobic probe Nile Red.

In summary, this study provides a metal-free methodology to produce self-assemblies containing nucleobase analogues in high concentrations via aqueous seeded RAFT polymerization.  The ability to control assembly, functionalize via exploiting supramolecular interactions and load with cargo, enhances their potential use as nanocarriers.

Tips/comments directly from the authors:

• This new strategy integrating non-water soluble groups, such as DAP units, into a BC enabled the preparation of highly concentrated aqueous self-assembly dispersions using the PISA methodology.
• The DAP units were further exploited for supramolecular H-bonding functionalization with cross-linker containing complementary thymine groups.
• Previous work on amphiphilic block copolymers having DAP units has proved their potential to prepare stimuli-responsive self-assemblies of interest in nanomedicine by nanoprecipitation or microfluidic. This article takes an important step forward since the potential of the polymers is upgraded with the processing of highly concentrated dispersions by this new straightforward strategy.
• This paper is the result of a collaborative effort between the groups at University of Zaragoza (Spain) and Heidelberg University (Germany)

Citation of the paper: Aqueous seeded RAFT polymerization for the preparation of self-assemblies containing nucleobase analogues, Polym. Chem., 2023,14, 71-80.

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/py/d2py01250b

Link to authors website (or social media)

https://liquidcrystals.unizar.es/  @clip_group_lab (Twitter)

https://www.imseam.uni-heidelberg.de/blasco @EvaBlascoPo (Twitter)

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Crete in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers. You can follow Kelly on twitter @KellyVelonia.

Johnson et al. propose that a synergy between chemical sciences and law research needs to be deployed to address the plastic pollution challenge through tracing technologies.

Among the major challenges faced by societies worldwide is the reduction of plastic pollution which has risen to be one of the largest environmental issues of the planet. A key barrier to improving plastic management is the inability to trace plastics along supply and value chains.

Addressing this issue, Johnson, Barner-Kowollik and colleagues with equal first authors Chambers and Holloway highlight how valorization of state-of-the-art chemistry could help eradicate plastic anonymity and propose that plastic management can become efficient once production of traceable plastics is implemented and incorporated into the legal frameworks for plastics governance.

To embed information into plastics and access it throughout its lifetime, both the inherent chemical composition of the macromolecules and chemical labelling can be exploited. Spectroscopic identification can fingerprint polymer chemistry but tracing a specific polymer to the producer would require introducing unique labels in the plastic material, with little information depth. Alternatively, information can be introduced through physically labelling the surface of a material. Both approaches carry information that can be readily affected by degradation over time. Chemical labeling with sequence-defined polymers on the other hand can be used to embed all necessary information within the material without being compromised by degradation. Barner-Kowollik and coworkers highlight state-of-the-art synthetic routes toward sequence-defined polymers, review the approaches to decode them and provide a set of criteria to be fulfilled by advanced read-out methodologies in order to successfully integrate such advanced plastics into recycling facilities.

Critical improvements to regulation policies need to be implemented to leverage on advanced plastics and especially sequence-defined polymers traceability. The authors propose that five key areas need to be addressed in law and policy: design or eco-design standards to reduce the environmental impacts of products and services along their entire lifecycle, consumer behavior to reduce consumption and encourage eco-friendlier choices, recycling systems to compensate the high cost of collecting, sorting and recycling materials, extended-producer responsibility schemes to respond to plastic waste, and combatting illegal waste streams that breache domestic or international laws.

This perspective is a critical overview on how chemistry, law and social sciences should advance, coordinate and collaborate in order to address the issue of plastic pollution in the most efficient manner.

Tips/comments directly from the authors:

1. It’s been an amazing journey for our team of chemists to work with colleagues from the faculty of law. It took many conversations, lots of explanations and the willingness on both sides to learn about law and chemistry, respectively. The process was enormously rewarding for the entire team, who continues to work together on developing plastic tracers in a joint effort between law and chemistry.
2. We highly recommend to all chemistry colleagues to research out into the humanities and social sciences for collaboration opportunities. These research fields have equal importance to the natural sciences and engineering, deliver enormous value and help chemists to put an entirely different perspective onto their own research. We believe the chemistry community should be at the absolute forefront of engaging with the social sciences and humanities.
3. We are very proud of Polymer Chemistry (RSC) for opening the journal to law research that speaks to chemical problems and being a trailblazer for true transdisciplinary research.

Citation to the paper: Using precision polymer chemistry for plastics traceability and governance, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 6082-6090.

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/py/d2py01180h

Follow Christopher Barner-Kowollik on Twitter @BarnerKowollik and the QUT Centre for Materials Science @QUTmaterials to keep up to date with their latest research

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Crete in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymersYou can follow Kelly on twitter @KellyVelonia

Jin et al. employ redox activated macromers to achieve precise control over the gelation onset and kinetics of a redox-triggerable, firefly luciferin-inspired hydrogel platform.

