Research Overview
Research in the Davidson Lab works at the intersection of polymer synthesis, polymer physics and self-assembly, and additive manufacturing techniques.
We are an experimental group that enjoys creatively pushing the boundaries between traditional areas of polymer science.
We leverage a range of synthetic techniques to create unique materials-by-design, allowing us to ask scientific questions and demonstrate new engineering functions that would be impossible via other means. The materials and structures we create can be applied to a number of applications; at the moment we are most interested in materials and structures with tailored mechanical, optical, and actuating properties. We are also committed to developing strategies to enable the chemical recycling of complex, hierarchical multimaterial structures.
Research Areas
Directed Polymer Assembly via 3D Printing
Additive manufacturing techniques have the unique capability of controlling local composition, structure, and alignment. We leverage 3D printing as a form of directed self-assembly.
Materials for a Sustainable Future
Traditional plastics recycling methods face significant limitations, highlighting the need for additional waste-management strategies. We address this through investigation of novel chemically recyclable polymer systems as well as development of polymer nanocomposites for bulk depolymerization. We are also interested in leveraging polymer molecular design and processing towards materials with enhanced performance in dielectric capacitors.
Sequence Defined Polymers
Liquid crystalline materials with precisely controlled sequence exhibit assembly that is highly sensitive to molecular design. We design and synthesize these discrete molecules and study their phase behavior and assembly. We are also developing abiotic sequence defined molecules that leverage dynamic-covalent bonds towards hybridization and self-replication.
Stimuli Responsive Networks and Gels
Elastomers and gels with tissue-mimicking properties are powerful for applications in biomedical devices, sensing, assistive devices, and as cellular environments with controlled mechanical properties. We synthesize and characterize new intrinsically anisotropic actuating materials based on insight into their fundamental molecular behavior.
