Professor DEREK IRVINE's Outputs (81)

Modulation of the biological response to surfaces through the controlled deposition of 3D polymeric surfactants (2025)
Journal Article
Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Hajiali, H., Dundas, A. A., Jayawarna, V., Tomolillo, D., Francolini, I., Vuotto, C., Salmeron-Sanchez, M., Dalby, M. J., Alexander, M. R., Wildman, R. D., Rose, F. R. A. J., & Irvine, D. J. (2025). Modulation of the biological response to surfaces through the controlled deposition of 3D polymeric surfactants. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 13(15), 4657-4670. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4tb01941e

Biomaterials play a crucial role in modern medicine through their use as medical implants and devices. However, they can support biofilm formation and infection, and lack integration with the surrounding human tissue at the implant site. This work re... Read More about Modulation of the biological response to surfaces through the controlled deposition of 3D polymeric surfactants.

Screening of modular supramolecular star polymers for 3D printing of biomedical devices (2025)
Journal Article
Hart, L. R., Touré, A. B., Owen, R., Putri, N. R., Hague, R. J., Alexander, M. R., Rose, F. R., Zhou, Z., Irvine, D. J., Ruiz-Cantu, L., Turyanska, L., He, Y., Hayes, W., & Wildman, R. D. (2025). Screening of modular supramolecular star polymers for 3D printing of biomedical devices. Materials Today Communications, 45, Article 112206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.112206

Identifying suitable materials for additive manufacturing and 3D printing is a challenging task and there is a need to streamline the processes to achieve more rapid adoption of new feedstocks. We have developed a process of using modular supramolecu... Read More about Screening of modular supramolecular star polymers for 3D printing of biomedical devices.

Rapid, Highly Sustainable Ring-Opening Polymerization via Resonant Acoustic Mixing (2025)
Journal Article
Fowler, H. R., O’Shea, R., Sefton, J., Howard, S. C., Muir, B. W., Stockman, R. A., Taresco, V., & Irvine, D. J. (2025). Rapid, Highly Sustainable Ring-Opening Polymerization via Resonant Acoustic Mixing. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 13(5), 1916–1926. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c06330

Reported herein is the first combination of resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) and controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) to deliver fully sustainable, end-functionalized, biodegradable polymers via a manufacturing route with a much-reduced environ... Read More about Rapid, Highly Sustainable Ring-Opening Polymerization via Resonant Acoustic Mixing.

Development of C. albican Anti-attachment Inkjet 3D Printing Ink, via High Throughput Screening (2025)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Yong, L. X., Zhou, Z., Vallières, C., He, Y., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Alexander, M. R., Avery, S., Wildman, R., & Irvine, D. (2024, August). Development of C. albican Anti-attachment Inkjet 3D Printing Ink, via High Throughput Screening. Presented at International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans (C. albicans) is particularly problematic for immunocompromised patients and those with medical implants. Introducing Candida-resistant medical devices could potentially reduce mortality rates from such infections... Read More about Development of C. albican Anti-attachment Inkjet 3D Printing Ink, via High Throughput Screening.

Towards a scalable cacao pod husk biorefinery: Understanding the effects of process conditions on phenolic antioxidant extraction and residual solid properties (2024)
Journal Article
Dewi, S. R., Stevens, L. A., Anwar, M., Mao, Y., Ferrari, R. S., Irvine, D. J., & Binner, E. R. (2025). Towards a scalable cacao pod husk biorefinery: Understanding the effects of process conditions on phenolic antioxidant extraction and residual solid properties. Chemical Engineering Science, 305, Article 121171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2024.121171

Cacao pod husk (CPH) is a potential source of phenolic-based antioxidants and lignocellulosic compounds. Sample pretreatments and extraction conditions were investigated to understand their effects on extraction yields and implications for industrial... Read More about Towards a scalable cacao pod husk biorefinery: Understanding the effects of process conditions on phenolic antioxidant extraction and residual solid properties.