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are porous crosslinked networks which have recently attracted tremendous interest thanks to their unique response to external stimuli allowing to tune their properties on demand. In particular, chemically-responsive hydrogels that can be actuated via mild redox reactions are quite promising for biomedical applications once biocompatible and non-cytotoxic. Despite the remarkable progress in the field, lack of precise triggering of the gelation onset and control over the rate of the gelation process of responsive hydrogels restricts a range of applications. In their current contribution, Paez and coworkers report on a novel firefly luciferin-inspired hydrogel platform endowed with redox-triggering ability and tunability of its mechanical and biological properties. To achieve this goal, protected macromers (PEG-Cys(SR)) which can be activated in the presence of a mild reductant were used as hydrogel polymeric precursors. This design allowed to in situ trigger gel formation and achieve a high degree of control. Importantly, the gelation onset and rate could be fine-tuned via altering the molecular characteristics of the precursors (e.g., structure of the protecting group, reductant type) and/or the environmental parameters of the deprotection reaction (e.g., pH, temperature). Specifically, gelation could be achieved in times spanning from seconds (CBT–Cys(SEt) / TCEP) to hours (CBT–Cys(StBu)/DTT) using precursors with good long-term stability upon storage in physiologically-relevant aqueous conditions. Furthermore, high stem cell viability was observed after 1–3 days of encapsulation in biofunctionalized CBT–Cys(SR) hydrogels. The authors anticipate that the precise control over the gelation onset and kinetics of this this redox-triggerable system, will facilitate its use for drug delivery and tissue engineering as well as inks for extrusion-based printing of soft constructs for regenerative medicine.

Tips/comments directly from the authors:

•  We engineered macromers at the molecular level to achieve highly controlled gelation onset and kinetics. In the rheological characterization, it is recommended to prepare the hydrogel formulation by mixing polymer precursors solution and reductant solution in equal volume. This enables better mixing of the components and ensures good reproducibility of the rheological measurements. Two polymer precursor solutions can be mixed in advance (first half of the total volume) before adding the reductant (second half of the total volume) and loading to the rheometer.

• We evaluated the cytocompatibility of the redox-triggerable hydrogels and found excellent cell viability after 1-3 days culture. Before doing 3D cell encapsulation, it is recommended to perform a preliminary experiment of gel preparation under same conditions but in the absence of cell suspension to estimate the gelation time. Cell suspension can be replaced by cell culture medium.

Citation to the paper: Redox-triggerable firefly luciferin-bioinspired hydrogels as injectable and cell-encapsulating matrices, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 5116-5126, DOI: 10.1039/D2PY00481J

Link to the paper:

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2022/py/d2py00481j

The Paez laboratory at the University of Twente:

Twitter account: @PaezLab

ResearchGate account: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julieta-Paez

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Crete in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymersYou can follow Kelly on twitter @KellyVelonia

Visaveliya et al. combine microfluidics with bulk batch synthesis to fabricate complex (non-spherical) anisotropic polyvinyl methacrylate (PVMA) nanoparticles (NPs) in a single step.

Τhe properties of polymer nanoparticles are dictated by both structure-property and structure-function relationships however, the importance of particle shape is generally overlooked due to the inherent difficulty to synthesize anisotropic nanoparticles in a single step. Anisotropic colloids are currently produced via multi-step synthesis platforms restrict scaling-up and evaluating as an alternative to the well-established spherical colloidal particles.

To address this issue, Eisele and collaborators developed a single-step, microfluidic-supported synthesis for anisotropic polyvinyl methacrylate (PVMA) nanoparticles that takes advantage of the homogeneous conditions given by microfluidics for the initial emulsification process and of the inhomogeneous conditions provided by bulk batch synthesis for the thermal polymerization. Α monomer with two active polymerization sites (vinyl methacrylate) was used and the impact of interfacial agents including a molecular surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), anionic polyelectrolytes (poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate), PSSS and poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid) ammonium salt, PSSA), a cationic polyelectrolyte (poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), PDADMAC), and the non-ionic polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone,PVP) on the shape and size of the produced nanoparticles was systematically evaluated. A direct effect of the identity and the concentration on the shape of the produced nanoparticles was observed and led to a plethora of structures varying from isotropic spherical structures (SDS) to anisotropic elongated (PSSS, PSSA) and flower-like structures (low PVP concentrations) or irregularly shaped assemblies (PDADMAC, high PVP concentrations).

In summary, this study provides a general framework to guide investigations on colloidal polymerization towards predicting nanoparticle shapes below the critical 200 nm regime.

Microfluidic-supported synthesis of anisotropic polyvinyl methacrylate nanoparticles via interfacial agents, Polym. Chem., 2022,13, 4625-4633

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/py/d1py01729b

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers You can follow Kelly on twitter @KellyVelonia

Polgar et al. use donor-modified thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters as photocatalysts for O-ATRP.

