Research

We synthesize polyelectrolytes and polymerized ionic liquids with controlled backbone chemistry, charge density, and counterion, then build them into elastomeric networks by chemical crosslinking, physical association, double networks, and polymerization-induced phase separation.

Because the ions are tethered to the network, these materials stretch and conduct at the same time. We ask how crosslink density, ion content, and salt doping set the stiffness, the dielectric response, and the charge a material can store at an electrified interface.

Mixing oppositely charged polyelectrolytes drives associative phase separation into a dense complex and a dilute supernatant. We map where those phase boundaries sit as a function of charge density, salt, and solvent, and connect them to the structure and mechanics of the dense phase.

That dense phase is not simply a liquid. Water and salt plasticize it, so its glass transition can be tuned — and even driven electrically. A thermodynamic question becomes a handle on how fast ions move through the complex, and on how the complex behaves when it forms at an interface.

When a network of fixed anions meets a network of fixed cations, the mobile counterions rearrange into an ionic double layer at the junction. That layer responds to a few volts, so strong and reversible adhesion becomes possible at voltages a battery can supply.

We study how the double layer forms and discharges, how network elasticity shapes its capacitance–voltage response, and how the same junctions rectify ionic current. We then build that behavior into devices: electro-adhesive clutches, grippers, and robotic end-effectors that switch stiffness and holding strength on demand.

Most polymers are far easier to build than to take apart. We study depolymerization as a route to closed-loop chemical recycling, asking which linkages reopen under mild conditions and how a polymer's structure decides whether it comes back as clean monomer.

Our catalysts are macroporous polyanion beads. Because the active sites are tethered to a solid support, the catalyst can be filtered out and used again, which makes continuous operation possible — including recovery of the fibers from polyester composites.