The Sumerlin Research Group investigates well-defined polymeric materials with selected functionality, composition, and molecular architecture.  Our particular focus is on polymers that are water-soluble and stimuli-responsive. Such "smart" polymers have the ability to self-assemble or dissociate in solution in response to changes in their surroundings. Potential target applications include controlled and targeted drug delivery, surface modification, and the synthesis of self-healing materials. Our interests are at the interface of bio-, organic, and polymer chemistry, with particular focus on fusing the fields to prepare materials with synergistic properties.

Additional information on our research can be found here.
 

Research Highlight

Roy and Aman's paper reports that RAFT polymerization under microwave heating conditions can lead to well-defined block copolymers in dramatically shortened periods of time. Previous reports have demonstrated the successful combination of controlled radical polymerization techniques and microwave chemistry, but relatively little attention has been dedicated to investigating the potential of this approach for synthesizing block copolymers. If the enhanced rates of polymerization commonly observed are solely explained by higher radical concentrations, termination rates would also be expected to increase, thereby leading to a reduced ability for chain extension necessary for block copolymerization. However, these results indicate that homopolymers prepared in few short minutes under microwave conditions are capable of serving as macro chain transfer agents for a subsequent microwave-assisted extension with a second monomer. Roy, Ullah, Sumerlin "Rapid Block Copolymer Synthesis by Microwave-Assisted RAFT Polymerization" Macromolecules 2009, 42, 7701-7708. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ma901471k

Department of Chemistry
Southern Methodist University
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Dallas, TX 75275-0314

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Email: -bsumerlin@smu.edu-