O-ATRP has emerged as an attractive alternative to conventional metal-catalyzed ATRP that uses organic compounds that catalyze polymerization under light irradiation instead of the well-studied metal catalysts. Specifically, O-ATRP using thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters as photocatalysts takes advantage of the unique ability of TADFs to interconvert singlet and triplet excited states and has been more recently implemented in diverse fields including organic electronics, photocatalysis, biological imaging, and chemical sensing. TADF emitters mostly contain a twisted donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) motif which results in a prolonged excited state lifetime and facilitates singlet and triplet energy and electron transfer. Nevertheless, the coexistence of both electron donors and acceptors in photoredox catalysis results in unwanted excited state side reactivity that limits initiator efficiency and might also deactivate the catalyst.

To address this issue, Hudson and collaborators use donor-modified TADF emitters as photocatalysts for O-ATRP. More specifically, TADF photosensitizers based on 9,10-dihydro-9,9-dimethylacridine/2,4,6-triphenylpyrimidine conjugates exhibiting strong visible absorption, large excited state reduction potentials, and long-lived triplet excited states were employed to evaluate catalyst structure–activity relationships. The stability of the radical cation was found to be determining for controlled polymerization, however, significant differences were observed among donor-modified catalysts which were also related to variation in the rates of photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Time-resolved photoluminescence studies of the catalysts supported initiation by electron transfer from both singlet and triplet states while, the functionalized donors possessed the higher driving forces for PET. Through this study, the donor-modified TADF photocatalyst PymDMDMA -bearing a methoxyphenyl substituent- was identified to yield methacrylic polymers with Đ below 1.3 at low catalyst loadings (50 ppm) while also being able to catalyze the controlled synthesis of block copolymers in contrast to the unmodified TADF.

This study explores the ability to design more efficient catalysts by merely altering the types of donors, acceptors and their derivatives and proposes that more efficient catalysts can be designed through theoretical modeling.

Tips/comments directly from the authors:

• ppm-levels of catalyst are sufficient for the synthesis of polymers with well-defined size, composition, and topology by O-ATRP, potentially obviating the need for post-polymerization purification.
• Donor-acceptor fluorophores can exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), a phenomenon that prolongs the excited state lifetime. The ability to control the lifetime and excited-state reduction potential of TADF emitters makes them versatile photocatalysts for O-ATRP, particularly at low catalyst loadings.
• A donor-modification strategy was used in this study to mitigate deleterious excited-state side-reactivity associated with the electron-rich donors used in TADF. Rational design of modifying groups can not only enhance the photostability of these dyes, but also provide an extra dimension of control over the excited state reduction potentials and rates of electron transfer in O-ATRP.

Donor modification of thermally activated delayed fluorescence photosensitizers for organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 3892-3903. 

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/py/d2py00470d

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers.

Santra et al. use recycled plastic-waste derived monomers to synthesize a redox-responsive self-immolative amphiphilic polyurethane nanoassembly.

Polymeric nanoparticles have undeniably found numerous applications in fields ranging from medicine to nanoelectronics. Despite the significant progress in the area, there is an increasing demand in chemotherapeutics to construct polymeric nanoassemblies able to encapsulate and deliver cargo on-demand. Most polymeric nanocarriers suffer from uncontrolled disassembly leading to premature, non-specific guest release while often; guests need to be covalently entrapped to achieve high encapsulation stability.

To address these issues, Molla and collaborators developed a strategy that allows upcycling plastic waste to synthesize a redox-responsive, self-immolative amphiphilic polyurethane that assembles into robust, tightly packed nanoassemblies with high encapsulation efficiency and stability. More specifically the upcycled-plastic nanocontainers were equipped with aromatic moieties enhancing their stability, disulfide bonds offering redox response and tertiary amines inducing charge tunability. Triethylene glycol monomethyl ether units were periodically incorporated on the polymer to enhance hydrophilic interactions with water. Computational studies supported that the high encapsulation stability observed in these polyurethane nanocarriers stems from supramolecular cross-linking via π–π stacking and H-bonding interactions. Notably, in a redox environment 70 % of guest release was obtained from the self-immolative polyurethane nanocarriers while significantly reduced release was observed in polymers lacking the disulfide linker and polymers lacking the aromatic component.  The high encapsulation stability was supported by the low leakage coefficient measured in FRET experiments. Pleasingly, zeta potential measurements revealed the generation of nanoassemblies with positive surface charge at a tumor extracellular matrix relevant pH was attributed to the tertiary amine component.

In summary, a plastic waste derived monomer was used as a basis to create robust self-immolative polyurethane nanocarriers with promising biomaterial characteristics such as biocompatibility, triggered release, and environment-specific charge modulation.

