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Professor of Supramolecular & Polymer Chemistry / Director of the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis

What we do

Our research interests include the synthesis of functional nanosystems, controlled polymer architectures and dynamic supramolecular assemblies through molecular recognition processes.

The underlying theme of our research lies at the interface between synthetic organic efforts on small molecules and macroscopic properties at the materials level, developing a macro-organic approach to chemistry. Dynamic supramolecular self-assembly of materials will be an area of great importance in the coming years, allowing for innovations in nanotechnology and at the biological and chemical interfaces.

We are particularly interested in exploring topics such as water-soluble and stimuli-responsive materials, template and imprinting technologies of functional polymers for use in chiral separations and enantioselective catalysis, and controlling material morphologies and architectures both in solution and in the solid state through rational design and a multi-step, hierarchical self-assembly process.

Watch Professor Scherman discuss his research

Take a tour of the Scherman Lab

Publications

High Affinity Recognition of a Selected Amino Acid Epitope within a Protein by Cucurbit[8]uril Complexation.

S Sonzini, A Marcozzi, RJ Gubeli, CF van der Walle, P Ravn, A Herrmann, OA Scherman

– Angew Chem Int Ed Engl

(2016)

55,

14000

(doi: 10.1002/anie.201606763)

A Dynamic and Responsive Host in Action: Light‐Controlled Molecular Encapsulation

STJ Ryan, J Del Barrio, R Suardíaz, DF Ryan, E Rosta, OA Scherman

– Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

(2016)

55,

16096

(doi: 10.1002/anie.201607693)

Microcapsule Buckling Triggered by Compression-Induced Interfacial Phase Change.

AR Salmon, RM Parker, AS Groombridge, A Maestro, RJ Coulston, J Hegemann, J Kierfeld, OA Scherman, C Abell

– Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids

(2016)

32,

10987

(doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b03011)

Dual-responsive supramolecular colloidal microcapsules from cucurbit[8]uril molecular recognition in microfluidic droplets

Z Yu, Y Lan, RM Parker, W Zhang, X Deng, OA Scherman, C Abell

– Polymer Chemistry

(2016)

7,

5996

(doi: 10.1039/c6py01171c)

Cucurbituril-Based Molecular Recognition (vol 115, pg 12320, 2015)

SJ Barrow, S Kasera, MJ Rowland, J Del Barrio, OA Scherman

– Chemical Reviews

(2016)

116,

12651

(doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00577)

Hybrid organic–inorganic supramolecular hydrogel reinforced with CePO 4 nanowires

C Liu, G Xiang, Y Wu, SJ Barrow, MJ Rowland, DE Clarke, G Wu, OA Scherman

– Polymer Chemistry

(2016)

7,

6485

(doi: 10.1039/c6py01127f)

Surface‐Bound Cucurbit[8]uril Catenanes on Magnetic Nanoparticles Exhibiting Molecular Recognition

X Ren, Y Wu, DE Clarke, J Liu, G Wu, OA Scherman

– Chemistry - An Asian Journal

(2016)

11,

2382

(doi: 10.1002/asia.201600875)

Single-molecule strong coupling at room temperature in plasmonic nanocavities.

R Chikkaraddy, B de Nijs, F Benz, SJ Barrow, OA Scherman, E Rosta, A Demetriadou, P Fox, O Hess, JJ Baumberg

– Nature

(2016)

535,

127

(doi: 10.1038/nature17974)

Light-Regulated Molecular Trafficking in a Synthetic Water-Soluble Host

J Del Barrio, STJ Ryan, PG Jambrina, E Rosta, OA Scherman

– J Am Chem Soc

(2016)

138,

5745

(doi: 10.1021/jacs.5b11642)

Light-induced actuating nanotransducers.

T Ding, VK Valev, AR Salmon, CJ Forman, SK Smoukov, OA Scherman, D Frenkel, JJ Baumberg

– Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

(2016)

113,

5503

(doi: 10.1073/pnas.1524209113)