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Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers (2022)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Fowler, H. R., Jacob, P. L., Krumins, E., Lentz, J. C., Souhil, M. R., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2022). Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers. European Polymer Journal, 168, Article 111108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111108

The dispersion polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a widely employed method for producing discrete, spherical PMMA particles from traditional solvents, which cover a broad particle size range. With environmental impact becoming an ever mor... Read More about Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers.

Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant (2022)
Journal Article
d'Almeida Gameiro, M., Jacob, P. L., Kortsen, K., Ward, T., Taresco, V., Stockman, R. A., Chebude, Y., & Howdle, S. M. (2022). Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant. Journal of Polymer Science, https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20220050

Epoxidized oils are commonly used in the plastics industry as additives in the formulation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and as monomers in the coating industry. They are produced from petrochemical feedstocks or by chemical epoxidation of natural oils... Read More about Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant.

Sustainable terpene triblock copolymers with tuneable properties for pressure sensitive adhesive applications (2022)
Journal Article
Elsmore, M., Atkinson, R., Irvine, D., Howdle, S., & De Focatiis, D. (2022). Sustainable terpene triblock copolymers with tuneable properties for pressure sensitive adhesive applications. Polymer Testing, 109, Article 107530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107530

A series of triblock copolymers in a hard-soft-hard block configuration with varying hard block α-pinene methacrylate content and molecular weight and butyl acrylate soft segment have been synthesised and investigated for viability in pressure sensit... Read More about Sustainable terpene triblock copolymers with tuneable properties for pressure sensitive adhesive applications.

Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) (2021)
Journal Article
Sagnelli, D., Vestri, A., Curia, S., Taresco, V., Santagata, G., Johansson, M. K., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). European Polymer Journal, 161, Article 110827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2021.110827

There is significant potential for industrial use of renewables for a wide range of materials demanded by society. Plants, trees and algae are increasingly attracting attention as sustainable sources for functionalised and polymerizable building bloc... Read More about Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2).

Synthesis of model terpene-derived copolymers in supercritical carbon dioxide for cosmetic applications (2021)
Journal Article
Bennett, T. M., Portal, J., Jeanne-Rose, V., Taupin, S., Ilchev, A., Irvine, D. J., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Synthesis of model terpene-derived copolymers in supercritical carbon dioxide for cosmetic applications. European Polymer Journal, 157, Article 110621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2021.110621

There is currently a strong drive within the cosmetics industry to replace petroleum based solvents and polymers with renewable alternatives. Copolymers of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2EHA) and maleic anhydride (MA) are interesting model candidates to be... Read More about Synthesis of model terpene-derived copolymers in supercritical carbon dioxide for cosmetic applications.

Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects (2021)
Journal Article
Jacob, P. L., Ruiz Cantu, L. A., Pearce, A. K., He, Y., Lentz, J. C., Moore, J. C., Machado, F., Rivers, G., Apebende, E., Fernandez, M. R., Francolini, I., Wildman, R., Howdle, S. M., & Taresco, V. (2021). Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects. Polymer, 228, Article 123912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2021.123912

Enzymatically synthesised poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) has shown a palette of key desirable properties required for a biomaterial to be considered a ‘versatile polymeric tool’ in the field of drug delivery. PGA and its variations can self-assemble in... Read More about Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects.

Functionalisable Epoxy-rich Electrospun Fibres Based on Renewable Terpene for Multi-Purpose Applications (2021)
Journal Article
Montanari, U., Cocchi, D., Brugo, T. M., Pollicino, A., Taresco, V., Romero Fernandez, M., Moore, J. C., Sagnelli, D., Paradisi, F., Zucchelli, A., Howdle, S. M., & Gualandi, C. (2021). Functionalisable Epoxy-rich Electrospun Fibres Based on Renewable Terpene for Multi-Purpose Applications. Polymers, 13(11), Article 1804. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111804

New bio-based polymers capable of either outperforming fossil-based alternatives or possessing new properties and functionalities are of relevant interest in the framework of the circular economy. In this work, a novel bio-based polycarvone acrylate... Read More about Functionalisable Epoxy-rich Electrospun Fibres Based on Renewable Terpene for Multi-Purpose Applications.