Mijanur Rahaman Molla et al., Supramolecularly cross-linked nanoassemblies of self-immolative polyurethane from recycled plastic waste: high encapsulation stability and the triggered release of guest molecules, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 3294-3303.

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/PY/D2PY00341D

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers. You can follow Kelly on twitter @KellyVelonia

Harrier et al. highlight the encapsulation methodology as a readily available, efficient methodology to perform ROPs in aqueous dispersions.

Ring opening polymerizations (ROP) are widely used to synthesize a variety of biodegradable polymers typically under the strict limitations requiring anhydrous media and inert atmosphere (usually dictating the use of complex setups such as Schlenk lines or glove boxes). These practical limitations limit the polymeric material accessible by ROP.
To address this limitation, Guironnet and collaborators implemented a droplet microfluidic encapsulation strategy and systematically investigated both the process and the formulation parameters that govern the stability of the formed micro-droplets. The identification of these parameters together with the addition of amphiphilic block copolymers (PEG-PVL, PEG-PCL, and Pluronic) and a hydrophobe (hexadecane) allowed to control the viscosity, surface tension, and hydrophobicity of the formed droplets. As a result, the conditions in which the ROP catalyst was efficiently shielded in the aqueous dispersion could be identified and used to achieve higher monomer conversion and higher molecular weight polymers in the polymerization of valerolactone and caprolactone. By changing the amphiphilic block copolymer composition, ROP reaction time could also be further improved. To highlight the strength of this approach, these design rules were also used to tune the viscosity and surface tension of the droplets during ROP of propylene oxide catalyzed by an organic Lewis-Pair catalyst system (i.e. a phosphazene base and triethyl borane), leading to the synthesis of polyether particles dispersed in water.

In summary this study highlights the power and versatility of the encapsulation methodology applied with an off-the-shelf droplet-based microfluidic device and establish the fundamental guiding principles to encapsulate water-sensitive polymerization catalysts to efficiently synthesize spherical polymer particles dispersed in water.

Design rules for performing water-sensitive ring-opening polymerizations in an aqueous dispersion, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 2459-2468

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/py/d2py00069e#cit11

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers.

An international group of polymer scientists from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Subcommittee on Polymer Terminology (SPT) convey concerns with the basic terms typically used for classifying methods of polymer synthesis and initiate a dialogue with the broader polymer community to resolve terminology shortcomings.

In 1994 the IUPAC SPT highlighted long-standing problems with the widely used terms “step-growth polymerization” and “chain-growth polymerization,” which describe two discrete mechanisms of polymer growth, and depreciated their use since they do not describe the fundamental differences in the growth of polymers by these methods and are often confusing. To address this, the 1994 SPT members recommended the terms polycondensation and polyaddition for the two variants of “step-growth polymerization”, and similarly chain polymerization and condensative chain polymerization for the two variants of “chain-growth polymerization”. However, these terms have not been widely adopted by the community, and have also created confusion.

In this contribution, current IUPAC SPT members provide detailed descriptions of these two processes and outline concerns associated with the terms “step-growth,” “chain-growth,” and related terms. By discussing in detail the historical development of these terms and analyzing their use in current textbooks, the authors underline the lack of consensus in the terminology used within the polymer community. Interestingly, they demonstrate how the similarity of these terms leads to further confusion when translating into languages other than English. Finally, examples of polymerizations that cannot be classified under the umbrella of the existing definitions and have no designated terminology are discussed.

In 2019, IUPAC recognized the need to resolve these polymer terminology shortcomings and approved a project aimed to propose new terminologies. The authors, as members of the IUPAC SPT task group studying this issue, aim to clarify the naming of polymerisation processes and invite all members of the community to contribute by emailing to polymer.terminology@iupac.org.

Tips/comments directly from the authors:

• We, the subcommittee of polymer nomenclature (SPT), want to raise attention to a long-standing dilemma in the terms that many of us use every day: “step-growth” and “chain-growth” polymerization.
• A number of terms have been used over the past century to describe these two fundamental mechanisms of polymer growth, and many prominent polymer chemists have noted their shortcomings in textbooks.
• We detail here the history of the terms, current usage in textbooks, and our specific concerns.
• In particular, we invite feedback from the broader polymer community, including from students, lecturers, researchers, and anyone who uses polymer science regularly.

Reconsidering terms for mechanisms of polymer growth: the “step-growth” and “chain-growth” dilemma, Polym. Chem., 2022, 13, 2262-2270.

Link to the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/py/d2py00086e

You can follow the authors on twitter: @IUPACPolymer

Dr. Kelly Velonia is an Advisory Board Member and a Web Writer for Polymer Chemistry. She joined the Department of Materials Science and Technology in 2007. Research in her group focuses on the synthesis and applications of bioconjugates and biopolymers.