Research Overview
The Kuenstler Group is an experimental soft matter research group that focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization, and deployment of functional polymer materials to address pressing needs in energy, sustainability, and human health. We do this by working at the intersection of materials chemistry, polymer physics, and additive manufacturing to control material properties and responses in time and space. While we are always working to push the boundaries of traditional polymer science and seeking out new research problems, our work predominantly concerns the themes listed below.
1. Dynamic Polymer Networks
Dynamic polymer networks contain dynamic bonds that facilitate macroscopic flow and reconfiguration, and are uniquely suited for applications ranging from biomaterials to recyclable polymer networks. Furthermore, molecular exchange mechanisms can be leveraged to control self-assembly across length-scales to access emergent properties that are difficult to access in static analogues. However, it remains an outstanding challenge to connect molecular-scale behavior to bulk properties. We build networks with controlled functionality and architecture and use tools including spectroscopy and rheology to quantitatively understand the link between chemistry and macroscopic properties.
2. Photoresponsive Polymers
Light affords control over photochemical processes in time and space. These processes can be leveraged to trigger polymerization as well as to manipulate their behavior post-synthesis. We are interested in both developing new ways to build materials with defined properties using light, as well as to use energy from photons to trigger photomechanical deformation.
3. Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing provides opportunities to precisely control local material properties and global geometry. We are interested in developing ways to access spatial control of chemistry and emergent properties in constructs made by light-based additive manufacturing.