RAFT polymerisation of renewable terpene (meth)acrylates and the convergent synthesis of methacrylate-acrylate-methacrylate triblock copolymers (2021)
Journal Article
Atkinson, R. L., Monaghan, O., Elsmore, M. T., Topham, P. D., Toolan, D. T. W., Derry, M. J., Taresco, V., Stockman, R., De Focatiis, D. S., Irvine, D. J., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). RAFT polymerisation of renewable terpene (meth)acrylates and the convergent synthesis of methacrylate-acrylate-methacrylate triblock copolymers. Polymer Chemistry, 12(21), 3177-3189. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00326g

Terpenes are ideal candidates for sustainable polymer feedstocks, due to their natural abundance and availability from existing waste streams. Previously, we have shown that a range of terpene(meth)acrylate monomers can be synthesised from the most c... Read More about RAFT polymerisation of renewable terpene (meth)acrylates and the convergent synthesis of methacrylate-acrylate-methacrylate triblock copolymers.

Synthesis of water-soluble surfactants using catalysed condensation polymerisation in green reaction media (2021)
Journal Article
Goddard, A. R., Apebende, E. A., Lentz, J. C., Carmichael, K., Taresco, V., Irvine, D. J., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Synthesis of water-soluble surfactants using catalysed condensation polymerisation in green reaction media. Polymer Chemistry, 12(20), 2992-3003. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00415h

Sustainable and biobased surfactants are required for a wide range of everyday applications. Key drivers are cost, activity and efficiency of production. Polycondensation is an excellent route to build surfactant chains from bio-sourced monomers, but... Read More about Synthesis of water-soluble surfactants using catalysed condensation polymerisation in green reaction media.

Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2 (2021)
Journal Article
Larder, R. R., Bennett, T. M., Blankenship, L. S., Alves Fernandes, J., Husband, B. K., Atkinson, R. L., Derry, M. J., Thomas William Toolan, D., Centurion, H. A., Topham, P. D., Vitalino Goncalves, R., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2. Polymer Chemistry, 12(19), 2904-2913. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00334h

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mediated dispersion polymerisation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is an efficient and green method for synthesising block copolymer microparticles with internal nanostructures. Here we... Read More about Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2.

Terpene polyacrylate TPA5 shows favorable molecular hydrodynamic properties as a potential bioinspired archaeological wood consolidant (2021)
Journal Article
Cutajar, M., Andriulo, F., Thomsett, M. R., Moore, J. C., Couturaud, B., Howdle, S. M., Stockman, R. A., & Harding, S. E. (2021). Terpene polyacrylate TPA5 shows favorable molecular hydrodynamic properties as a potential bioinspired archaeological wood consolidant. Scientific Reports, 11(1), Article 7343. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86543-1

There is currently a pressing need for the development of novel bioinspired consolidants for waterlogged, archaeological wood. Bioinspired materials possess many advantages, such as biocompatibility and sustainability, which makes them ideal to use i... Read More about Terpene polyacrylate TPA5 shows favorable molecular hydrodynamic properties as a potential bioinspired archaeological wood consolidant.

Influence of structure and solubility of chain transfer agents on the RAFT control of dispersion polymerisation in scCO2 (2020)
Journal Article
Alves Costa Pacheco, A., Fernandes Da Silva Filho, A., Kortsen, K., Hanson-Heine, M., Taresco, V., Hirst, J. D., Lansalot, M., D'Agosto, F., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Influence of structure and solubility of chain transfer agents on the RAFT control of dispersion polymerisation in scCO2. Chemical Science, 12(3), 1016-1030. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0sc05281g

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is performed in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) with 2-(dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio)-2-methylpropionic acid (DDMAT) present as chain... Read More about Influence of structure and solubility of chain transfer agents on the RAFT control of dispersion polymerisation in scCO2.

Amylose/cellulose nanofiber composites for all-natural, fully biodegradable and flexible bioplastics (2020)
Journal Article
Xu, J., Sagnelli, D., Faisal, M., Perzon, A., Taresco, V., Mais, M., Giosafatto, C. V. L., Hebelstrup, K. H., Ulvskov, P., Jørgensen, B., Chen, L., Howdle, S. M., & Blennow, A. (2021). Amylose/cellulose nanofiber composites for all-natural, fully biodegradable and flexible bioplastics. Carbohydrate Polymers, 253, Article 117277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.117277

Thermoplastic, polysaccharide-based plastics are environmentally friendly. However, typical shortcomings include lack of water resistance and poor mechanical properties. Nanocomposite manufacturing using pure, highly linear, polysaccharides can overc... Read More about Amylose/cellulose nanofiber composites for all-natural, fully biodegradable and flexible bioplastics.

On-line polymerisation monitoring in scCO2: a reliable and inexpensive sampling method in high pressure applications (2020)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Pacheco, A. A., Lentz, J. C., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). On-line polymerisation monitoring in scCO2: a reliable and inexpensive sampling method in high pressure applications. Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 167, Article 105047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2020.105047

A versatile and reliable on-line sampling system for polymerisation reactions in supercritical fluids was developed. By withdrawing a small volume of a high-pressure reaction mixture and expanding it in a controlled volume, reliable kinetic data were... Read More about On-line polymerisation monitoring in scCO2: a reliable and inexpensive sampling method in high pressure applications.

