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

Aqueous Polymer Self‐Assembly Based on Cucurbit[n]uril‐Mediated Host‐Guest Interactions
J Liu, CSY Tan, Y Lan, OA Scherman
Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
(2015)
217
Cucurbituril-Based Molecular Recognition
SJ Barrow, S Kasera, MJ Rowland, J del Barrio, OA Scherman
Chemical reviews
(2015)
115
Cucurbit[8]uril‐Regulated Nanopatterning of Binary Polymer Brushes via Colloidal Templating
C Hu, Y Lan, KR West, OA Scherman
Adv Mater
(2015)
27
Supracolloidal Architectures Self‐Assembled in Microdroplets
X Xu, F Tian, X Liu, RM Parker, Y Lan, Y Wu, Z Yu, OA Scherman, C Abell
Chemistry – A European Journal
(2015)
21
Turning Cucurbit[8]uril into a Supramolecular Nanoreactor for Asymmetric Catalysis
L Zheng, S Sonzini, M Ambarwati, E Rosta, OA Scherman, A Herrmann
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
(2015)
54
Turning Cucurbit[8]uril into a Supramolecular Nanoreactor for Asymmetric Catalysis.
L Zheng, S Sonzini, M Ambarwati, E Rosta, OA Scherman, A Herrmann
Angewandte Chemie (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
(2015)
127
Formation of Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Supramolecular Hydrogel Beads Using Droplet-Based Microfluidics.
X Xu, EA Appel, X Liu, RM Parker, OA Scherman, C Abell
Biomacromolecules
(2015)
16
Divergence from the classical hydroboration reactivity; boron containing materials through a hydroboration cascade of small cyclic dienes.
A Andreou, M Leskes, PG Jambrina, GJ Tustin, CP Grey, E Rosta, OA Scherman
Chemical science
(2015)
6
Catalytic polymeric nanocomposites via cucurbit[n]uril host-guest interactions.
Y Wu, Y Lan, J Liu, OA Scherman
Nanoscale
(2015)
7
Preparation and Supramolecular Recognition of Multivalent Peptide-Polysaccharide Conjugates by Cucurbit[8]uril in Hydrogel Formation
MJ Rowland, M Atgie, D Hoogland, OA Scherman
Biomacromolecules
(2015)
16

Head of group

Telephone number

01223 331797, 01223 334372 (shared)

Email address

College