My research group focuses on polymer and materials chemistry, particularly with an emphasis on cyclic polymers. We work in a collaborative and interdisciplinary atmosphere, moving from the synthesis of complex macromolecular systems to the study of their physical properties. With guidance from theory and physics, we design, synthesize, and characterize new polymer structures and create polymer-based materials. We aim to understand the mechanisms of polymerization that lead to the formation of cyclic polymers, as well as the property-structure relationship of these intriguing structures.
We typically employ ring-opening polymerization techniques combined with post-polymerization functionalization reactions to prepare a range of materials. Synthesizing these materials constitutes the primary focus of our research program, providing students with exposure to numerous synthetic techniques. Various methods for chemical and physical characterization of polymers and materials are utilized.
Below, we outline representative research projects developed to date:
Investigation of the synthesis and characterization of novel cyclic polymers for advanced material applications
Cyclic polymers are currently at the forefront of macromolecular science. This is because cyclic polymers exhibit intriguing physical and chemical properties due to the absence of end groups and their circular architecture. The extensive research conducted on synthetic polymers has been crucial in understanding their property-structure relationship. This progress has been made possible thanks to innovative advancements in organic synthesis and catalysis, which have led to the development of various pathways for cyclization of preformed chains through ring-closure (RC) strategies and ring-expansion polymerization (REP) of various monomers. As a result, there is now a wide array of synthetic methods available for producing various types of cyclic polymers. Our review on cyclic polymers covers recent advances in the synthesis and purification of cyclic (bio)polymers, together with a very comprehensive historical revision of the synthesis methods used to date.
We have studied the dielectric behaviour of cyclic polymers with different orientation of the dipolar moment along the chain contour; with inverted-dipole microstructure and with cancellation of the dipolar moment. The control over the dipolar microstructure enables the monitoring of single-chain behavior in an electric field, providing dielectric spectroscopy with essential structural and dynamical information for synthesized cyclic polymers.
The synthesis of cyclic polyethers by zwitterionic REP (ZREP) was reported in 2014, where we proved that the reaction of monosubstituted epoxides with B(C6F5)3 at high concentratation leads to the formation of a diversity of cyclic polyether structures, including copolymers with THF . Following studies were centered in the investigation of non-cyclic impurities of ZREP using MALDI-ToF MS and their purification.
Our most recent works on ZREP are devoted to the formation of water-soluble cyclic branched polyglycerol structures either by reaction of glycidol or protected-glycidol monomers with B(C6F5)3.