Synthesis of Passerini-3CR Polymers and Assembly into Cytocompatible Polymersomes (2020)
Journal Article
Travanut, A., Monteiro, P. F., Oelmann, S., Howdle, S. M., Grabowska, A. M., Clarke, P. A., Ritchie, A. A., Meier, M. A., & Alexander, C. (2021). Synthesis of Passerini-3CR Polymers and Assembly into Cytocompatible Polymersomes. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 42(6), Article 2000321. https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202000321

© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH GmbH The versatility of the Passerini three component reaction (Passerini-3CR) is herein exploited for the synthesis of an amphiphilic diblock copolymer, which self-assembles into polymersomes. Carboxy-funct... Read More about Synthesis of Passerini-3CR Polymers and Assembly into Cytocompatible Polymersomes.

Synthesis of novel carvone (meth)acrylate monomers for the production of hydrophilic polymers with high terpene content (2020)
Journal Article
Montanari, U., Taresco, V., Liguori, A., Gualandi, C., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Synthesis of novel carvone (meth)acrylate monomers for the production of hydrophilic polymers with high terpene content. Polymer International, 70(5), 499-505. https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6096

The terpene‐based monomers and polymers reported in the literature are mostly hydrophobic and this is limiting their use in aqueous environments. To address this drawback, we have developed a novel synthetic strategy to functionalise a model terpene... Read More about Synthesis of novel carvone (meth)acrylate monomers for the production of hydrophilic polymers with high terpene content.

Synthesis of two-phase polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide (2020)
Journal Article
Haddleton, A., Bennett, T. M., Chen, X., Atkinson, R. L., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2020). Synthesis of two-phase polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide. Polymer Chemistry, 11(31), 5029-5039. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0py00729c

The synthesis of particles with discrete phases using traditional emulsion polymerisation is a well-established process. Phase-separated particles have a wide range of applications, such as in coatings, drug delivery, impact modification and as suppo... Read More about Synthesis of two-phase polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide.

Clean synthesis of linear and star amphiphilic poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethyl ethylene phosphonate) block copolymers: assessing self-assembly and surface activity (2020)
Journal Article
Baheti, P., Rheinberger, T., Gimello, O., Bouilhac, C., Wurm, F. R., Lacroix-Desmazes, P., & Howdle, S. M. (2020). Clean synthesis of linear and star amphiphilic poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethyl ethylene phosphonate) block copolymers: assessing self-assembly and surface activity. Green Chemistry, 22(10), 3248-3261. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0gc00819b

2‐Methyltetrahydrofuran (2‐MeTHF) as a versatile green solvent for the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers via ROP, FRP, and RAFT tandem polymerizations (2020)
Journal Article
Englezou, G., Kortsen, K., Pacheco, A. A. C., Cavanagh, R., Lentz, J. C., Krumins, E., Sanders‐Velez, C., Howdle, S. M., Nedoma, A. J., & Taresco, V. (2020). 2‐Methyltetrahydrofuran (2‐MeTHF) as a versatile green solvent for the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers via ROP, FRP, and RAFT tandem polymerizations. Journal of Polymer Science, 58(11), 1571-1581. https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20200183

2‐methyltetrahydrofuran (2‐MeTHF) is a readily available, inexpensive, neoteric, bio‐based solvent. It has been adopted across a wide range of chemical processes including the batch manufacture of fine chemicals, enzymatic polycondensations and ring... Read More about 2‐Methyltetrahydrofuran (2‐MeTHF) as a versatile green solvent for the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers via ROP, FRP, and RAFT tandem polymerizations.

Low-temperature and purification-free stereocontrolled ring-opening polymerisation of lactide in supercritical carbon dioxide (2020)
Journal Article
Bassett, S. P., Russell, A. D., McKeown, P., Robinson, I., Forder, T. R., Taresco, V., Davidson, M. G., & Howdle, S. M. (2020). Low-temperature and purification-free stereocontrolled ring-opening polymerisation of lactide in supercritical carbon dioxide. Green Chemistry, 22(7), 2197-2202. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0gc00352b

A stereoselective, solvent-free ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of lactide (LA) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is reported for the first time. The key aim is to exploit scCO2 to lower the temperature of traditional melt polymerisations, lo... Read More about Low-temperature and purification-free stereocontrolled ring-opening polymerisation of lactide in supercritical carbon dioxide.