Devon A Shipp

• Synthesis of polymers via radical and ionic polymerization
• Polymerization kinetics, controlled and living polymerizations
• Biomaterials; hydrogels; novel soft contact lens materials
• Synthesis and study of polymer–layered silicate nanocomposites
• Synthesis of block copolymers, polymer brushes, polymers attached to surfaces and particles
• Biodegradable network polymers for bone repair and drug delivery
• Synthesis and study of photon harvesting polymers, energy transfer in macromolecular systems
• Novel polymer-inorganic composites for photovoltaic applications (solar cells)
• Nano- and micro-particle surface modification, layer-by-layer approach to surface modification

Currently, my research group develops new polymer chemistries and materials that have potential in many applications, including various nanotechnologies and biomedical materials, and in areas that require polymers with high degrees of chemical and physical specificity. With wide-ranging capabilities in polymer chemistry, we have led the development of various novel materials, including synthetic (co-) polymers, nanoparticles, gels and nanocomposites.

In particular, there are three areas on which we are presently focused. The first is novel methods of synthesizing degradable polymer networks. We discovered that thiol-ene polymerizations are suitable for the synthesis of polyanhydrides, which can be made into promising surface-eroding materials and into polymer nanoparticles. These polymers have significant potential as drug delivery vehicles, within reconfigurable shape memory elastomer composites (SMECs), and self-healing polymers (SHPs). Second, we are also developing new methods for polymer particle synthesis based on water-borne thiol-ene/thiol-yne polymerization. These polymerizations leverage multiple “click” chemistry attributes so that colloidal particles can be made quickly and efficiently, with stoichiometric-controlled chemical functionality, uniform cross linking, and using an environmentally-benign reaction medium (water). This provides a significant opportunity to construct a new and transformational paradigm in polymer colloids, one that will result in sustainable, environmentally friendly, and high impact technologies. Lastly, we use our significant expertise in new radical polymerization methods, such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, to create polymers that exhibit novel and potentially highly useful thermal and mechanical properties. These have potential applications as shape memory polymers, adaptive nanocomposites, and surface-active agents (“surfactants”) that may be used in a variety of biomedical applications, such as drug delivery vehicles or contact lens care.