Our general research thrust is the investigation of the formation, structure and properties of crosslinked polymeric materials, particularly those formed from photopolymerization reactions. Specifically, our group is focusing on developing new materials and photopolymerization mechanisms for a variety of applications including biomaterials, microfluidic devices, dental restorations, liquid crystal displays, nanotechnology, and high technology. These interests are investigated by incorporating a mixture of polymerization reaction engineering, monomer and polymer synthesis, and experimental characterization.

Biomaterials

     Biomaterial research is a rapidly expanding field studying different materials to restore biological function or provide structure for cellular regeneration and repair.  The usage ranges from drug delivery of cell signals to the fabrication of polymer matrices to provide structure for cell cultures to regrow living tissue.  The focus of the research in this group is fundamental studies on the effect that changes to the polymer matrix of the biomaterial has on degredation, cell compatibility, and mechanical properties.  These issues need to be resolved to allow for systems that need to be adjusted to the different growth rates of certain factors and ensure the correct cell maturation.

Biodetection

     With the increased ease of DNA sequencing, a large library of diseases have been genotyped.  With this available data, the use of DNA detection to determine a disease is becoming more prevalent and available for use.  The goal of the research in this group is to provide a facile method to detect DNA at low concentrations and in a rapid manner using photopolymerization techniques.  These advances would allow for a faster medical response by providing earlier and more accurate detection of the infection.

Microfluidics

     Microfluidic devices have become increasingly popular with the main goal to be producing systems on a chip, which reduce macroscale technologies down into microfluidic ranges.  This provides many advantages, requiring less raw material, faster results, and could provide field portable systems.  Research in this area focuses on using a  technique employing lithography and photopolymerization that allows for 3D microscale features to be produced for rapid prototype and use.

Thiol-enes

     Thiol-ene systems are radically polymerized, step growth systems that exhibit advantageous systems with both high conversion and a higher crosslink density, along with reduced shrinkage in comparison to acrylate systems.  These systems also have kinetic advantages, as they show initiatorless curing and the ability to produce thick cures in excess of 5 cm. Research in this area focuses on exploiting these advantages to produce improved materials and systems for a variety of applications.

Novel Monomers

     In addition to the applications of photopolymerized systems, additional projects are pursued with the goal of novel applications and improved understanding and analysis of currently available systems.  These systems are being developed to provide new avenues for research and improved testing and predictive methods to be employed for both academic and industrial research.