High resolution 3D printed biocatalytic reactor core with optimized efficiency for continuous flow synthesis (2024)
Journal Article
Attwood, S. J., Leech, D., He, Y., Croft, A., Hague, R. J., Irvine, D. J., Wildman, R. D., & Pordea, A. (2025). High resolution 3D printed biocatalytic reactor core with optimized efficiency for continuous flow synthesis. Chemical Engineering Science, 305, Article 121156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2024.121156

3D printing has the potential to transform biocatalytic continuous flow reactor technology, where precise control of topology is essential for maximizing reactor performance. By embedding enzymatic catalysts in polymer hydrogel networks, continuous s... Read More about High resolution 3D printed biocatalytic reactor core with optimized efficiency for continuous flow synthesis.

Fungal Attachment-Resistant Polymers for the Additive Manufacture of Medical Devices (2024)
Journal Article
Yong, L. X., Sefton, J., Vallières, C., Rance, G. A., Hill, J., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Dundas, A. A., Rose, F. R., Alexander, M. R., Wildman, R., He, Y., Avery, S. V., & Irvine, D. J. (2024). Fungal Attachment-Resistant Polymers for the Additive Manufacture of Medical Devices. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 16(40), 54508–54519. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c04833

This study reports the development of the first copolymer material that (i) is resistant to fungal attachment and hence biofilm formation, (ii) operates via a nonkilling mechanism, i.e., avoids the use of antifungal actives and the emergence of funga... Read More about Fungal Attachment-Resistant Polymers for the Additive Manufacture of Medical Devices.

Understanding Microwave Interactions with Polymers to Enable Advanced Plastic Chemical Recycling (2024)
Journal Article
Adam, M., Hjalmarsson, N., Lee, C. S., Irvine, D. J., Robinson, J., & Binner, E. (2024). Understanding Microwave Interactions with Polymers to Enable Advanced Plastic Chemical Recycling. Polymer Testing, 137, Article 108483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2024.108483

The widespread adoption of plastics has led to substantial production and waste generation, raising environmental concerns. Chemical recycling offers a promising solution to enhance recycling rates, with microwave heating emerging as an attractive te... Read More about Understanding Microwave Interactions with Polymers to Enable Advanced Plastic Chemical Recycling.

Simultaneous geraniol and citronellol transesterification using Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase for the production of fragrance and flavour esters: a kinetic study (2024)
Journal Article
Wikaputri, A. S., Irvine, D. J., Stockman, R. A., & Shivaprasad, P. (2024). Simultaneous geraniol and citronellol transesterification using Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase for the production of fragrance and flavour esters: a kinetic study. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 16, Article 101186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2024.101186

This study aims to develop, for the very first time, a kinetic model for the simultaneous transesterification of geraniol and citronellol using Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase to produce their respective esters. This allows us to test the feasibility... Read More about Simultaneous geraniol and citronellol transesterification using Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase for the production of fragrance and flavour esters: a kinetic study.

Polymer-Coated Urinary Catheter Reduces Biofilm Formation and Biomineralization: A First-in-Man, Prospective Pilot Study (2024)
Journal Article
Kalenderski, K., Dubern, J.-F., Lewis-Lloyd, C., Jeffery, N., Heeb, S., Irvine, D. J., Sloan, T. J., Birch, B., Andrich, D., Humes, D., Alexander, M. R., & Williams, P. (2024). Polymer-Coated Urinary Catheter Reduces Biofilm Formation and Biomineralization: A First-in-Man, Prospective Pilot Study. Journal of Urology Open PLus, 2(1), Article e00005. https://doi.org/10.1097/JU9.0000000000000097

Purpose: Biofilm formation and biomineralization on urinary catheters may cause severe complications including infection and obstruction. Here, we describe an in vitro evaluation and prospective pilot clinical study of a silicone catheter coated with... Read More about Polymer-Coated Urinary Catheter Reduces Biofilm Formation and Biomineralization: A First-in-Man, Prospective Pilot Study.

