Sumerlin Research Group
     Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University
       3215 Daniel Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75275-0314
 
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The Sumerlin Research Group investigates well-defined polymeric materials with selected functionality, composition, and molecular architecture.  Using a variety of techniques, we synthesize novel polymers, with particular focus on those that are water-soluble and/or stimuli-responsive. Potential target applications include novel biocompatible or biodegradable materials for controlled and targeted drug delivery, surface modifiers, and 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.

For additional information regarding current and future research endeavors, find out more here.
 

Research Highlight
Roy and Jennifer's paper concerning the preparation triply-responsive block copolymers was recently published in Chemical Communications. A boronic acid-containing homopolymer was prepared by RAFT and subsequently used to synthesize block copolymers with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM).  The resulting block copolymers formed both micelles and reversed micelles in response to three different stimuli (i.e., sugar concentration, pH, and temperature). The paper was also highlighted on the back cover of the journal.

Roy, Cambre, Sumerlin "Triply-responsive boronic acid block copolymers: Solution self-assembly induced by changes in temperature, pH, or sugar concentration" Chemical Communications 2009, 2106-2108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/B900374F

Department of Chemistry
Southern Methodist University
3215 Daniel Avenue
PO Box 750314
Dallas, TX 75275-0314

PH: (214) 768-8802
FX: (214) 768-4089
Email: -bsumerlin@smu.edu-

News & Presentations
 Previous Items
Brent received an NSF CAREER award for the project titled "Stimuli-Responsive Dynamic Macromolecular Assemblies."
Our paper on the combination of RAFT polymerization and click chemistry to prepare functional telechelics was the number one most highly referenced article in Macromolecules during 2007.
06/15/09 Welcome back to Mitu, who rejoins us as a high school summer researcher.
06/03/09 Brent presented an invited lecture at EUPOC2009 in Gargnano, Italy.
05/29/09 Congratulations to Dey, Gondi, and Roy for their manuscript entitled "Boronic Acid Terminated Polymers: Synthesis by RAFT and Subsequent Dynamic Covalent Self-Assembly" being published in Macromolecules.
05/21/09 Brent was recognized as an Emerging Investigator by the RSC journal Soft Matter.
05/18/09 Welcome to Howard He, the newest member of the group, who joins us as an undergraduate researcher.
05/02/09 Ming, Hongmei, Jennifer, and Aman all presented at the ACS Meeting in Miniature at the University of North Texas. A special congratulations goes to Jennifer for her receiving Honorable Mention for Best Oral Presentation.
04/24/09 Brent will present a seminar at LSU.
04/21/09 Congratulations to Sara for winning the Ms. SMU Body Building Championship!
04/17/09 Roy and Jennifer's paper titled "Triply-responsive boronic acid block copolymers: Solution self-assembly induced by changes in temperature, pH, or sugar concentration" is now available online in Chemical Communications. This publication has also been selected as an RSC Project Prospect article and will be featured as a back cover advert image.
04/02/09 Brent presented a seminar at Trinity University in San Antonio.
04/02/09 Congratulations to Young for being awarded a RISE Fellowship that will allow him to conduct research in polymer chemistry in Germany this summer at the University of Duisburg-Essen!
03/22/09 Brent presented two lectures at the ACS National Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT.
03/04/09 An interview with Brent by the Royal Society of Chemistry was made available on the ChemComm website.
02/22/09 Brent presented at the Collegium da Vinci of Southern Methodist University.
02/18/09 Brent presented at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
02/16/09 Brent presented at the "Materials of the Future-Science of Today" IUPAC conference in Melbourne, Australia.
02/05/09 Brent presented at the Zing Polymer Chemistry conference in Cancun, Mexico.
02/02/09 We welcome the newest member of our group: Aman Ullah joins us as a visiting PhD student from the University of Genova, Italy.
01/26/09 We welcome the newest member of our extended research group family! Jennifer gave birth to a healthy little Ethan James.
01/15/09 Brent delivered a seminar at Oklahoma State University.
11/14/08 Brent presented at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Nashville, TN.
10/28/08 Brent delivered a lecture at the International Symposium on Stimuli-Responsive Materials at the University of Southern Mississippi.
10/06/08 A publication entitled “Development of biodegradable crosslinked urethane-doped polyester elastomers” resulting from a collaboration with Prof. Jian Yang at UT Arlington is now available online in Biomaterials.
 

09/12/08

 Drew's paper entitled "Tuning the Temperature Response of Branched Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Prepared by RAFT Polymerization" is now available in Macromolecules.
09/09/08 Dr. Priyadarsi De is no longer with the group after accepting a job at PhaseRx Pharmaceuticals in Seattle, WA. We will miss him dearly but wish him all the best!
08/18/08 Brent presented (x3) at the National ACS Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
08/12/08 Drew's paper entitled "Tuning the Temperature Response of Branched Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Prepared by RAFT Polymerization" has been accepted to Macromolecules.
08/05/08 De, Ming, and Gondi's paper entitled "Temperature-Regulated Activity of Responsive Polymer-Protein Conjugates Prepared by Grafting-from via RAFT Polymerization" is now available online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
07/02/08 A review entitled "RAFT-synthesized diblock and triblock copolymers: thermally-induced supramolecular assembly in aqueous media" coauthored by Charlie McCormick and Brent is now available online in Soft Matter.
07/02/08 Brent presented at the NERM of the ACS in Burlington, VT.
 

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