Screening of Oligomeric (Meth)acrylate Vaccine Adjuvants Synthesized via Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization (2023)
Journal Article
Hege, C. S., Stimpson, A., Sefton, J., Summers, J., Henke, H., Dundas, A. A., Phan, T., Kinsey, R., Guderian, J. A., Sivananthan, S. J., Mohamath, R., Lykins, W. R., Ramer-Denisoff, G., Lin, S., Fox, C. B., & Irvine, D. J. (2023). Screening of Oligomeric (Meth)acrylate Vaccine Adjuvants Synthesized via Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization. Polymers, 15(18), Article 3831. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15183831

This report details the first systematic screening of free-radical-produced methacrylate oligomer reaction mixtures as alternative vaccine adjuvant components to replace the current benchmark compound squalene, which is unsustainably sourced from sha... Read More about Screening of Oligomeric (Meth)acrylate Vaccine Adjuvants Synthesized via Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization.

A potential alternative to fungicides using actives-free (meth)acrylate polymers for protection of wheat crops from fungal attachment and infection (2023)
Journal Article
Crawford, L. A., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Stimpson, A., Morgan, C., Blake, J., Wildman, R. D., Hook, A. L., Alexander, M. R., Irvine, D. J., & Avery, S. V. (2023). A potential alternative to fungicides using actives-free (meth)acrylate polymers for protection of wheat crops from fungal attachment and infection. Green Chemistry, 25(21), 8558-8569. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3gc01911j

Fungicidal compounds are actives widely used for crop protection from fungal infection, but they can also kill beneficial organisms, enter the food chain and promote resistant pathogen strains from overuse. Here we report the first field crop trial o... Read More about A potential alternative to fungicides using actives-free (meth)acrylate polymers for protection of wheat crops from fungal attachment and infection.

Ring opening polymerisation of ɛ-caprolactone with novel microwave magnetic heating and cyto-compatible catalyst (2023)
Journal Article
Wang, K., Ni, M., Dundas, A. A., Dimitrakis, G., & Irvine, D. J. (2023). Ring opening polymerisation of ɛ-caprolactone with novel microwave magnetic heating and cyto-compatible catalyst. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, Article 1123477. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1123477

We report on the ring-opening polymerization of ɛ-caprolactone incorporated with a magnetic susceptible catalyst, FeCl3, via the use of microwave magnetic heating (HH) which primarily heats the bulk with a magnetic field (H-field) from an electromagn... Read More about Ring opening polymerisation of ɛ-caprolactone with novel microwave magnetic heating and cyto-compatible catalyst.

Discovery of a polymer resistant to bacterial biofilm, swarming, and encrustation (2023)
Journal Article
Dubern, J. F., Hook, A. L., Carabelli, A. M., Chang, C. Y., Lewis-Lloyd, C. A., Luckett, J. C., Burroughs, L., Dundas, A. A., Humes, D. J., Irvine, D. J., Alexander, M. R., & Williams, P. (2023). Discovery of a polymer resistant to bacterial biofilm, swarming, and encrustation. Science Advances, 9(4), Article eadd7474. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.add7474

Innovative approaches to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are urgently required. Here, we describe the discovery of an acrylate copolymer capable of resisting single- and multispecies bacterial biofilm formation, swarming... Read More about Discovery of a polymer resistant to bacterial biofilm, swarming, and encrustation.

Innate immune cell instruction using micron-scale 3D objects of varied architecture and polymer chemistry: The ChemoArchiChip (2023)
Journal Article
Vassey, M., Ma, L., Kämmerling, L., Mbadugha, C., Trindade, G. F., Figueredo, G. P., Pappalardo, F., Hutchinson, J., Markus, R., Rajani, S., Hu, Q., Winkler, D. A., Irvine, D. J., Hague, R., Ghaemmaghami, A. M., Wildman, R., & Alexander, M. R. (2023). Innate immune cell instruction using micron-scale 3D objects of varied architecture and polymer chemistry: The ChemoArchiChip. Matter, 6(3), 887-906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2023.01.002

To design effective immunomodulatory implants, innate immune cell interactions at the surface of biomaterials need to be controlled and understood. The architectural design freedom of two-photon polymerization is used to produce arrays of surface-mou... Read More about Innate immune cell instruction using micron-scale 3D objects of varied architecture and polymer chemistry: The ChemoArchiChip.

Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis (2023)
Journal Article
Fowler, H. R., O'Brien, D. M., Keddie, D. J., Alexander, C., Irvine, D. J., Stockman, R. A., Howdle, S. M., & Taresco, V. (2023). Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 224(8), Article 2200446. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202200446

Polyols and polyacrylates have a wide range of applications in polymer synthesis as monomers, initiators, or building blocks in a variety of polymerization reaction types. With an ever-growing need to reduce the global dependency on fossil fuels, fin... Read More about Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis.

Strategies for Integrating Metal Nanoparticles with Two-Photon Polymerization Process: Toward High Resolution Functional Additive Manufacturing (2023)
Journal Article
Im, J., Liu, Y., Hu, Q., Trindade, G. F., Parmenter, C., Fay, M., He, Y., Irvine, D. J., Tuck, C., Wildman, R. D., Hague, R., & Turyanska, L. (2023). Strategies for Integrating Metal Nanoparticles with Two-Photon Polymerization Process: Toward High Resolution Functional Additive Manufacturing. Advanced Functional Materials, 33(39), Article 2211920. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202211920

This study reports the successful fabrication of complex 3D metal nanoparticle–polymer nanocomposites using two-photon polymerization (2PP). Three complementary strategies are detailed: in situ formation of metal nanoparticles (MeNPs) through a singl... Read More about Strategies for Integrating Metal Nanoparticles with Two-Photon Polymerization Process: Toward High Resolution Functional Additive Manufacturing.

Predictive Molecular Design and Structure–Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials (2023)
Journal Article
Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Ilchev, A., Moore, J. C., Fowler, H. R., Dubern, J.-F., Sanni, O., Xue, X., Husband, B. K., Dundas, A. A., Smith, S., Wildman, J. L., Taresco, V., Williams, P., Alexander, M. R., Howdle, S. M., Wildman, R. D., Stockman, R. A., & Irvine, D. J. (2023). Predictive Molecular Design and Structure–Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials. Biomacromolecules, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00721

Presented in this work is the use of a molecular descriptor, termed the α parameter, to aid in the design of a series of novel, terpene-based, and sustainable polymers that were resistant to biofilm formation by the model bacterial pathogen Pseudomon... Read More about Predictive Molecular Design and Structure–Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials.

Microparticles Decorated with Cell‐Instructive Surface Chemistries Actively Promote Wound Healing (2022)
Journal Article
Latif, A., Fisher, L. E., Dundas, A. A., Crucitti, V. C., Imir, Z., Lawler, K., Pappalard, F., Muir, B. W., Wildman, R., Irvine, D. J., Alexander, M. R., & Ghaemmaghami, A. M. (2024). Microparticles Decorated with Cell‐Instructive Surface Chemistries Actively Promote Wound Healing. Advanced Materials, 36(43), Article 2208364. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202208364

Wound healing is a complex biological process involving close crosstalk between various cell types. Dysregulation in any of these processes, such as in diabetic wounds, results in chronic nonhealing wounds. Fibroblasts are a critical cell type involv... Read More about Microparticles Decorated with Cell‐Instructive Surface Chemistries Actively Promote Wound Healing.

Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers (2022)
Journal Article
Atkinson, R. L., Elsmore, M., Smith, S., Reynolds-Green, M., Topham, P. D., Toolan, D. T., Derry, M. J., Monaghan, O., Taresco, V., Irvine, D. J., Stockman, R. A., De Focatiis, D. S., & Howdle, S. M. (2022). Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers. European Polymer Journal, 179, Article 11567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111567

We report the synthesis of novel terpene-based monomers: nopinyl acrylate and methacrylate, from naturally abundant β-pinene. A very high Tg value was observed for poly(nopinyl methacrylate) when synthesised by free radical polymerisation, and well-d... Read More about Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers.